Sarah Kane, Blasted

Graham Saunders (University of Reading); Aleks Sierz (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1995

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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Blasted

(1995) is a one-act play, composed of five scenes. In it, Ian, a fat, racist middle-aged journalist with lung cancer, takes twenty-something Cate, a family friend who's shy and good-natured, to a Leeds hotel room. She apparently was once his girlfriend and is prone to epileptic fits; he wears a gun and once worked for the secret services. Lonely and afraid, he tries to seduce Cate, then rapes her during the night. In the morning, she tries to leave, while he wants her to stay. She goes to the bathroom, and a nameless Soldier suddenly bursts into the room, demanding food. The room is hit by a mortar bomb. As both men recover, the Soldier tells Ian about the agonies of fighting a civil war, and about the death of his girlfriend. Then he rapes Ian, sucks out his eyes and shoots…

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1740 words

Citation: Saunders, Graham, Aleks Sierz. "Blasted". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 June 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15070, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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