Play review: Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976) by Caryl Churchill.

Today is Friday. Today is time for another blog post. Today you are presented with a review of Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976) by author of the month, Caryl Churchill. This play shines a spotlight on religious views and opinions from the 17th century.

I am going to be honest and point out that this play confused me a bit. I was trying to work out what was going on. I think it was the whole idea of God's army and how soldiers were going to fight because it was God wanted. However, as much as some characters claimed they were doing as they should do according to God, others rightly pointed out that God was not bad and that he would not see people suffer. What I like about this play is how Caryl Churchill is challenging beliefs about religion and asking questions. Such questions being asked are - what makes someone religious and what is good and bad? Just because someone states that they are a religious person and everything they do is in the name of God, does it mean that is right, morally? If you think about society now, there are people who claim to be religious yet would see people suffer... Jesus was born in Palestine, though I wonder how many actually know this. I remember being taught about religion at school including Jesus and the Bible, though never a mention of Palestine. I might add here that even though I am not a relgious person, even I can see the trauma and suffering in the world, even I acknowledge that it should stop. Some people want to use the world "war" but I think "genocide" is far more appropriate abstract noun* here.

*Abstract nouns are just things that we cannot physically use our senses to detect such as how we cannot touch or taste an abstract noun. You can touch a rock but not happiness...

Anyway, Caryl Churchill's play Light Shining in Buckinghamshire is an interesting one. I do not trust the men in the play and I feel sorry for the women in the play, especially Margaret Brotherton. It is a good play though it does not stand out as much as the other Caryl Churchill plays have done therefore it is being given a 6/10.


Until next time,


Thomas.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fictional book review: Cat's Eye (1988) by Margaret Atwood.

Image
It's me again... Your favourite book reviewer back with another Margaret Atwood book to review. This time I thought I would tuck into Atwood's 1988 novel Cat's Eye . This novel is gripped with spectral memories of the narrator's past, it is a bildungsroman. A bildungsroman is just a novel that goes through a character's life, from being a child, to growing up as a young person to becoming an adult. Great Expectations  (1861) by Charles Dickens is another example. Anyway, the narrator, Elaine is haunted by Cordelia who I will not give too much about her away. This novel threw me, many times. We had Elaine and her various friends. First we were introduced to Carol, then Grace and finally Cordelia. But it is Cordelia, who's presence is felt throughout the novel. The thing is, I cannot understand why. Without giving too much away, Cordelia was hardly being nice to Elaine and I just expected that as Elaine grew up that she would move on; that she would not have Corde...
Read more

Bookshops I have visited - 3: Oxfam Bookshop, Coventry.

Image
Welcome back to my blog everyone. It is that time of the month where I give you the ins and outs to another bookshop that I have recently been to. This time, it is the Oxfam Bookshop in Coventry city centre. When I was on my travels, I found myself in Coventry. Now having lived and studied in the West Midlands, I knew about this bookshop. Funnily enough this was not my first visit here. Just as I remembered, they have a nice range of books and music despite being on the slightly smaller side. I noticed they still had a little collection of Doctor Who stuff! I am a big Doctor Who fan. Anyway, as I went nosing around, there was one book that caught my eye. It was this book: Sculpted: Poetry of the North West  (2013) edited by Lindsey Holland and Angela Topping. There is an introduction by David Morley who I have read before as a poet, teacher and editor. The important thing here though is that I picked up a poetry book and April (in case you were unaware) is National Poetry Month! I ...
Read more

Fictional book review: The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood.

Image
Hello all, I wanted to post a review of the first ever Atwood text I read: The Handmaid's Tale  (1985). I fell that this novel is very significant at the moment, considering events that are occurring in the USA. This novel challenged ideas namely about sex and the differences between both man and woman. I noticed this the first time I read this at college for my English literature A-Level. That was necessary but I since read it again for pleasure. Considering all that has happened in the past years , especially in the U.S.A, I can understand why they made a T.V series of this book. I have not seen that yet as I am struggling to find it on any service except Amazon. Considering Amazon's support for Israel and the thought of a extremely rich man, getting even richer because of me, I decided I was not that  desperate. But this is not a blog about social politics, you want my authentic and honest book review. It was the vivid descriptions that made this book stand out to me. Right...
Read more