🚀 go-pugleaf

	This is meant as an attempt to provoke something of a literary discussion: in part, to sort of test or sound out the degree of inte=
rest or willingness for such a "cyber-discussion" in this particular area of the world.  As a topic, it seemed appropriate to choose=
 the celebrated "heraldic" author of the area--Mr. William Kennedy--and perhaps, as a start, to focus on the current play-in-progres=
s, "Grand View", that I believe is to be premiered next month.  So I would be interested to hear opinions, commentary, etc. from any=
one who happened to catch the preview of the play that was given last January at the Egg in Albany.  As I happened to miss this prev=
iew, though, I thought I would start the proverbial ball rolling with some lines of inquiry as to the nature of the play.
	First off, since this is the first theatrical piece that Kennedy has written, I believe, it will be very interesting to see the man=
ner in which, or the degree to which, Kennedy has tried to transfer his more usual novelistic techniques to the dramatic medium. For=
 instance, given the subject matter of the play (which, as I understand it, involves a confrontation between the Dan O'Connell chara=
cter--Patsy McCall--and Gov. Thom. Dewey over their respective maneoverings against each other), I would have to assume that this wi=
ll be an overtly "political" work, in one manner or another.  That being so, it would inevitably call up comparisons with what Kenne=
dy himself has called his "political book"--"Billy Phelan's Greatest Game".  The interesting thing here, though, is that in this lat=
ter work, so much of the attitudes, the ideas and opinions communicated about Albany's political culture are done so by way of a vie=
wpoint character--primarily Martin Daugherty--in a technique usually referred to as a "third person limited narrator":  In other wor=
ds, the reader is priviledged with knowledge of Martin's unspoken thoughts, feelings, etc.  In fact, if it is accurate to say that t=
he overall "attitudinal tone" taken towards the political machine is one of strong ambivalence, of both  attraction towards the  nig=
ht-life world, and the city as a whole, that the machine controls and is so thoroughly implicated in, as well as repulsion away from=
 the very totalizing nature of this control, then it is primarily--although not entirely--conveyed through the editorializing viewpo=
int of Martin Daugherty.  It's true that this tone also comes out most definately through the "dramatic" (or "scenic") account of Bi=
llys' problems with the McCall family (and much less through Billys' own narrated viewpoint), but it's really through Martin's viewp=
oint that this tone is established, and, furthermore, it is really Martin's observing (or remembering) consciousness that serves as =
the framework for the majority of the "scenic accounts" in the book, which, in fact, then serve as impetus towards his need to resol=
ve his own struggles with himself.     
	The point I am trying to come to, of course, is that narrative techniques such as a viewpoint character or an observing consciousne=
ss are more or less unavailable to a stage play, which is composed entirely of "scenic" events.  It should be interesting, therefore=
, to see the manner in which Kennedy manages to create "tone" for this play, and how successful he is in doing so using solely drama=
tic means. 
	Another line of inquiry that comes up is the element of "magical reality" that, for me, plays such an important part in the best of=
 Kennedy's writing.  Is there any hint of this at all in "Grand View"?  From the brief description that I have heard of the plays' s=
ubject matter, it seems not unlikely that Kennedy might stay entirely within the realm of pragmatical realism for this one, but it w=
ill be interesting to see if, and how, anything redolent of a magical reality might find some place between the overbearing politico=
s, Dewey and "McCall".  "Magical realism" certainly had a strong prescence in the last novel, "Very Old Bones",  and it is curious t=
o think that not only is the summer resort in Saratoga for which the play is named the same one used by the Phelans', but also that =
the Phelans' live directly across Colonie Street from Patsy McCall.  It is as if we were being presented with two highly distinct or=
ders of reality by these two households: the bullying, obsessively quotidian pragmatism of McCall contrasted with the extremely odd,=
 dysfunctional, dark-backwardness of the Colonie St. Phelans. One wonders if any colorations of the latter will perhaps reflect upon=
 the former.
	Any opinions, comments, fierce denunciations?