SOURCE: "Diribi's Incest: The Key to J. P. Clark's The Masquerade, " in World Literature Written in English, Vol. 18, No. 2, November, 1979, pp. 278-86.

In the following essay, Connor contends that critics of The Masquerade have misunderstood the play and have neglected the complexity and subtlety of the plot, whose predominant theme is one of incest.

John Pepper Clark's second play, The Masquerade, has not been a favourite of the critics; I believe they do Clark and his play a great injustice.

The basic plot of The Masquerade is deceptively simple: the hand of a village belle, Titi, who has become a local celebrity by refusing all suitors, is finally won by a rich stranger. Tufa, who falls in love with her at first sight, showers her with lavish presents and wins her acceptance on the spot. Titi's father Diribi, one of the outstanding men of his village, is as...