At the beginning of the play, Carr provides a long explanation of the events that are to progress. Throughout the monologue he has difficulty getting his facts straight. As related by Carr, many of the seemingly-absurd assertions later crop up in the play. In three parts, write about the way in which Stoppard brings these absurdities to life. Why do they initially seem impossible? How do they manifest themselves in the action later?

Part 1) Carr's description of Joyce vacillating between gregarious gentleman and horrid miser.

Part 2) Placing a bet on the success of Lenin.

Part 3) Lenin the Scandinavian.

Essay Topic 2

Tristan Tzara is the contrarian of Travesties. He seems to lash out at all set values, just as Dada as a movement lashed out at accepted artistic norms. Focusing on his defamation of beauty, reason, and causality, write an essay about the character of Tzara. Why does he lash out at both Joyce and Carr? How does he connect the violence of the First World War to the art that came before Dada? Why, in the end, is he able to woo Gwendolen?

Essay Topic 3

Lenin is more object than subject in Travesties. He is a commodity desired and detested severally through the play. Write an essay about his character. The first half of this essay should deal primarily with other characters' attitudes toward him. Why is he lionized by some and feared by others? How does his attempt to depart Switzerland force certain characters into awkward positions? The second half should deal with his personality and soul as described by Nadya. How does Lenin view the world, and how does this view lend itself to the embracing of Marxism?

(see the answer keys)

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