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Constructing a “Sense of Life”: Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th from Conception to “Disaster”

Konesko, Patrick Mike

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Theatre and Film.

During the course of her career, Ayn Rand published a number of landmark novels, plays, and essays that, in many ways, influenced conceptions of the individual spirit, society, and government. With boldly drawn, individualistic characters battling against an oppressive and compromising society, Rand’s writing has inspired many devoted fans and passionate opponents. Even with her notoriety, and the frequent interpretation of her novels, her early work remains largely unexplored. In her play, Night of January 16th, Rand began with a simple goal: to adapt courtroom drama into an exciting and interactive form by including audience participation and frequent ruptures of the fourth wall. As the project began to develop, however, Rand’s work took on a new focus—to attempt, using the audience as the jury for the production, to gauge, and ultimately influence the audience’s “sense of life.”

This study begins with in-depth exploration of Night of January 16th from conception to Rand’s ultimate declaration of failure. Then I compare two versions of the script in order to examine Rand’s later changes and updates. Throughout this process I suggest possible motivations for these changes, and their implications on the larger work. Finally, using a selection of reader-response techniques I examine the unique context in which Rand is attempting to stage her “sense of life” test, and explore other factors that conceivably influenced Rand’s experiment. Throughout the study, I work towards the question of whether or not it is possible, within the complex theatre environment, for Rand to effectively transmit a purely philosophical message or “test.”

Ronald Shields, PhD (Committee Chair)
Scott Magelssen, PhD (Committee Member)
Lesa Lockford, PhD (Committee Member)
100 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Konesko, P. M. (2009). Constructing a “Sense of Life”: Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th from Conception to “Disaster” [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245105207

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Konesko, Patrick. Constructing a “Sense of Life”: Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th from Conception to “Disaster”. 2009. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245105207.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Konesko, Patrick. "Constructing a “Sense of Life”: Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th from Conception to “Disaster”." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245105207

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)