Teacher’s Guide: Pinter: “That’s All”

(In this document all references to the tasks as the students see them are in bold font.)

Introduction: One of the competency aims after VG1 is “to take initiatives to start, finish and keep a conversation going.” Although this seems like a given in language instruction, the art of conversing itself is not all that easy for all of us – teachers and students alike.

Pinter’s dramatic sketch portrays two women (Mrs. A and Mrs. B) who have a conversation about a third woman “she” and how often and when this “she” a friend/acquaintance who has moved away “comes in” to the butcher.

On the surface the conversation is short and shallow; typical small talk. This is also the beauty of the conversation. The way the dialogue is read can change everything. Is one woman bragging about the friendship she still has with “she”, are they arguing, are they just filling the time? If the students change the characters (ages, sex, social status, setting etc) how does the conversation change? Using the creative stunts after the text will allow you to explore some of these possibilities.

Pinter himself is most famous for “The Birthday Party”. He was a great influence on 20th century drama. His own style was so unique, the word Pinteresque was listed in the Oxford dictionary. When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005, the Swedish Academy said that Pinter "… in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms".

With your class, explore the “precipice under everyday prattle” both in the text and their own.

To read more and listen to Pinter try these Websites:

Resources at Nobelprize.org

Speech about Pinter, describes his plays:

BBC on Pinter:

NPR 5 minute radio program about Pinter’s plays:

After Pinter’s death: NPR article and program:

Approaching the text: some suggestions

A. Pretextual work:

1. Use the “Starting Point” task before the text:

What kinds of conversations do most people have most of the time? What about you? Think about the conversations you have had today or yesterday. What did you talk about?

a. Write the question on the blackboard/overhead or power point slide.

There is a power point made up for you that will take you and your class through the instructions in this document. If you want to add pictures to it, you must do so yourself as copyright laws do not allow us to do it for you.

(You may of course just use the question on the handout/in the textbook, but then students already know what they will be doing if they turn the page. Sometimes it is better to keep them guessing.)

b. Have the students discuss the questions with each other.

They should identify:

  1. The different kinds of conversations they have had
  2. Different kinds of conversations:

a.) Some suggestions:

  • getting information
  • discussions
  • arguments
  • deep interpersonal talks about personal topics (feelings, problems, dreams etc.)
  • small talk
  • flirting

b.) Which factors determine the kind of conversation?

  • place, time, mood, person, the objective

iii. How much of their time is spent in small talk and how many really

deep conversations they have per day?

B. The text itself.

  1. Have students read through the sketch in pairs.
  2. Get their first impressions: Who is talking and about what?
  1. Listen to the text on sound file or live performance
  • Have the students take special notice of several aspects as they listen: tone, voice quality, attitude of the speaker, the pauses, and what is not said.
  • If you cannot listen to the text you should prepare it beforehand – with another teacher, a teacher and a student, or 2 students.
  • Does the text change?
  1. Discuss the play using the Viewpoints tasks.
  1. What are these two women talking about?
  2. Where do you think they are having this conversation?
  3. Do you think it is a straightforward conversation, or are they really talking about something else? What could that be?
  1. In your discussion you should discuss what makes this “sketch” different – or Pinteresque:
  1. The things that are not said
  2. Who left? Why did she leave? What kind of relationship did these people have? Do they miss each other?
  3. The pauses –
  4. Why are there so many pauses? What are they waiting for? Thinking about? Are the pauses used as a weapon, as a break, because there is little to say?
  1. The seeming banality or trivialness of the conversation
  2. This is an everyday conversation, like ones we have everyday. Why do they talk?
  3. Is this an attempt to find a new friend, brag, talk about a problem?

d. What could the conversation really be about?

i. Loss, love, friendship, longing, belonging, jealousy?

  1. If the students think this is a silly conversation – that is great. Have them think about one of their own “scintillating” conversations:

ex. – Skjer’a? –

Skjer’a?

Så du …

ja, det var ØØØØØ

ja, helt sykt…

In English: - What’s up?

Hey, what’s up?

Did you see…

Ohh, yea, cool

yea like cool…

  1. Once you have discussed the play and the Viewpoints do the Creative Stunts:

Creative Stunts:

A. Perform the play. Think about these points and stage directions.

  1. Who is in it?
  2. How old are they?
  3. What tone of voice are they using?
  4. What kinds of nonverbal body language are they using?
  5. Change the characters or their tone of voice – or both

(Suggested characters – young women, two men, man and woman; suggested tones – accusing, apologetic, angry, bored)

One way to get the class to change characters is by showing them pictures of different people (two men, or two young women etc) and then have them perform using the characters you showed them.

What happens to the play?

Note to the teacher: Give the students enough time to do 5. They should be able to find many different new characters for the dialogue. Have several pairs perform in front of the class. Make sure you start with a pair that dares to do it well.

B. Write your own play using Pinteresque style.

Use a conversation you could have with a friend or an acquaintance.

Pinteresque is all the aspects mentioned earlier: pauses, trivial conversation, the things that go unsaid etc.

C. Imagine you were to film this play. What would you include? Think

about props, setting (inside/outside), characters (age, gender,

clothing) lighting, music, camera angles, cross-clipping, film speed, etc.

Write a screenplay where you include all of the above elements. Think about the mood you want the actors and the film to convey – hysterical,cheerful, irritable

Maybe you could actually produce a short video of your play?

C. FOLLOW-UP

If you want to follow up this topic with something similar you can explore one of the following:

1. Small Talk

In English-speaking countries it is important to be able to make small talk. Yet this is quite difficult for many people. If you google small talk, you will get many thousand hits and many of these are self-improvement sites.

There is a power point presentation about small talk available to you here. Because of copyright laws the illustrations we once used cannot be available to you. Instead, you will find a suggested illustration idea/film clip on the slide, but you must google it yourself.

2. What is the “good conversation”?

This is something that the Norwegian Royal family certainly has talked about quite a bit, at least how much they appreciate “den gode samtalen”.Ask your students to define what this is and whom they have these kinds of conversations with. The “good conversation” would also make a good writing assignment.