Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Alena Alexandrova

Independent Reviewer: 
 Mladen Dolar

Thesis: As the Word was Told. Monologue and the Valence of Two Voices

Arnhem, June 2012

ABSTRACT

I have chosen to begin this thesis from the sentence "But we are so different . . ." in order to analyse how a dialogue emerges from its ellipsis. Because a dialogue is made out of, at least, two voices, the thesis also describes the origin of the voice. While being created, the two voices still encapsulated within one, that of the writer. When written down, uttered, they become distinct. In order to better understand why a voice is interchangeable between bodies, I have analysed two scenes of the film Persona, by Ingmar Bergman. In these scenes, and through Elisabeth's character, it becomes clear why gaze and gesture are idiosyncratic but not the voice. Because a voice is volatile, dialogues emerging within the artwork do not need to follow the reasonable flow of communication. Instead, what characters say, in its entirety, becomes the essence of the artwork.

Author: Rui Vilela