Alan Mcmanus

Redemption: Ae Monologue Flyte at Fyodor Dostoyevskis Alan Mcmanus

Publisher Marketing: A remark my Theatre Studies tutor made about the narrow portrayal of women in a production of Fyodor Dostoyevski's "Crime and Punishment" made me think more about the elderly pawnbroker who is murdered. Vilified and dismissed in the production, the play and the original book, Alyona Ivanovna must have had a life before the murderer's axe ended it. Research revealed both the ethnicity of many 19th C. European pawnbrokers and Dostoyevski's anti-Semitism (tempered though it was). So I endeavoured to challenge this ageist, sexist and (covert) anti-Semitic portrayal by imagining Alyona Ivanovna's former life and giving her a voice to tell her story. Ironically, this storytelling in Scots resulted in a huge conflict at the Scottish university where I was studying - where English appeared to be considered a neutral and natural language for a Scottish playwright, and Scots ethnic and artificial. However I am grateful for the original inspiration, and for much more besides. This 20 minute monologue started in English but I couldn't find her voice. Only when she began to speak Scots could I hear her clearly. I went back to the English version and changed it according to the woman she had revealed herself, in Scots, to be. Both versions are here, both have been given voice by great actors and both warmly appreciated by a discerning audience. Contributor Bio:  McManus, Alan A former Franciscan friar, Dr Alan McManus holds degrees in Church History/ Practical Theology and Religious Studies. He has taught languages at home and abroad, and Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies in Scotland. He has published articles on political philosophy and WW1 remembrance in the "Citizenship, Social and Economics Education." He is a member of Affirmation Scotland.