Introduction
Syncopation is a set of short plays (one of which shares the collection’s title) which are off-beat, experimental, and unpredictable. Though the musical allusion here is obvious and I do compose music myself, I am less brave in my musical exploits than I am in my literary ones (though you can judge this for yourself by visiting my music / audio page at paulrbuckle.com).
The plays explore in ostensibly contemporary settings institutional “soft-violence” as it manifests in everyday life. The atmosphere is quite consistent and can be well described as claustrophobic. Characters are very often trapped and subjected to senseless violence, both verbal and physical.
Sometimes the violence is obvious and overt, as in that meted out to the offstage figure in the play “Syncopation”. Sometimes, it’s casual and understated as in “Emily” where the titular child is kept in a cage while her parents and their visitors debate soap opera plots.
The target is, as with most of my work, contemporary culture, but the mode of attack and the specifics of that being attacked are sometimes less obvious than in my other works. In any case, the plays were written with feeling and purpose. Ultimately, the test of them will be how much of this can be conveyed to the interested and careful reader, and therein, if ever there was one, is a barely cloaked invitation!
See below for an extract and a free pdf of the book, which I have published under the name Paul Buckle.
An Excerpt from Emily: The Family Cage
In this extract, the family as institution is represented as a mirror both of the way bureaucracies dish out “soft violence” and how countries and states do the same with our full acquiescence as we distract ourselves with the fruits of consumerism. So, if this family obsessing over trivialities while one of its members is fed lollipops through the bars of a cage serves as a reminder of how we in privileged countries treat our less fortunate peers, it’s not coincidental.
Martha: Oh, for God’s sake. For God’s sake. (Points to Emily) Look at her. She’s skin and bones. When was the last time you went out and earned some money? That’s what I want to know. Put food on the table. Literally. Acknowledged your responsibilities. Look at her. She’s fading away. You can’t live on fresh air, can you?
Lowell: Well, from a Freudian perspective…
Lotte: (Looking at Emily) She looks fine to me.
Lowell: (Irritated at being interrupted). From a Freudian perspective, it must have been Neil.
Martha: Ridiculous.
Lowell: Sam stole his opportunity…
Rick and Lowell: (In unison) … to live in denial.
Martha: She’ll probably starve… He thinks he can put the word “Freudian” before every second word and win every argument. (High nervous laugh).
Lotte: I’m sure it was Tess.
Martha: (To Rick) See.
Lowell: Oh, that reminds me. (Takes out a lollipop then looks at cage confusedly) How do, how do I?
Rick: Oh (reaches across and pulls open a sliding panel on top of the cage).
Lotte: You think he’d never been here in his life.
Lowell: (Throws lollipop into the cage).
Martha: She needs real food. One of these mornings, I’ll come down and she’ll be dead.
Rick: Of boredom.
Emily: (Half-heartedly picks up lollipop. Looks at it. After some consideration, decides to eat it).