'기이한 낯선 자'와의 퀴어 생태적 공존: 에드워드 올비의 『바다풍경』

초록

Edward Albee’s Seascape dramatizes nonhuman characters as real beings rather than symbols or metaphors, thereby leading us to reconsider the human-nonhuman relationship. Known for his deep exploration of human existence and identity, Albee challenges the concept of humanness through the experimental staging of nonhuman beings. Albee’s theatrical project resonates with Timothy Morton's queer ecology, which seeks to subvert the human-centric concept of Nature. Accordingly, this study provides a queer ecological reading of Albee’s deconstruction of the human-nonhuman dichotomy. First, this study analyzes Nancy's choice to leave her family and live as a seaside nomad as an ecological practice that seeks an open relationship with the beings in the “mesh.” Meanwhile, her husband Charlie has remained in a state of anthropocentrism, clinging to a sedentary life. However, the encounter with the “strange strangers”—Leslie and Sarah—forces him to break out of his rigid mind and move toward a more-than-human world. In conclusion, this study argues that the play functions as an ecodrama that represents the evolutionary process in a condensed form and explores the queer ecological coexistence with the strange strangers.

키워드