Browsing by Author "Viera, Craig"
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Item Billy Roche's Pantheon: Discovering the Adolescent(University of Delaware, 2012-05) Viera, CraigThe following pages examine the use of character archetypes in the works of contemporary Irish author Billy Roche. Although there are no recurring characters in Roche’s writing, familiar character frameworks can be identified throughout his drama and prose. The writer has identified some of these personalities (the joker, the scorner of life, and the white goddess among others) as essential entities within his “pantheon” of characters, but has not acknowledged one of the most important pieces of his ensemble: the adolescent male—a character archetype that provides a sense of hope and an emotional core to Roche’s texts, outshining the otherwise commonplace inhabitants of working-class Ireland, as he handles the complications inherent in coming-of-age. This thesis identifies some of the most vital adolescent figures throughout Roche’s work, while simultaneously seeking to define the parameters and function of the character archetype. By looking at a wide range of texts that span both genre and the full length of his career, a clear portrait of the adolescent is presented that sheds light on the importance of the archetype in Billy Roche’s writing.