Sarah Kane, Blasted

Graham Saunders (University of Reading); Aleks Sierz (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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Blasted

(1995) is a one-act play, composed of five scenes. In it, Ian, a fat, racist middle-aged journalist with lung cancer, takes twenty-something Cate, a family friend who's shy and good-natured, to a Leeds hotel room. She apparently was once his girlfriend and is prone to epileptic fits; he wears a gun and once worked for the secret services. Lonely and afraid, he tries to seduce Cate, then rapes her during the night. In the morning, she tries to leave, while he wants her to stay. She goes to the bathroom, and a nameless Soldier suddenly bursts into the room, demanding food. The room is hit by a mortar bomb. As both men recover, the Soldier tells Ian about the agonies of fighting a civil war, and about the death of his girlfriend. Then he rapes Ian, sucks out his eyes and shoots…

1740 words

Citation: Saunders, Graham, Aleks Sierz. "Blasted". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 June 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15070, accessed 26 November 2024.]

15070 Blasted 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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