Point of View

Because Sarah Kane's canon consists entirely of dramatic texts, they defy traditional conceptions of point of view. However, the works can be divided in a certain respect between those told n the first person and those told in third person.

Sarah Kane's earlier work - that written between 1995 and 1998 - is told in a more standard narrative form. "Blasted" and the screenplay "Skin" both distinctly take place in real locations in England: Leeds and south London. Even "Cleansed" and "Phaedra's Love", which exist in fictitious or metaphysical realms, are told from an outsider's perspective. They involve dialogue between several characters and dramatic conceits that imply of voyeuristic third party perspective for the audience.

On the other hand, Kane's two final plays - "Crave" and "4.48 Psychosis" - are first person works. These texts resemble poems more than traditional plays, consisting almost entirely of interior ruminations from the...