A Thousand Words: Medic 313

Anthropology graduateAnthropology graduatestudent David Zonies andAnthropology graduatestudent David Zonies andCollege senior AllysonAnthropology graduatestudent David Zonies andCollege senior AllysonKreshak help save livesAnthropology graduatestudent David Zonies andCollege senior AllysonKreshak help save livesduring their free time. Brett Levinson and Amy Lipman The Daily Pennsylvanian: How do you feel the University has responded to Acardia and the entire reading project? As a gauge of student reaction, are you aware that all copies of Arcadia sold out of The Bookstore, Campus Text and are currently checked out of the library? Stoppard: I never heard of such a project. I don't look for trips and talks and carrying on. I'm really sort of a homebody. I get asked to do a lot of University business and so forth; so the first indication of my reaction is that I am here. Penn's Reading Project is the most enormous compliment, which I immediately valued. 'Of course I'll go' was my initial reaction -- it was just hard to work out a time when I could do it. I have visited at least ten American campuses, but I've especially loved being on this one. I haven't seen as much of the University as normally I would, because I've just been run ragged. I always feel at home on American universities. I never actually went to a university. I finished school when I was 17 and became what you are now, journalists. I always had quite a romantic feeling about campuses and American campuses are very congenial. Of course, I have met a lot of different groups and people here that are wonderful. I sometimes find the admiration hard to deal with. I can't live up to that degree of worship. DP: How did you make the transition from journalism to playwriting? Stoppard: I wrote about the theater, for the newspaper, you see; and it wasn't a very sudden transition. I was a single man with much independence and I didn't need much money to live off of. Life was pretty simple. I wrote a play in 1960. Nothing happened for a year then and I went on with my life. By the time I got involved with people who worked in the theater; I heard about some radio play and got involved. It was all quite slow. I made my professional play in London, seven years after I started writing plays. DP: Since the concept of time has been prevalent in your works since the short play If You're Glad I'll Be Frank, how has your idea of the subject changed throughout the years? Stoppard: I really don't go into my plays thinking about what time is. She's talking about a play about telephone operators and such? I just liked the question whether it was a real person or not. Arcadia is a play about time. In some ways, the most important aspects of the play concern time. It's nothing new; I have always been fascinated with it. DP: I read how you usually avoid public appearances. In light of that, why did you plan such an extensive visit at the University? Stoppard: I thought it was so flattering to have one's book chosen. Usually I don't think it is worth my time to show up. Also, I'm shy partly. I'm a private fellow. I often don't see the purpose of many visits. Back home, I don't have time to do anything. I always get behind with my work. Even when I worked for a newspaper, I couldn't stand asking people questions. It is not the type of person I am. Why would I want to tell about myself? Why would I want to do that? I usually do to oblige the people that I owe favors to. The final answer is that it is just my temperament. Some people love it, I used to quite like it. DP: Do you feel that Bernard in Arcadia represents today's professors? Stoppard: No. I don't have first hand experience with this anyway. But, no. When I think of academic books or semi-academic books that I read about other writers who are speaking, they are helpful, usually good reading. The unfair thing about it, is that I fear writing serious plays. It's easy to make fun of somebody. It's much, much easier to keep the audience amused and interested while making fun of someone. DP: And you find the weight in plays really helps to move them forward? Stoppard: Yes. It is. I don't know why it should be so much. Yes, I've always had a certain momentum in my works. I can't say I've always liked it. I've always found myself doing that. Comedy -- it's what I do for a living.