TRACES OF LIQUID MODERNITY IN HOWARD BRENTON’S JUDE

The emphasis of this study is the idea of ‘liquid modernity’, which Zygmunt Bauman (1925– 2017) metaphorically created to describe the transition from modernism to postmodernism. The primary assertion of this study centers on themes commonly addressed in discussions about the escalating globalization of the world, such as immigration, marginalization, conflict, injustice, violence, and cruelty. The process of a young girl’s (Judith) quest for identity as a refugee in England is also evaluated in the study from the perspective of Howard Brenton’s (1942-) play Jude (2018). Although Howard Brenton, a well-known author and one of the pioneers of oppositional theatre, draws attention to the struggle between justice and power in his plays, he also employs historicism and mythological motifs to reinforce his realism discourse. In today’s modern culture, the term ‘liquid’ appears to be an analogy for the swift conversion of communal consciousness to individuality. This leads to identities that are insensitive, self-centred, and alienated. Immigration is a clear sign of a dishonest and unfair system and draws attention as one of the contemporary world’s key challenges. The primary objective of this study is to examine the inevitable consequences of modernism.