ABSTRACT
Though acknowledging a “shift” toward political drama in Pinter’s recent dramatic works One for the Road , Precisely, and Mountain Language, some critics question whether it is genuine. Judging the authenticity of any such change of direction is more complex than giving an account of Pinter’s views or of his dramatic plots. Such judgments are contingent on the perspectives of the critics, on their particular politics or ideologies. From different critical vantage points, Pinter’s politics can seem to have undergone a radical shift on the one hand, while maintaining a somewhat conservative stance on the other. This double perspective on Pinter’s shift to political drama reflects current conflicts in cultural studies between those writing from mainstream positions and those espousing Marxist, neo-Marxist, and post-Marxist views.
