Monologues Mania

I would like to respond to Rick’s posting of the news about Father Jenkins’ decision at Notre Dame that will facilitate the performance of Eve Ensler’s Monologues on that campus. I am saddened by and regret his decision.

Is it because I blindly follow those reports appearing in various sources that condemn the Monologues? Is it because some of those who have publicly criticized the Monologues are my friends and I want to agree with them? Is it because the title sounds dangerously suggestive and merits censorship?

No.

My sadness and regret are based on the fact that I read all of the Monologues four years ago—those in the 1998 original edition and those in the 2001 revised edition—and I cannot accept the justifications that Father Jenkins has presented in support of his decision. To ensure that my recollection of them was accurate, I reread them today before writing this posting. In spite of the claims concerning free inquiry, free speech, academic freedom, fostering engagement with other perspectives, the enhancement of knowledge within the Catholic intellectual tradition, respectful intellectual exchange, and the promotion of a fruitful dialogue between Gospel and culture (all of which I support within reason), the Monologues serve none of these noble goals that might otherwise merit serious consideration. The one substantive justification that I have heard elsewhere is that performances of the Monologues elevate consciousness about violence against women and girls. After reading and rereading all the Monologues, that justification is found lacking. It is a myth and quickly evaporates. It escapes me how the performances of the Monologues on a Catholic campus can nurture the atmosphere in which the Church does its thinking. If a person were to see or hear a performance or read the text, he or she should conclude that there is nothing to think about in the series of sensational, coarse, and vulgar assaults that overwhelm the senses and the intellect in a harsh and brutal fashion.

Father Jenkins does not say if he read the Monologues or watched or heard any part of a performance. He states that he spoke with many people about the matter, but he does not disclose any personal contact with reading or viewing or hearing the Monologues themselves. For the time being I will assume that he did not. But even if he did, his decision about Ms. Ensler’s notorious work, I believe, would still remain one to be lamented.    RJA sj