"The Curve Itself" in Jumpers

"The Curve Itself" in Jumpers LESLIE THOMSON The metaphysical concepts suggested by curves and the circles they imply govern the network of interrelated visual and verbal images in Tom Stoppard 's Jumpers. In a key speech towards the end of the play George says: There is in mathematics a concept known as a limiting curve, that is the curve dermed as the limit of a polygon with an infinite number of sides. For example, if I had never seen a circle and didn't know how to draw one, I could nevertheless postulate the existence of circles by thinking of them as regular polygons with numberless edges, so that an old threepenny-bit would be a bumpy imperfect circle which would approach perfection if I kept doubling the number of its sides: at infinity the result would be the circle which I have never seen and do not know how to draw. and which is logically implied by the existence of polygons. And now and again. not necessarily in the contemplation of polygons or newborn babes, nor in extremities of pain or joy, but more probably in some quite trivial moment, it seems to me that life itself is the mundane figure which argues perfection at its limiting curve. And if I doubt it, the ability to doubt, to question, to think, seems to be the curve itself. Cogito ergo deus est.1 The importance of this idea in Jumpers and to Stoppard is made clear in an interview he gave when the play first opened in New York. In it Stoppard offers his opinion on the likelihood of evolution from amino acids to Shakespeare's sonnets: " that strikes me as possible, but a very long shot. Why back such an outsider? However preposterous the idea of God is, it seems to have an edge in plausibility." He adds, " this is what Jumpers is about. ,,' This provides a suggestive context for Stoppard's statement that his first image for the play was of an acrobat shot out of a pyramid: " the jumper was dead for weeks before I knew why. It was just a theatrical image as a starting point. Then I needed a motive to retain that image. " 3 It has long "The Curve Itself" in Jumpers 471 been noted that this iinage is anticipated by the "short, blunt human pyramid" phrase in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.' Now it is possible to see how the image that begins Jumpers is also present in the collapsing house of cards that begins The Real Thing.S Clearly it has special significance for Stoppard. In discussing his imagery, and that of Jumpers in particular, Stoppard has said that his plays are " not giant metaphors," but that "consciously or subconsciously layers of meaning build up under the surface action. ,,6 The purpose of this study is to reveal in Jumpers a typically Stoppardian pattern of allusions, cross-references and wordplay that is as amusing and intriguing as it is complex and thematically significant.7 Certainly it is probable that some of the elements apparent to this reader were included unconsciously by Stoppard. As well, it must be acknowledged that his linguistic and theatrical inventiveness can encourage the imagination to interpretive excesses Stoppard 's exuberance and love of in-jokes are alluring qualities that one is aware of not always completely resisting; the only defense is that succumbing is itself exhilarating and has perhaps prompted some worthwhile insights. Stoppard has recently revised Jumpers for a new London production, retaining most of the playas it was, but also making some significant changes, particularly in the Coda. These alterations - which are sometimes a return to unpublished original material - reinforce a central image pattern of curves or, more specifically, arcs, arches, and circles. The changes also enhance the circularity of the play's structure. Together, the imagery and organization of the material seem intended to complement what the characters do and say in this dramatization of conflicting philosophies. 8 Stoppard can be compared to Shaw in his practice of writing stage directions for the readers of his plays. Shaw'sdirections are characterized by the irony and moralizing that also inform his dialogue; similarly, Stoppard's directions...