Butley by Simon Gray

In their fourth episode, Alex and Steven explore Simon Gray's tragicomic masterpiece Butley about an ageing, disillusioned English lit. tutor and his vexed relationships. Topics they examine include why do people in general, and Butley in particular, play games in their relationships?; does Butley's evasiveness and game playing render him inauthentic and rule out any connection with others?; and finally, how can a sensitive, intelligent person like Butley avoid a self-destructive path?

Further Resources:

• Simon Gray's Butley can be found as part of a collection on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Simon-Gray-Butley-Spoiled-Sleeping/dp/0571254721/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1635440733&sr=8-1
• Alan Bates' brilliant performance in the film version directed by Harold Pinter can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a784UV0gamk
• Peter Wolfe has written one of the first critical studies of Gray's oeuvre: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simon-Gray-Unbound-Journey-Dramatist/dp/078646299X/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&qid=1635337945&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&refinements=p_28%3Asimon+gray+unbound&s=books&sr=1-1&sres=078646299X&unfiltered=1
• Eric Berne's book on relationships as 'games': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Games-People-Play-Psychology-Relationships/dp/0241257476/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=games+people+play+eric+berne&qid=1635338057&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sprefix=games+pe%2Cstripbooks%2C172&sr=1-1&sres=0241257476%2CB08SR86NW1%2CB00I60YDOK%2CB000E7RTNU%2CB002F76HIU%2CB0722SFN1L%2CB06XWFLJ7G%2CB09JVPYF5W%2CB08J8F3FTS%2CB002K55F2G%2C8301141395%2C0552176222%2C0553814826%2C009955755X%2C1529032172%2C161427844X&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
• W. Thomas Boyce's book on how sensitive individuals-'orchids'-can thrive in an often harsh world: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orchid-Dandelion-People-Struggle-Thrive-ebook/dp/B07BDL7TTP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+orchid+and+the+dandelion&qid=1635338186&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sprefix=orchids+and+%2Cstripbooks%2C162&sr=1-1&sres=1509805176%2CB094J57MSY%2CB091DYRS1T%2C9571360007%2CB093BC3Q1M%2C099895800X%2C0241257492%2CB08FP5NTZP%2CB096LTWMD7%2C1529068460%2C3952506907%2CB0884H7N1S%2C1913871096%2CB086SCHSBR%2C0007163932%2C0471370878&srpt=ABIS_BOOK