In David Peace’s The
Damned United, the career of the famed English soccer manager Brian Clough
is re-illustrated through both a first and second person point of view. One of
the most common literary devices found throughout the novel is repetition. Specific
phrases are thoroughly repeated at times to help illustrate ideas that Clough
is portrayed to have as well as the mindset of athletes.
One of main ideas that Peace communicates through repetition
is Clough’s hatred of Don Revie, the previous manager of Leeds United. When
Clough begins working with his new team, he constantly recognizes that his
surroundings were once the home of Revie. He refers to everything as “Don’s
office. Don’s desk. Don’s chair…his schemes and his dreams…his black books. His
secret dossiers- his enemy lists” (10). Clough perceives his new team as if it
still belongs to his hated rival and because of this, he continuously references
such feelings throughout the novel.
The repetition Peace uses not only reinforces certain ideas
such as Clough’s hatred for Revie, but it also mimics the mindset of athletes
and trainers. Often times much of an athlete’s time is spent repeating the same
action over and over again. Peace tries to re-create this experience in his
writing with the repetition of non-idealistic phrases. When Clough’s right hand
man Peter Taylor is scouting players, he “QUOTE” repeatedly. In sports we see
the same thing; an athlete will practice until they have mastered a skill.
Repetition is supposed to improve one’s skills, but somehow
Clough does not learn from doing the same thing over again. He states: “I never
learn; never bloody learn. Never did and never fucking will” (172). Thus, one must wonder what motivates Clough to
keep doing what he is doing. He clearly recognizes that he is struggling to
manage the Leeds, but he does not react and change his ways. It seems to me
that he is either blinded by his ego and previous success with Derby or simply
insane.
It is indeed quite hard not to recognize the repetition of Clough's thoughts and words and the significance of this repetition to the overall message of the novel. The reader can tell what details and emotions are strongest or most important by Clough's use of repetition in describing his career as a player and manager. He uses repetition equally to represent positive thoughts and feelings as well as negative thoughts and feelings.
ReplyDeleteI had not actually considered before reading this post the connection between the repetition used in the novel, necessary to emphasize certain points, and the repetition of the actions of athletes and manager, necessary to improve upon certain skills. I found that to be quite an interesting point, and believe that there definitely is a correlation that exists.
I very much enjoyed the use of repetition by Peace in the novel and thought that it added a lot of value for the reader. The use of repetition makes it easier for the reader to absorb the various thoughts and motives of Clough, almost allowing him or her to step into his boots. In my opinion, the repetition makes the novel much more engaging for the reader and allows the reader empathize with Clough and feel his passion.
I also thought the use of repetition was very interesting. I think what I found most intriguing was that in his repetition, Clough became rather a bit more like Revie. While Revie’s repetition stemmed from superstition, Clough’s seemed to be like a mantra. It was more of a callback to his days as an athlete. Clough even attempts to explain that his attitude is unlike Revie, in his response to a reporter, "'You're not a superstitious man then, Brian?' 'No, Austin, I'm not… I'm a socialist'" (16). This statement is intriguing because as the novel goes on, the reader finds more and more repetition.
ReplyDeleteI think, that Clough’s repetition could be considered to be a form of superstition. His constant need to do things the same way every time suggests as much. It is unclear whether his repetition stems from a past where these things worked, or whether he just believes that he is right in his decisions. However, his hesitance to break from the repetition, even in his referral to Leeds as “his [Revie’s] Leeds” (34) shows how closely he held to this idea of sticking with the same things. While Clough trys so hard to differentiate himself from Revie, he only seems to succeed in appearing similar to him in several ways.