Media as a Power in Man of the Moment by Alan Ayckbourn
Dr. Uğur Diler, PhD

Abstract
Alan Ayckbourn, briefly, presents nature of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, classical themes, in the play ‘Man of the Moment’. The villain, Vic, is like the one who devoted himself to fame and to be a celebrity, and the instrument or institution here to lead the villain is media as a modern manipulator. Douglas, the other major character is the good one in the play without envy and jealousy. Jill, a TV reporter, stands as a manipulator representing the media. ‘Man of the Moment’ is a story of a forgotten hero, an evil man becoming a celebrity and a folk hero, and the media distorting reality by using its power to lead. What is original about the play is Ayckbourn’s modern approach on examining ‘good’ and ‘evil’ morally with regard to media. This paper will seek to make a modest contribution to academic field, and particularly Foucault’s thoughts and theories on power will be representatively applied to ‘Man of the Moment’ by Alan Ayckbourn.

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