Lavery's Frozen: The Psychosexual History of a Sexual Predator and the Poetics of Anti-Paedophilia

Bryony Lavery is an important figure in British feminist drama. She has been noted by critics for her unconventional theatrical methods and themes. Her Frozen (1998) is an anti-paedophiliac play that deals with a psychiatrist who tries to investigate the motives of a paedophile. Investigations into the past of the sexual predator blur the lines between the victim and the victimiser, and the acts of forgiving by the wronged family challenge conventional motifs of revenge. Lavery's use of black and dark comedy further challenges conventional ways of dealing with such serious matters. Therefore, by presenting the psychosexual history of the sexual predator in Bryony Lavery's Frozen, this article will analyse the social and psychological reasons behind sexual abuse in the play, and discuss Lavery's unconventional poetics of anti-paedophilia.