Thomasina

Thomasina is a fictional character from the 2003 play Surface by British playwright David Greig. The play is part of a trilogy known as the Three Plays About the End of the World, which also includes The Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Inheritance of Tools. Thomasina is a young woman who appears in Surface, the second play of the series.

Thomasina is set in a fictionalized version of the 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment, a period marked by intellectual curiosity and scientific exploration. She is portrayed as a brilliant and precocious young woman, deeply interested in mathematics, philosophy, and the natural world. Her character is based on the historical figure Anna Seward’s fictionalized account of Thomasina Hardwick, a real-life intellectual of the era.

In the play, Thomasina is depicted as a student at a boarding school for young women, where she engages in intellectual debates with her tutor, Septimus Hodge, a character inspired by the philosopher Adam Smith. Their conversations explore complex ideas about time, perception, and the nature of reality, often with a playful and imaginative tone. Thomasina’s curiosity and intellectual rigor challenge the rigid social norms of her time, making her an unconventional and compelling figure.

The character of Thomasina has gained significant attention, particularly due to its adaptation in the 2007 film An Education, though her role in the film differs from her portrayal in Greig’s play. In Surface, Thomasina’s story is intertwined with themes of time, memory, and the passage of history, reflecting on how ideas and individuals are remembered—or forgotten—across generations. Her character serves as a symbol of intellectual resilience and the enduring power of curiosity.