Drama

Drama
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 494
Release: 1923
Genre: Drama
ISBN:

Expressionism As an International Literary Phenomenon

Expressionism As an International Literary Phenomenon
Author: Ulrich Weisstein
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 366
Release: 1973-01-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1588116700

Ulrich Weisstein's collection of 21 essays offers a comparative study of Expressionism as a Modernist movement whose dynamic core lay in Germany and Austria-Hungary, but which transformed artistic practices in other European countries. The focus, Weisstein argues, “must be strictly and sharply aimed at a specific body of works and opinions—a relatively dense core surrounded by a less clearly defined fringe zone—indigenous to the German speaking countries.” The volume spans an “Expressionist” period extending from roughly 1910 to 1925. Weisstein himself contributes two introductory chapters on problems of definition and a thoughtful analysis of English Vorticism. An ample context is set by comparative essays concerned with international movements such as Futurism that had an impact on German Expressionist drama, prose, and poetry, together with essays on the adaptation of Expressionist forms in countries such as Poland, Russia, Hungary, South Slavic nations and the United States. These essays call attention to representative authors and artists, as well as to periodicals and artistic circles. Reviewers have praised not only the presentation of “literary links and interaction” among national cultures, but especially the “most rewarding” interdisciplinary essays on Dada and on Expressionist painting, music, and film.

Susan Glaspell and the Anxiety of Expression

Susan Glaspell and the Anxiety of Expression
Author: Kristina Hinz-Bode
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2015-01-28
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0786483709

One of the founding members of the Provincetown Players, Susan Glaspell contributed to American literature in ways that exceed the work she did for this significant theatre group. Interwoven in her many plays, novels and short stories is astute commentary on the human condition. This volume provides an in-depth examination of Glaspell's writing and how her language conveys her insights into the universal dilemma of society versus self. Glaspell's ideas transcended the plot and character. Her work gave prominent attention to such issues as gender, politics, power and artistic daring. Through an exploration of eight plays written between the years of 1916 and 1943--Trifles, Springs Eternal, The People, Alison's House, Bernice, The Outside, Chains of Dew and The Verge--this work concentrates on one of Glaspell's central themes: individuality versus social existence. It explores the range of forces and fundamental tensions that influence the perception and communication of her characters. The final chapter includes a brief commentary on other Glaspell works. A biographical overview provides background for the author's reading and interpretation of the plays, placing Glaspell within the context of literary modernism.