Symbolism
What is Symbolism?
Literary and artistic movement using symbolic devices to evoke emotions and associations but not to communicate ideas or concepts
Who was Maurice Materlinck?
-Beligian
-The most successful writer of full length symbolist plays as well as essays and books of non-fiction
- The Tragical in Daily life= a major theatrical work
-"Pelleas et melisande"
-believes symbolist plays call for dramatic use of silence, drama of the unspoken with latitude for mysterious forces and atmosphere
-"The Bluebird"
-"Joan of Arc"
What is Fin de Seiecle/ Decadence?
Symbolism pushed to the extremes of self-indulgence
-overblown aestheticism
-macabre, carnal or occult fantasies
Examples:
-Oscar Wilde
-Aubrey Beardsley
-Edgar Allen Poe
Who was Gabrliele D'Annunzio?
-Italian
-talian poet, novelist, dramatist, short-story writer, journalist, military hero, and political leader, the leading writer of Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
-Affair with Elenora Duse
-wrote "The Dead City"
-"The Daughter of Jorio"
-Stole a mansion...
Who was Alfred Jarry?
-French
-born in laval, department de mayenne
-son of a fabric business man
-wrote a play called Ubu roi that featured a character based off of his teacher
-the play caused the 3rd larges opening night riot in French theatre
What were some early influences of Symbolism?
-Charles Baudelaine (poet; Les Fleurs du mal)
-Richard Wagner (leitmotivs)
- Art nouveau design
-e'tat deame (state of the soul)
-synthesis of the Arts
Who was Madame Rachilde?
-French
-Rachilde was the pen name and preferred identity of novelist and playwright Marguerite Vallette-Eymery
-Symbolist playwright
-co-founder of mercure de France with Husband Alfred Vallette
-wrote "Call of the Blood"; "Madame Death" and "The Crystal Spider"
Who was Arthur Schnitzler?
-Austrian author and dramatist
-known for his psychological dramas that dissect turn-of-the-century Viennese bourgeois life.
-Went to medical school at University of Vienna; son of a doctor and forced to go but preferred literature and women
-Jewish
-decadent dramatist
-SuBes madel=sweet young thing/little miss ripe to be seduced and abandoned
-"La Ronde"
What is Jung Wien?
-Also known as young Vienna
-Led by Hermann Bahr
-promoted literary modernism (symbolism, impressionism, and decadence), rejected naturalism.
Who was Edmond Rostand?
-French
-outstanding playwright remembered largely for Cyrano de Bergerac
-tried out law but loved french literature
-studied at paris
-always dressed well
-"Les Romanesues" (The romancers; adapted in 1960 as The Fantasticks)
-"la Princesse lointaine" (Faraway Princess) written for Sarah Bernhardt but attracted little interest
-"Cyrano de Bergerac" opening night ovations lasted 20 min! play based on real duelist and artist Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac
-Gerard De Nerval "El Desdichado"
-Charles Baudelaire "Les Fleurs du mal"
-Paul Verlaine "Chanson d'automme"
-Stephane Mallarme "Notes sur le theatre"
-Arthur Rimbaud "Le Bateau ivre"
Who was Paul Claudel?
-French
-catholic poet and playwright
-19th cent. symbolist poetry
-20th cent. Symbolist plays (most produced)
-embrace of symbolist poetry and religious experience
Who was Frank Wedekind
-German
-"Spring Awakening"
-"Earth Spirit"
-named after Benjamin Franklin
-difficult relationship with father highlighted in Spring Awakening
-Got arrested for content in plays
Who was Karl Kraus?
- part of the Young Vienna movement
-The Demolishd Literature
-born in Bohemia but lived in Vienna at age of 3
-perhaps the greatest artist of the 20th century
-wanted to keep german language clear
-"The Last Days of Mankind" writing like a novel in dialogue, had vianeese sensibility and specific locations the vianeese people would recognize
Who was Anton Pavlovich Chekhov?
-Russian
-parents moved to moscow after father went bankrupt
-graduated from secondary school then moved to Moscow
-miserable child
-father religious and rigid and beat kids
-studied to be a doctor
-traveled to Sakhalin island and published a book about it called Sakhalin Island. Visited the prison there and interviewed every prisoner on the isaldn
-best known as a writer of humorous short stories
-"The Seagull"
-"Uncle Vanya"
-"Three Sisters"
-"The Cherry Orchard"
-Friends with Tolstoy and Gorky
Who was Paul Fort?
-Paul Fort was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement
-Founded the Theatre d'Art which was a place to produce symbolist plays
Who was Adolpe Appia?
-Swiss
-author, scenic designer, and lighting designer
-1895 (Staging Wagnerian Drama)
-1899 (Music and the arts of the stage) called for painting with light
-1921 (The Work of Living Art)
-minimal set/staging
Who was Hugo von Hofmannsthal?
-Austrian
-wrote opera libretti for Richard Strauss (Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Arabella)
-began publishing poems @16 under a pen name
-"Everyman"
-"Death and the Fool"
Who was Elenora Duse?
-Famous 19th cent. Italian actress
-grew up to become the greatest Italian Actress of all time
-internationally renowned alongside Ellen Terry and Sarah Bernhardt
-@14 years old became famous for playing Juliet, brought white roses as a personal prope
-married a fellow actor Teobaldo Checchi and had daughter Enrichetta
-toured st. peterburg
-first woman and Italian on Time Magazine
-no makeup
-expressive hands
-gradually developed her natural style of acting
-had a 10year affair with D'Annunzio
Who was Knostantin Sergeivich Stnaislavsky?
-born in Moscow
-co-founder of Moscow Art Theatre (Artistic Director)
-son of wealthy textile manufacturer
-developed influential system of acting
-had 18hr convo at Slavyansky Bazaar resteraunt with Vladimir Memirovich-Danchenko
Who was Aurelien Lugne Poe?
-was a French actor, theatre director, and scenic designer best known for his work at the Théâtre de l'Œuvre,[3] one of the first theatrical venues in France to provide a home for the artists of the symbolist movement at the end of the nineteenth century.[4] Most notably, Lugné-Poe introduced French audiences to the Scandinavian playwrights August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen.[5]
Russian Symbolism and Austrian Symbolism?
Russian Symbolism
-Silver Age of Russian Literature
-Alexander Blok "Little Fairground Booth" leading symbolist poet
Austrian Symbolism
-Hugo Von Hofmonnsthal
-strong overlap and decadence
-Vianesse born writer and playwright
-"yesterday" and "Death of the Fool"
Who was Ferenc Molnar?
-Hungarian
-"Liliom" (American musical version of Carousel)
-pleasure seeking elements of decadence in Hungary reflected in plays
Who was Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko?
-was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, writer, pedagogue, playwright, producer and theatre administrator, who founded the Moscow Art Theatre with his colleague, Konstantin Stanislavski,
-nobleman and small land owner
-attended Moscow art theatre
-sent a card to Stanisvlosky to talk about art (talked for 18 hours!!!) led to opening MXAT where he became general manager