Product Description

Includes the full German text, accompanied by German-English vocabulary. Notes and a detailed introduction in English put the work in its social and historical context.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147149 in Books
• Published on: 1961-10-01
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From the Back Cover
Der Besuch der alten Dame is perhaps Friedrich Dürrenmatts most successful play in terms of critical acclaim and box office success. Millionairess Clara Zachanassian is the old lady of the title who returns to her native village, nursing an ancient grudge against her former lover, Ill. She offers the people of Güllen a billion in return for his life. This is rejected by them, but gradually economic necessity takes over. People start buying new shoes when they could not afford them before. New buildings start to appear. Ill realises that he is doomed, and accepts this with dignity.
Dürrenmatt makes good use of the stage effects available to him clichés of advertising, slapstick, burlesque comedy and, to close the play, a parody of Sophoclean chorus. Language is used with great skill to help produce alienation.

Customer Reviews

interesting and clever
I had to read this book as part of my A level German course, although I found it quite heavy going, it is a great book to analyse and durrenmatt gives plently of food for thought. uses of dramatic irony and symbolism, are just two of the tools he uses to manipulate the reader. worth a read.

A most splendid book
I have studied this book with great interest as part of my further education studies in the German language. I was thrilled by the use of dramatic irony and symbolism to portray the many themes and morals throughout the play. This book was a ray of light in my otherwise dull life.

Interesting yet adequately satisfying
This book was part of my A-Level German course. At first I thought it would be rather dull, but to my surprise, I was engrossed in it after the first twenty pages.

Durrenmatt uses great language and the characters are so original that one could relate the same setting to any modern situation. The fact that both Clara and Ill can be seen as both victim and villain at different times in their lives, gives the reader an intersting twist at the end of Act One. Clara is such a charismatic figure that the reader almost expects the twist that comes.

Well worth a look, even in English!