Product Description

The importrance of Frank Wedekind (1864-1918) to the history
of literature and the development of drama in particular, is enourmous. The
influence of Strindberg on his work is conspicuous, but he filled the
legacy of realism with a new content: the grotesque.

With his highly individual vision and aphoristic, almost abrupt - yet
always poetic - language, he hastened the transition to Expressionism.
Wedekind's vision of what constituted perfect theatre was a combination of
colour, music, word and gesture, forever mingling the sublime with the
ridiculous.

Life among the circus artistes in Paris confirmed his dictum that to bring
about a rebirth of a genuine, vigorous art it was essential to portray
people whose actions are dictated by the simplest animal instincts. It was
the pantomime "Lulu" by Felicien Camsaur, which he first saw in Paris, that
gave him the idea for his most important work, the "Lulu" plays: "Earth
Spirit" and "Pandora's Box". When the former was first performed in Leipzig
in 1898 the effect was devastating.

His method of advocating unfeigned sexual pleasure by ruthlessly
highlighting sex and making his heroine a heartless whore caused Wedekind
to be violently attacked and persecuted. His hatred of hypocracy where
sexual matters are concerned drove the play-wright to employ the most
daring expedients in order to shake the complacency of the bourgeoisie.

He was among the very first to portray a lesbian on stage - the Countess
Geschwitz, whom he perceived as the central tragic figure. But it is Lulu
who remains the eternal symbol; possessed at once of subtle sensuality and
waif-like innocence.

As a dramatist, Wedekind drew his characters with absolute clarity; he
compressed scenes and wasted no time in establishing motivation. As a poet,
he delved into ballad and folklore. His plays are a fascinating mixture of
Morality Plays and Grand Guignol.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317741 in Books
• Published on: 1973-04-01
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 281 pages

From the Publisher
"Death and Devil" and "Castle Wetterstein", the other two
plays that make up this volume, are essentially extensions of and
complimentary to the "Lulu" tragedies.

Translated from the German by Stephen Spender.