Couverture : August Von Kotzebue

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August Von Kotzebue

The Comedy, the Man : Including The Good Citizens of Piffelheim, Translated from Die Deutscher Kleinstädter

Oscar Mandel

Résumé

From the year 1788, when he triumphed on the Berlin stage with his Misanthropy and Remorse, to 1819, when a student terrorist stabbed him to death for his "unpatriotic" political views, Kotzebue reigned supreme over the German and Austrian theater, and pervaded theaters throughout the world. Goethe, who both admired and despised the Weimar-born writer, produced his plays more often than those of any other author, living or dead. Some fifty of his plays were eagerly translated and performed in Great Britain and the United States. His influence on nineteenth-century stagecraft was far-reaching. Today he is still a familiar figure to every student of German literature and history. In the English-speaking world, however, the erstwhile darling of the theater has been practically forgotten. The critical literature about him in our language is negligible. But this void is now ideally filled by Mandel's volume. He has translated into fluent, performable English (with very useful notes) the comedy that is generally regarded as Kotzebue's masterpiece. In addition, the first half of his book is devoted to a thoroughgoing critical and biographical introduction. Without seeking to rehabilitate Kotzebue's vast output in the sentimental and melodramatic genres, Mandel argues that he created the final important neoclassical comedy in a long-lived tradition extending from Machiavelli through Moliere, Goldoni, Sheridan, and ending, on a note of anti-Romantic bravado, with himself. Mandel supports his argument with the most tangible evidence: the droll play itself.

Détails de l'édition

ISBN-13
9780271006680
ISBN-10
0271006684
EAN
9780271006680
Éditeur
Pennsylvania State university press (University Park (Pa.))
Date de publication
1 janvier 1990
Langue
en
Pages
152
Dimensions
24 cm
Provenance des données
  • dimensions BnF Catalogue général · 23 juillet 2026
  • language Google Books · 5 septembre 2026
  • page_count Google Books · 5 septembre 2026
  • publication_date BnF Catalogue général · 23 juillet 2026
  • subtitle Google Books · 5 septembre 2026
  • summary Google Books · 5 septembre 2026
  • title Google Books · 5 septembre 2026