Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - The German Drama - Herman Suderman
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
7<3
Hermann Sudermann
them no adequate outlook upon life and the social
struggle. Perhaps that accounts for the popular
vogue of Hermann Sudermann: it may explain
why he was received by the young generation with
open arms and acclaimed a great artist.
It is not my intention to discuss Hermann Suder
mann as an artist or to consider him from the
point of view of the technic of the drama. I in
tend to deal with him as the first German drama
tist to treat social topics and discuss the pressing
questions of the day. From this point of view
Hermann Sudermann may be regarded as the pio
neer of a new era in the German drama. Pri
marily is this true of the three plays
"
Honor,"
"
Magda," and
"
The Fires of St. John."
In
these dramas Hermann Sudermann, while not
delving deeply into the causes of the social con
flicts, nevertheless touches upon many vital sub
jects.
In
"
Honor "
the author demolishes the super
ficial, sentimental conception of
"
honor
"
that is
a purely external manifestation, having no roots
in the life, the habits, or the customs of the people.
He exposes the stupidity of the notion that be
cause a man looks askance at you, or fails to pay
respect to your uniform, you must challenge him
to a duel and shoot him dead. In this play Suder
mann shows that the conception of honor is noth
ing fixed or permanent, but that It varies with
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
