Modern Drama/Theatre

Background

There has long been the belief that literature is far superior to genre-fiction, simply because it is written for a higher purpose; for the writer to express their feelings, enlighten us to certain aspects of the human-condition, and so on.  The flaw in this argument of course is that some genre-writers, like Raymond Chandler and Jim Thompson for example, later go on to be taken seriously, usually after their death (isn't that always the way?).  Of course a lot of the books we now regard as classics were derided in their day but now have value placed on them, owing to the insight they shed on Victorian England for instance (Austen, Dickens, etc); it seems to me that if a text has longevity it can become regarded as literature.  One of the other measures of value in art is originality, but it's debateable how original anything can be in the modern era; this is why we have movements called post-modernism, of course. 

First Wave: Romanticism, 1750-1850

The Age of the Enlightenment concentrated on mathematics and reason, which pushed for rationality and the investigation of the universe. However Romantic study involved a greater emotion and British and German writers expressed this attitude. Romanticism is a term that is loosely applied to literary and artistic movements of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Romanticism, in general, is the attitude or state of mind that focuses on the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the creative, and the emotional(Hart 284-285).

Second Wave: Realism, 1850-1950

The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors accurately depict life and it's problems. Realists attempted to give a comprehensive picture of modern life by presenting the entire picture. They did not try to give one view of life but instead attempted to show the different classes, manners, and stratification of life in America. In portraying ugliness and cruelty, the authors refrained from preaching about them; rather they left readers to draw their own conclusions about the life they presented. Generally, these authors took a pessimistic view to portray a life that centered on the negative part of man's existence.

Realism and Naturalism: Three Important Leaders

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meinigen

Often called the first "modern director," Georg II is surely worthy of the title for in an out-of-the-way, otherwise insignificant duchy, Georg II achieved that total integration of production sought by stage directors since David Garrick. The high quality of his productions which ...