Modern German Drama by H. F. Garten (review)

212 MODERN DRAMA September In the introduction, Dr. Chiari defines his terms, art and its reality; dramatic action; "l'optique du theatre"; identification of actor with part, and spectators with characters; and psychological distance. One of the most welcome chapters is that on Jacques Copeau, that great and wise man of the theater whose profound esteem for the vitality and essential worth of the classics freed the stage in France from the shackles of realism. Especially valuable are the quotations from his essays, one printed in 1905, the other in the N.R.F., 1939, which have not lost their topicality and pungency. \Vithout the formation from the example of Copeau's austerity and his reverence for the integrity of the text, one may well ask if Barrault would have succeeded in bodying forth Clauders visions, in unlocking and communicating to other actors the life and beauty of Claudel's poetry, thus bringing to the French stage the work of a controversial poet-dramatist whose texts se"med for years intractable. Now, however, Claudel stands out as one of the most important of the poetdramatists . Indeed, the closing sentence of Part I is Chiari's opinion that Claude! is the "most outstanding literary genius of our time, and without question, the most important French poet-dramatist since Hacine." The chapter on Claudel contains substantially the same judgments as in the author's previous work, The Poetic Drama of Paul Claudel. It is a mark of Dr. Chiari's sincere effort to evaluate justly tllat he can appreciate certain qualities of the dramas and yet be convinced that "metaphysical determinism" is the framework and motivation of the action. Because he works from the principle of attending to poetic wholeness, symbolism, and imaginative truth, Chiari acknowledges the greatness of lyrical passages in Le Partage de midi, L'Annonce faite aMarie, and Le Soulier de satin, and even their importance as plays. Weighting the characters with the idea of predestination, however, destroys at once the dramatic tension and the lyricism. Acceptance of the basic notion of grace, freely given, freely chosen, with the Author of all grace waiting with utter delicatesse upon the election of the individual, lifts the action to a plane more breath-taking than any Ibsenian drama. Seen in the light orSingleton's nowfamous Essay on the "Vita Nuova" and Clauders too little-known Cantate d trois voix, the epitome of his concept of love, the Claudelian heroine plays the role of a Beatrice in relationships which are profoundly human because they are played out in their divine relationship and eternal significance. Of the dramatists in the second part the chapter on Montherlant is especially important to English readers, since Montherlant is not so well known in this country as are Giraudoux, Cacteau, Sartre, and Anouilh. The conclusion is a meaningful, panoramic view of the whole period, with cogent remarks about British and American playwrights. The reader appreciates the forthright directness of the author in setting forth his evaluations together with his criteria. His criteria are firmly anchored in a knowledge of dramatic forms, vitalized by a knowledge of the art of acting, and informed by exact notions of symbol and myth. Even though one may disagree with certain conclusions and judgments, it is good to be able to know precisely at what point one disagrees. Finally, Chiari sees a drama in its playable aspect, a factor sometimes overlooked by the scholar. All this gives a sense of wholeness to the approach and balance to the evaluations. SISTER FRANCIS ELLEN MODERN GERMAN DRAMA, by H. F. Garten, Essential Books, 1959, 272 pp., Price $6.00. This book is a beginning, a first step toward the filling of a gap. It establishes the 1960 BOOK REVIEWS 213 English-speaking reader's acquaintance with the whole scope of modem drama in the German language from Naturalism to Diirrenmatt. Hardly a German play of the last seventy years escapes Mr. Garten's largely benevolent attention, and the'major authors, Hauptmann, Schnitzler, Hofmannsthal, Wedekind, Stemheim, Kaiser, Werfel, Toller, Zuckmayer, Brecht, and others receive thorough but not profound coverage, This comprehensiveness is, on the one hand, the bane of Mr. Garten's book. It precludes...