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The social significance of the modern drama
The social significance of the modern drama Author:Emma Goldman Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: STRINDBERG ttjf HE reproach was levelled against my I tragedy, 'The Father,' that it was I so sad, as though one wanted merry -- tragedies. People clamour fo... more »r the joy of life, and the theatrical managers order farces, as though the joy of life consisted in being foolish, and in describing people as if they were each and all afflicted with St. Vitus's dance or idiocy. I find the joy of life in the powerful, cruel struggle of life, and my enjoyment in discovering something, in learning something." The passionate desire to discover something, to learn something, has made of August Strind- berg a keen dissector of souls. Above all, of his own soul. Surely there is no figure in contemporary literature, outside of Tolstoy, that laid bare the most secret nooks and corners of his own soul with the sincerity of August Strindberg. One so relentlessly honest with himself, could be no less with others. That explains the bitter opposition and hatred of his critics. They did not object so much to Strindberg's self-torture; but that he should havedared to torture them, to hold up his searching mirror to their sore spots, that they could not forgive. Especially is this true of woman. For centuries she has been lulled into a trance by the songs of the troubadours who paid homage to her goodness, her sweetness, her selflessness and, above all, her noble motherhood. And though she is beginning to appreciate that all this incense has befogged her mind and paralyzed her soul, she hates to give up the tribute laid at her feet by sentimental moonshiners of the past. To be sure, it is rude to turn on the full searchlight upon a painted face. But how is one to know what is back of the paint and artifice ? August Strindberg hated artifice with all the passion of his being; hence his seve...« less