What was the Victorian drama fashion?
In fact, there were quite a few plays in the early and middle Victorian era, and the dramatic performances in London were spectacular, and the dramatic art had also undergone profound changes. In the middle of Victoria, some playwrights began to explore realistic dramas reflecting serious themes, which gave birth to the emergence of new dramas advocated by Archer. However, the new drama that became popular after 1890 did not touch the deep social problems of the Victorian era. On the contrary, Oscar Wilde (1854- 1900), an alternative genius alienated by the mainstream society, perfectly combined the folk comedy with the realistic theme with his humor and satire, bringing a breeze to the London drama stage. All these provide fertile soil for Bernard Shaw's plays (1856-1950). From the first play "The Widower's Manor" (1892) to the death of Queen Victoria, Bernard Shaw * * * has 1 1 dramas staged or published, which has successfully led the British drama onto the road of modern drama.2008.20010000000000001
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Watching and commenting on plays has always been an important part of British cultural life, and the Victorian era was no exception. In addition to foreign drama scripts often used in theaters, British screenwriters wrote more than 30 thousand scripts in the early and middle Victorian era. Most of these scripts are arbitrarily adapted or compiled from other scripts or novels, and their literary value is not high. At that time, the London stage was full of exotic popular dramas and superficial farce far from real life. The traditional plays of Shakespeare and Richard Brinsley Sheridan are often mixed together. "The audience gathered in the19th Century Theatre lacks the intelligence and imagination of those excellent audiences who come to the Globe Theatre or the Black Monk Theatre to watch Shakespeare and his contemporaries." At that time, screenwriters mainly wrote plays for some theaters or actors to meet the commercial needs of theaters. The most successful writer, actor and producer in this field is dion boucicault (1820- 1890). He wrote more than 400 plays in his life, but the Irish-born playwright thinks these popular plays he wrote are poetic. Although he didn't think highly of his plays, his plays were very successful as commercial performances at that time. In addition to adhering to traditions and customs in theme and scriptwriting skills, he also made full use of the rapid development of scientific and technological achievements at that time, created bold and exciting stage effects, and treated the stage scenery richly and luxuriously. The realism of the stage scene and the effects of music and lighting deeply attracted the audience. In 1857' s Streets of new york, Dean Bushko also successfully used the first spotlight in the history of stage design.
Michael R. Booth, a drama critic, said in his article "Defending English Drama in the19th Century": "Drama has undergone drastic changes in the new social culture rather than declined." In order to create a more realistic real life scene on the stage, people used many advanced scientific and technological means at that time. For example, in the 1980s of 19, electric lamps were used instead of gas lamps to create different weather environments on the stage; Some hydraulic mechanical devices can create artificial waterfalls on the stage, and according to the plot, actors can also rush down from the waterfalls. With scholars' in-depth study of the drama art in the19th century, it is found that the stage of "archaeological authenticity" rising in Germany also occupies an important position in the Victorian era. The so-called "archaeological authenticity" stage refers to the stage presentation form that prevailed in Germany, France and Britain in19th century. Stage art designers use the meticulous methods of archaeological research to restore the scope of stage art such as stage scenery, props and costumes to historical reality as much as possible, so as to achieve realistic or confusing effects and create the illusion of being obsessed with the real stage for the audience on the stage.
In West End of London's performances, the stage of "archaeological authenticity" is very popular. Charles Keane (181-1868) rehearsed Shakespeare's plays in the form of "archaeological authenticity" stage during his nine years as the manager of Princess Theatre from 1850 to 1859. In Henry VIII, the London street scene reappearance stage during the reign of Henry VIII won unanimous praise from the audience. The "archaeological authenticity" stage not only requires strict stage design and costumes, but also requires actors to look like historical figures. When Henry Irving played Richard I in Richard I, he carefully studied the portraits painted by Van Dyke, and dressed up according to the portraits when making up. After watching Owen's performance, some critics said, "It seems to have come out of the framework of Van Dyke's portrait and been given life." John Ryder, another late Victorian actor, once complained, "Do you think he hired me because I have the potential to be an actor? Not at all! He hired me because I have a figure that meets the archaeological display. " It can be seen that in the pursuit of "archaeological authenticity" of scenery and portrait stage figures, actors and scripts take a back seat, and the vitality and poetry of drama art are replaced by realistic scenery and costumes. At that time, many people in the theater openly challenged this form of stage performance that ignored scripts and actors.
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From 1860 to 1890, many dramatists tried to find ways to save English dramas, and they began to write some themes related to real life at that time. Robertson's works are not satisfactory now, but his Grade, written in 1867, reveals the theme of marriage between different classes across class differences in an unprecedented bold and realistic way, shows real British life and opens up the atmosphere of British realistic drama.
In the late19th century, there appeared a trend of advocating new drama in Britain, led by drama critic Archer, including playwrights such as Bernard Shaw, William Piot and Harry glanville Barker. Advocates of new drama take Ibsen as the guiding principle, arguing that drama should reflect the truth of life, reveal contemporary social and moral problems, and make the public understand the reality and make correct choices. Archer criticized19th century drama for indulging in superficial interest, and put forward a new drama mode with realistic creation method, "well-made drama" drama skills and "problem drama" theme.
1882 Archer mentioned two promising playwrights-Pinheiro and Jones in "British Playwrights Today". Born in London, Pinheiro began to write plays in 1874. He tried to get rid of the influence of the popular melodrama at that time, and constantly explored the characters, striving for more depth and diversity in theme and plot. His favorite concern is the theme of "women with disgraceful history". His Second Lady of Tangier is a masterpiece of English social drama. At that time, the popular actress, Mrs Patrick Campbell, played Paula, the second wife of Tan Ge Rui. Pinheiro pursued the best stage effect and the theme in line with traditional moral customs, which made the performance a great success. Interesting stories, no philosophical thinking about the meaning of life, no desire to educate the audience, and even no profound and obscure personal dilemma make Pinheiro a representative writer of the new drama advocated by Archer. 1895 is about the infamous Mrs Abby Smith, and Mrs Campbell plays the leading role again. Pinheiro soon won the title of "social playwright".
The works of Jones, who was contemporary with Pinheiro, are closest to the standard of well-made game-based social reality drama advocated by Archer. Jones 1869 began to write plays, and 1882 became popular because of the silver king. Jones's plays were very suitable for commercial performances at that time, but they were more serious than the theme of commercial performances, so they were more popular with the audience. Mrs. Dane's Defense and Susan's Box established Jones' position in the new drama movement. In the play, a large number of scriptwriting techniques, such as narration, monologue and eavesdropping, which are commonly used in the British drama tradition, are used, and some problems such as unfair sexual behavior, intermarriage between different social classes, and young people secretly opposing their elders are vividly reproduced in the works. Some critics think he is a real Victorian. ?
Although Pinheiro and Jones observed and recorded their times, and judging from their successful commercial performances, it is no exaggeration to say that they catered to the public's appreciation habits and aesthetic needs. This also enabled the two playwrights to achieve their lifelong goal of being accepted by society. Archer praised two dramatists, afraid of being left out by the public and alienated by the public. They gave up their artistic pursuit while pursuing the success of commercial performances. These two dramatists recorded their times to some extent, and also participated in the moral construction of their times, including some corrupt customs and morals that violated human nature. Their works are standard art consumer goods that meet social requirements. Powerful social morality and traditional customs quietly control and change the audience and artists themselves.
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/kloc-On the one hand, the middle class that emerged in the 0/9th century actively engaged in profit-making business activities, on the other hand, put forward the slogan of "decency", which is highly consistent with rigid social ethics. Many artists find that this dull social moral standard suppresses creativity, hinders the real pursuit of individuality and hinders social development. In order to keep artistic innovation, many artists with modernist consciousness in the19th century first chose to be alienated from the society at that time. The way these artists struggled with the middle class made them suffer a lot.
Wilde, who was contemporary with Pinheiro and Jones, took a completely different road from them. In order to express his unique feelings and capture the subtle experience of life, Wilde actively pursued a life alienated from society. He keeps innovating to show his thorough understanding and witty remarks. Oscar Wilde was a talented artist with rebellious spirit in Britain19th century. His creations include plays, novels, poems, reviews, essays and fairy tales, but it was his plays that won Wilde a reputation. It can be said that each of his plays has been warmly welcomed. At one time, three of his plays were staged in London at the same time. His plays are called the best comedies since Richard Brinsley Sheridan's School of Rumors.
As a master of aestheticism who shocked the world with the idea of "art for art's sake" and declared that "all art is immoral", Wilde's theory is as full of rebellious spirit as his character. His creation is full of wisdom and interest, full of truth paradox. Pearson's evaluation is the best summary: "No one says so many wise words under the disguise of paradox. By changing his perspective, he forced the audience to look at life from an unaccustomed perspective, thus expanding the boundaries of truth. " Wilde's greatest contribution is his four comedies and one tragedy. These dramatic works, which brought him world fame, were completed in four years, and most of them were created during his vacation. Lady Windermere's Fan was written in 1892. When he was on holiday in Windermere in northern England, the place name Windermere became the name of his hero.
The year after Mrs. Windermere's Fan was written, it premiered at St. Jean-Metz Theatre and caused a sensation in London. But in less than a year, Oscar Wilde's Salome written in French could not be performed for religious reasons, and it was not performed in London until more than 30 years after his death. However, this did not affect the premiere of his "Cold Woman" in London. An ideal husband and seriousness are important.
Lady Windermere's Fan is Wilde's first comedy, which became famous overnight in London. This is a four-act play, which reflects the life of the upper class in Victorian London. The plot consists of a series of misunderstandings and deception, and secrets and lies constitute one suspense after another, which promotes the development of the plot. The play profoundly and interestingly reveals the public life and private life of Victorian upper class, and criticizes the influence of hypocritical morality on people's lives. In the play, Mrs. Ou Lin tells Mrs. Windermere through her own personal experience: For a woman, if she makes mistakes in family morality or gender issues, she will be looked down upon, ridiculed and rejected by society. Victorian morality was cruel. Wilde cleverly exposed the anti-humanity and hypocrisy of Victorian morality.
However, Wilde not only criticized the social customs and hypocritical morality of the upper class by innuendo, but also described a limited playboy world. In addition to the meaning of dude, the playboy here mainly refers to some well-educated people who hate the strict and hypocritical moral customs of the Victorian era and actively choose to live a life alienated from the mainstream society. Mr. Darlington in the play is such a misplaced person. They abandoned the traditional ethical value judgment, but they did not have the ability and interest to construct a new ethical system. Finally, they choose a lifestyle that seems immoral, but in fact it is rebellious and emphasizes form and style. Wilde also created some famous playboy images in the history of English drama in his later works, and their witty and grandiose epigrams are often quoted by later generations. Bernard Shaw praised Wilde and said, "In a sense, I think Mr. Wilde is the only skillful playwright of our time. He skillfully used wit, philosophy, drama, actors and audiences. He used the whole theater easily. "
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When Wilde's plays were successfully staged in London, Bernard Shaw was already a well-known journalist and critic and an important figure in Archer's new drama movement. However, the realistic social drama he pursues is completely different from Archer's. Shortly after Bernard Shaw stepped onto the stage of drama, he keenly observed the limitations of the new drama and found that the "social problems" reflected in the new drama were too narrow and single. Bernard Shaw believes that social drama involves not only the question of whether the fallen women can return to society, but also the question of women's liberation and the gap between the rich and the poor. It involves the British national mentality and national morality during the social transformation period, as well as the conflict between individual will and social environment and traditional customs. The new drama praises the well-made screenwriter's skills, attracting the audience's attention to strange events outside, which can only satisfy the audience's curiosity and cannot touch their hearts. Furthermore, the new drama advocates the use of exaggerated lyric language to express emotions, which is suspected of fornication and lacks restraint. Bernard Shaw thinks that the scriptwriting skills of well-made plays can't convey the playwright's ideas well, and should be replaced by "discussion" skills. Discuss people who can express subversive thoughts and personality, convey philosophical thinking and appeal to the audience's rationality, so as to achieve the purpose of educating the audience.
1890, at a summer conference organized by Fabian Society with the theme of "Socialism in Contemporary Literature", Bernard Shaw delivered a speech about Ibsen, which became the main content of his later published Essentials of Ibsen, which was also the first book published in Britain to study Ibsen. It was in Ibsen's earnest study and understanding that Bernard Shaw gradually parted ways with Archer, which opened up a new road for the modernization of English drama.
1892, J.T. Green's independent theater needed a script, and Bernard Shaw hurriedly finished The Widower's Property, which failed to cooperate with Archer seven years ago. On February 9, 65438, the play was staged at the Royal Theatre in London, with only two performances at that time. By exposing and attacking the decent life of the middle class, Bernard Shaw challenged the appreciation habits of the London audience, and his performance caused a heated debate in London, with mixed comments. In order to resist the popular commercial performances in London and better promote the scripts of new plays, Bernard Shaw's plays, such as Arms and Man, Man of the Hour, and The Devil's Disciple, were staged in London after the performance of Widower's Property. The successful performances of Contitan in April 1904 and Another Island in Britain in October 165438/KLOC-0 attracted more audiences. Celebrities and politicians came to the theatre, and Edward VII went to the theatre himself. At that time, the intelligentsia in London generally believed that watching Bernard Shaw's plays marked progress. The success of Xiao Opera in the Palace Theatre led to the famous 1904- 1907 Weidrian-Barker performance season, and Bernard Shaw performed 70/kloc-0 of the 988 performances. Although there are different comments on each performance, everyone has to admit that Bernard Shaw is good at expressing himself in the form of drama. Max Bibham, a famous drama critic, commented on Bernard Shaw in this way: "Bernard Shaw has a dramatic instinct and can express his views easily and effectively in the form of drama." Glenn wrote in the Sunday Times, "He is now regarded as the most original British playwright at home and abroad, and what Bernard Shaw can take risks is something that other playwrights avoid." ?
The seriousness and profundity of Bernard Shaw's creative theme are unmatched by other Victorian writers. 1892- 190 1 year, He * * created two drama collections, Happy and Unpleasant Plays and Three Plays for Puritans, 1 1 drama. By revealing the conflict between realists and idealists, Xiao's plays systematically and profoundly attacked the hypocrisy of Victorian morality, pointed out that the so-called stable marriage and family in British society were actually fragile, and thus discussed the individual's right to survival and value orientation in a democratic industrial society. In the era of change at the turn of the new century, Bernard Shaw realized that drama is "a factory of thoughts, a reminder of conscience, an explanation of social behavior, a weapon to drive away despair and boredom, and a temple to praise human progress". He inherited the "discussion" method of Ibsen's drama creation, provided the Victorian audience with a scientific method to observe and reflect the world, and guided them to constantly explore the truth of the world.