Wedekind Plays 1
by Frank Wedekind

Name: Wedekind Plays 1
Brand: Frank Wedekind
SKU: 9780413675408
Rating: 4.02 (52 reviews)

Wedekind Plays 1 Book Cover — Wedekind Plays 1 Cover

Highlights

German

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the depth and thematic richness of Wedekind's plays, highlighting his mastery in exploring complex human relationships and psychological narratives. Many find the collection both entertaining and enlightening, making it valuable as both literature and performance. However, a few critiques mention issues with translations and lengthy dialogue.

Depth of exploration in human relationshipsHighly entertaining and insightfulMastery of theatre and psychologyTranslation issues notedSome find dialogue too lengthy

Synopsis

Wedekind's expressionist plays influenced the whole course of modern drama

A moralist who wore the mask of an immoralist, Wedekind was the terror of the German bourgeoisie.

His work was censored and the original Lulu play was not even published during his lifetime; Wedekind toned it down and adapted it to make two plays: Pandora's Box and Earth-Spirit.

The version in this volume, Lulu: A Monster Tragedy, is based on the first manuscript, presenting the original sexually voracious heroine to a British audience for the first time.

The volume also contains Spring Awakening, "a work of great compassion that still has a lot to teach us about the dangers of battening down adolescent sex..." (Guardian).

The translation of Spring Awakening ("scrupulously faithful both to Wedekind's irony and his poetry" The Times) was commissioned by the National Theatre and that of Lulu: A Monster Tragedy ("the Bonds' version is sharper and funnier than its predecessors" Guardian) was toured nationally.

Both plays are complemented by the translators' historically illuminating introductions.