The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-25
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conetoenAOle hftention IN termeny, - At pres
emit in New York. He cams here from Paris
two weeks ago and was in Connecticut until
last Tuesday. when he returned to this city. Hts
object In visiting this country IL to superln-
tend the production OF At least one Of his plays.
His latest work. "Hsnnelo's Ascension" will
be given at the Fifth Avenue Theatre under
the manageme emit Of Rossnfeld Brothers. whose
guest Mr.. Hauptmann IL at present
Hauptmann IL an interesting figure among
German dramatists and represents the latest
direction Of dramatic writing in Germany. He
belongs to the group OF German dramatic au-
thors which, for the lack OF q better name. 10
known as the naturalistlc. Herman Suder-
mann IL perhaps the best known among them.
but the school which they represent lie typical
now OF the direction in which the thought
Of German dramatic writer's is tending.
The responsibility Of 1bsen for this new
new movement IL not denied By anybody.
They have followed his leadership. notably in
presenting whatever they had to say in q form
Invested OF anything like ideality. Their sub
iects. like those OF Ibsen. are taken nom
everyday life. and are presented as they are
believed actually to exist The whole effort Of
this school is to present questions Of present
life with realisms OF actually. without any fur
ther effort toward dldscticism than the impress
sion OF the work may impart This 10 the best
form that their work takes. and much that
these new authors have written IL really i'm
pressivs. But much has failed. because In the
effort to present certain phases OF life with alb
solute fidelity to human action under the cir
cumstances they have not looked above detail.
aud have Lost sight OF broader lments and
motives Some among these writer's have used
In part the symbolic form. which is even their
later manifestation OF method One OF these
Is Hauptmann. The play which New York
audiAnaaa will havA OnnoTfunitv To
combines both OF these forms. Along with
another OF Hauptmann's plays, The Weav-
ers." "Hannele" succeeded at the Theatre
Libre. which Is the one place in Paris whore
art has no nationality.
Until Ibsen's works were known In Ger
many. as we'll as those Of this new school OF
writer's. French comedy and drama, first that
Of Scribe and later that OF Sardou and his con-
tcmporaries, occu pied the German stage. They
were practically all that the German theatres
gave In serious contem poraneous dramas or
course there were the classics OF Schiller and
Goethe, translations OF Shakespeare. and the
conventional German comedies. whose deep
est interest centred in the fiirtations OF
Backhsh" and premier Lieutenant Few
plays that aimed to depict German life were
written. The nearest attempts at q reproduo-
ton Of the life OF tho people were the Volks-
shiecke OF L'ArEonge and his imitators. While
these were faithful to certain phases OF Ger
man life. they were generally cheap In senti-
mont and without art In form The effort to
write plays with really national sentiment.
dealing with actual conditions in the German
cities and the problems OF life there. was never
made until sudermann and these new writer's
Many Of the new works have succeeded with
the public. which 10 probably the best Judge
Of the value Of what dramatist offers TO thom.
to what the popular saecess 81 Ss psys may
be- sudermann. working 10 the same school.
HonDa s.ow sI.. asa@ VIII ts sy
S Sny a sss Hooded stud, 81
followed the method Of these writer's In
Guilty" produced q play that is forcible and
Hnapsmsnn!s IS plays Sav. had TV any po sM
success and the nrst OF them to be acted az a
Which made a profound IMPRESSION a. the
schaulspielhaus In Berlin: The Vienna Burg
has s.c tHa o Mofe oil
: Il, must be understood at the outset that
Gethart HauptmAnn does not take himself
half so seriously as his admirers do. He dis
elaine any didaetie purpose In his dramas, He
say. that such method Is Inc onslstent with
admit that he @anitested tRi. spirit fit
was a young man when wrote Before
and non. Of my plays now is written with
the Intention 81 making them the means OF
s9nss s o. Gr tRs lie Of fn sRa Sorkes
schleswie coal mines in a very small region.
Neither in The Viewers, nor any Of my other
sSist I Wrote The %esVers because I
ti%ss. have ' no social theories that 7 ' have
tried to present in any Of my dramas. My
pose all my plays have been written"
.s:s & Il ss;s:s IL
under 25. He wears no beard. and his yell
IL almost ascetic In appearance. The express
sion Of his deep. sunken blue eyes is serious.
pPstsnsien. q his dramatic works, and 'n pro.
some 81 his admirers a who would ind = puS.
4: init; ,Si: SSlK Of his drst wofE. and adds
Ssn T sss TSss hat.
relations OF workingmen and their employers
have no views on that subject" he said
the world. and The wsaVers Il Is S oii.red as
nothing more than q picture Of the working
years ago. In none Of my consoles have /
written ~ with the purpose o. presenting any
tSStStaiS Certain Situations o IN the t lives 81
This is the frank expression of the author of
Germany since the first was produced In 1883.
HnuptmAnn's own career has been that OF .
student since he left his fathers home and be-
gan his education At Breslau. After he finished
the common school course there he began TO
study In the art academy at Brsslau. Sculpture
Interested him for two years. but he gave that
up and vent TO Jena In the university there
he studied philosophy and history for tive
semssters. Then began the Wander JalUe"
which Germany grants TO artistic spirits. and.
mann vent to Italy: On his return to Germany.
IN 1853. he wrote Before Sunrise" and since
that time. In addition to his Ave plays he has |
written q novel and volume Of studies. He |
small town In Prussian silssia. His visits to |
y Ny first play he said. was founded on |
an idea which had been in my mind for years |
j embodied the same theme in novel which |
has meyer been published. It Is in way a
to some people. but wrote IL without the de- |
sire TO prom1lRats any social theory. write |
PLAYS to be acted and not TO be read. IL is my |
effort 20 get away as much as possible from |
convention, not only in subject but In method |
The old theories OF dramatic construction |
seem to me to have been exhausted. / feel |
that am abls to invent for myself dramatic |
form that will express better what desire to |
present than any system OF construction |
founded on the plans Of the older dramatists."