The problem of history and drama in German theory and practice in the nineteenth century

Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to examine the effect which the choice of historical material has on the writing of drama in Germany in the nineteenth century, to trace the changes in the nineteenth century attitude to history and their effect on historical drama, and to attempt to estimate the contribution which the nineteenth century has made to the development of this genre. The introduction surveys briefly some of the main points in the development of historical drama in the eighteenth century, and shows the state of historical drama at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Chapter I gives a short survey of the German historical dramas of the nineteenth century and of the main critical theories concerning this branch of drama. Chapter II deals in detail with the attitude taken by the critics towards historical drama, and with the main points that arise from their discussions of it. Chapter III deals with those historical dramas inspired by an idealistic view 6f history, and especially with those of the Romantic writers and of Wildenbruch. Chapter IV deals with the historical dramas which are primarily concerned with the psychological study of historical characters, and especially with those of Kleist, Grillparzer and Hebbel. Chapter V deals with those historical dramas which show a realistic attitude to history, especially those of Jung-Deutschland and of Naturalism. In the Conclusion, an attempt is made to show the progress made in the course of the nineteenth century, and to sum up the contribution of this period to the development of German historical drama as a whole.