Description
Book SynopsisA Stage for Debate presents a detailed analysis of the repertoire of the leading German-language stage of the nineteenth century, Vienna’s Burgtheater. The book explores the extent to which the Burgtheater repertoire contributed to important political and cultural debates on individual liberty, the role of women in society, and the understanding of national and regional identity.
The relevance of the Burgtheater as a forum for political debate is assessed not by the degree to which the performed plays transgressed established norms, but by the range of positions that were voiced on a given topic. Martin Wagner investigates the roughly 1,000 plays from across Europe that were introduced to the Burgtheater’s repertoire between 1814 and 1867 by combining a general overview with detailed interpretations of especially successful plays. Wagner reveals that the Burgtheater was significantly more involved in contemporary debates than the stereotype of this stag
Table of Contents
Introduction: Reassessing the Mid-Nineteenth-Century Burgtheater 1. What Makes a Theatre Politically Significant? 2. Making the Burgtheater Repertoire 3. The Scope of the Burgtheater Repertoire 4. Mourning and Reforming Obedience 5. Performing the Women’s Movement 6. The Drama of National and Regional Belonging Conclusion: The Mid-Nineteenth-Century Burgtheater as a Case Study Works Cited Index
