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Klaus Rühl
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1962 BOOK REVIEWS 115
hensive study of Eliot's plays that is likely to be available for some time. His
opening chapter on poetic drama is both a theoretical discussion of the subject
and an account of Eliot's views. The section which follows deals with Sweeney
Agonistes, giving special attention to the handling of language, and with The Rock,
clarifying the relation of the Choruses, which Eliot includes in the body of his
poetry, to the original pageant from which they came.
Mr. Jones then turns to the major plays, devoting a separate chapter to each
one. In all of his plays Eliot went back to classical models, and Mr. Jones metic-
ulously points out the relationships between Eliot's works and his sources. He
examines in detail the development of Eliot's theatrical verse, describing the con-
sistent movement away from the richness of language of MHrder in the Cathedral
and taking account of the shift in Eliot's opinions about the function of dramatic
verse which this development involves. Throughout his consideration of the plays
Mr. Jones traces what for hhn is Eliot's major theme, "that of spiritual conflict
and growth in an exceptional person and its relation to, and repercussions in, the
lives of more ordinary people," even though it costs him some effort to establish
the existence of this themc in the more recent plays where exceptional persons
are rare.
Another of Mr. Jones' particular concerns is to elucidate Eliot's theology, a goal
which he achieves most successfully. For many of his readers, who do not move
with his ease among the subtleties of Christian doctrine, this explication will be
among the most valuable aspects of Mr. Jones' book. During all of his careful
and detailed examination of these plays he not only presents his own views, but
regularly refers to Eliot's comments, and to the opinions of other critics.
In fact, he is almost too precise in acknowledging indebtedness, for the book is
documented to the point where pages on which a quarter to a half of the space
is given over to footnotes are not particularly rare. In addition, Mr. Jones has
not escaped a certain academic compulsion to completeness for its own sake. For
example, such excrescences as a capsule history of the Greek chorus and a sum-
mary of the plot of OedipHs Rex have been allowed to remain in the text.
Nevertheless, thcse arc essentially minor quibbles. (I cannot resist indulging
in one more. On pages two and three Mr. Jones attributes the line, "0, that way
madness lies" to Hamlet rather than to Lear, an error which he himself most
probably noted the day after this volume left thc printers.) i'vfr. Jones' study is
clearly organized and excellently written. If it presents few moments of pro-
found insight, there is ample compensation in the writer's thoroughncss, clarity,
good sense, and intelligence. All students of Eliot, of the poetic drama, and of
the modcrn theater generally are in Mr. Jones' debt.
ARTHUR GANZ
Rutgers University
en plus, developpement qui est acheve avec Ie theatre d'illusion. Brecht n' etait
pas Ie seul a essayer de chercher des moyens pour retablir une communication
entre Ies deux spheres. M. Hinck fait alors une comparaison avec deux autres
experiences de notre epoque: Reinhardt et Piscator. II voit Ies contacts, voire Ies
influences, mais Ies efforts de Reinhardt visent en fin de compte une derniere
sublimation de l'illusion meme, tandis que Ie "theatre politique" de Piscator
depasse deja Ie cadre artistique quand Ie spectateur n'est plus capable de distinguer
s'il se trouve dans une salle ou au milieu d'une demonstration reelle. (Piscator
ecrivait lui-meme que la foule faisait Ia mise en sce~e dans un theatre qui etait
devenu rea lite; il y avait un grand champ de batailYe, une seule demonstration).
De cette solution-Ia Brecht se trouve assez eIoigne.
Un coup d'oeil sur Ie "theatre social" a partir d'lbsen montre aussi que c'est
Brecht qui abandonne la piece sociale qui etait toujours en rapport avec l'individu
pour creer la piece sociale e~ rapport avec la societe. II ne voit plus la societe
a travers I'homme, mais I'homme a travers la societe.
Apres avoir encore discute la question d'une affinite entre Ie theatre brechtien
et celui du moyen-age et du 17' siecle allemands (tendance anti-modeme de
Brecht) avec certains points de comparaison dans Ia formation des personnages
et dans les elements formels, sans oublier pourtant les differences fondamentaIes,
l'auteur rompt enfin Ie cadre de "litterature nationale." II retrouve les categories
de Ia dramaturgie ouverte dans "Our Town" de Wilder et dans "Le Livre de
Christophe Colomb" de Claude!. II y a done une correspondance structurelle qui
montre Ie refus absolu d'un theatre d'illusion malgre la divergence des intentions et
des buts. II faut voir, par exemple, l'opposition entre !'interpretation "theocentrique"
de Ciaudel et celIe de Brecht qui est "sociocentrique."
En guise de conclusion l' auteur ouvre encore une nouvelle perspective. II place
Ie theatre epique dans des donnees sociologiques et veut voir lme correlation avec
la realite sociale d'aujourd'hui qui est marquee par Ie type industrial et democra-
tique de la societe. Pour arriver a quelque resultat satisfaisant il faudrait evi-
demment une etude plus profonde. Une demiere question reste ouverte: Puisque
Ie projet de Brecht est un projet d'eschatologie marxiste, queUe sera la fonction
de son theatre dans une societe qui n'est plus bourgeoise? lei l'auteur doute si
Ie theatre brechtien peut jouer un role efficace dans un changement de Ia societe.
Ce que Brecht a change-et c'est Ia son merite---c'est Ie theatre.
Nous avons deja loue Ie fond et la methode de cet ouvrage. Disons encore qu'il
est ecnt dans un Iangage clair et sobre. II s'agit d'un livre qui a tous les avantages
d'un bon travail erudit et qu'on lit non seulement avec un tres grand profit mais
encore avec un plaisir veritable.
KLAUS RUHL
GOTTINGEN