. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. of course, a lossof proportion and a haziness of constructionthat puzzled, bewildered, and, with GriffithDavenport (1899), Hterally ruined one of theloftiest conceived dramas that the Americantheatre has ever known. It may perhaps seem contradictory that,with his laxness in other respects, Mr. Hemekept his characters consistently toeing themark. Yet such was the fact. Mr. Hemepossessed a keen insight int
. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. of course, a lossof proportion and a haziness of constructionthat puzzled, bewildered, and, with GriffithDavenport (1899), Hterally ruined one of theloftiest conceived dramas that the Americantheatre has ever known. It may perhaps seem contradictory that,with his laxness in other respects, Mr. Hemekept his characters consistently toeing themark. Yet such was the fact. Mr. Hemepossessed a keen insight into motive, and, nomatter how straggling his construction mightbe, or how many loose ends his action mightreveal, his characters rarely went in oppositionto understood motive and settled Heme placed his greatest stress and hischief reliance on character. This may seem asurprising statement to those w^ho have beenaccustomed to much talking about Mr. Hemesrealism, and who have failed to perceive thatthis realism was, after all, only the appropriateframe for Mr. Hemes characters. Atmos-phere, for which Mr. Heme sought so persist-ently and which he obtained with such surety,. JAMES A. HERNEAs Griffith Davenport Four American Dramatists 167 was a necessity, because it instantly put one intouch with the personages of his plays. It wasan important adjunct to Mr. Hemes supremeessential, the exposition of character. CLYDE FITCH Clyde Fitch is commonly accounted theleading dramatist at present writing for theAmerican stage, but unless sheer muscle betaken as the chief qualification of a great play-wright, it is doubtful if Mr. Fitch, being meas-ured by any adequate standard of dramatic art,can be permitted to remain unprotested in theplace that persistent reiteration of his name inthe ears of the public has given him. If rat-ing as a dramatist were parcelled out accord-ing to the number of plays to which one hasattached his name, then Mr. Fitch would un-doubtedly be entitle
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