Intruder (French: L'Intruse)[1] is a one-act play by BelgianplaywrightMaurice Maeterlinck, which appeared first in publication in 1890. Journalistic appreciations of the text throughout that year prompted Parisian independent theatre producers to get the performance rights. From its stage debut the following spring, it became identified as a landmark work in the Symbolism movement of the late-nineteenth century.[2]
Intruder concerns man's conflict with preternatural forces, against which he is powerless.[3] The same theme was prevalent in Maeterlinck's earlier play, Princess Maleine, published 1889.
Paul Fort's Théâtre d'Art first produced the play in Paris on 20 May 1891, at the Théâtre du Vaudeville, as part of a program of poetry readings and short plays to benefit Paul Verlaine and Paul Gauguin. Maeterlinck recalled in his memoirs that if the program went on too long, then the play was to be removed.[5] Fortunately, it went on, and Intruder received much critical praise.[6] Equally striking to both critics and audience was its novel staging, featuring the soon-to-be signature Symbolist acting style—conveying a religious reverie, with its hieratic poses and gestures, matched with solemn, psalmodized line readings—forged by the new acting talents Aurélien Lugné-Poe and Georgette Camée.[7]
SynopsisEdit
Set in the living room of a home, the grandfather, who is blind, waits with the father, the uncle, and the three daughters. They wait for the arrival of the priest and the sister. The ailing mother, who is in the next room, has given birth to a child, who sleeps in another adjoining room.
After hearing many noises, the grandfather hears two sets of footsteps upon the staircase. The maid appears, saying the door was open, so she shut it. The grandfather claims he heard someone enter the room behind the maid, but the others in the room say she was alone. The clock strikes midnight, the baby commences screaming, and the Sister of Mercy appears, announcing the death of the mother. It became clear that the intruder being referred to by the old man was death itself.[8] Later, Maeterlinck would explain the dominance of this element (which was recurring in his other plays) so that it was almost treated as a character in the narrative: "This Unknown takes on, most frequently, the form of Death. The infinite presence of death, gloomy, hypocritically active, fills all the interstices of the poem. To the problem of its existence no reply is made except by the riddle of its annihilation."[9]
TechniquesEdit
Maeterlinck used several unconventional literary devices in Intruder. For example, he invested special valence in buildings to dramatize patterns of behavior, such as the house representing a form of introversion in which libido (psychic energy) flows inward.[10] The text's conspicuous word repetitions might strike an audience as unnecessary or an oversight on the part of the author.[11] Maeterlinck, however, employed this technique in several of his plays to enhance the atmosphere of the supernatural, horror, fear, gloom, and awe. Some observers have likened this characteristic to what Edgar Allan Poe aimed for with his liberal use of the rhyme "-ore" in The Raven,[11] a likely association considering that the 1891 benefit premiere followed the play with an actor reciting "Le Corbeau"—poet Stéphane Mallarmé's French translation of Poe's influential 1845 poem.[12]
English translationsEdit
L'Intruse has been translated into English twice: by Mary Vielé in 1891,[13] and by American poet Richard Hovey in 1894.[4]
^Booth, Francis (2011). The Marionette Plays of Maurice Maeterlinck. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Press. p. 7. ISBN9781447776628.
^Bithell, Jethro (1916). Contemporary Belgian literature. New York: F.A. Stokes company. pp. 167.
^Knapp, Bettina (1986). Archetype, Architecture, and the Writer. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 13. ISBN0253308577.
^ abBrown, Edmund (1987). Five Modern Plays. Boston: International Pocket Library. p. 75. ISBN9780828314350.
^Robichez, Jacques. Le Symbolisme au Théâtre: Lugné-Poe et les débuts de l'OEuvre. L'Arche, 1957, p.495.
^Maeterlinck, Maurice; Vielé, Mary (1891). Blind: The intruder. Washington, D.C: W. H. Morrison.
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October 15, 2023
intruder, play, intruder, french, intruse, play, belgian, playwright, maurice, maeterlinck, which, appeared, first, publication, 1890, journalistic, appreciations, text, throughout, that, year, prompted, parisian, independent, theatre, producers, performance, . Intruder French L Intruse 1 is a one act play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck which appeared first in publication in 1890 Journalistic appreciations of the text throughout that year prompted Parisian independent theatre producers to get the performance rights From its stage debut the following spring it became identified as a landmark work in the Symbolism movement of the late nineteenth century 2 IntruderL Intruse with illustrations by Leon Spilliaert 1903 Written byMaurice MaeterlinckDate premiered20 May 1891 1891 05 20 GenreSymbolismIntruder concerns man s conflict with preternatural forces against which he is powerless 3 The same theme was prevalent in Maeterlinck s earlier play Princess Maleine published 1889 The play is dedicated to Edmond Picard 4 Contents 1 Premiere 2 Synopsis 3 Techniques 4 English translations 5 ReferencesPremiere EditPaul Fort s Theatre d Art first produced the play in Paris on 20 May 1891 at the Theatre du Vaudeville as part of a program of poetry readings and short plays to benefit Paul Verlaine and Paul Gauguin Maeterlinck recalled in his memoirs that if the program went on too long then the play was to be removed 5 Fortunately it went on and Intruder received much critical praise 6 Equally striking to both critics and audience was its novel staging featuring the soon to be signature Symbolist acting style conveying a religious reverie with its hieratic poses and gestures matched with solemn psalmodized line readings forged by the new acting talents Aurelien Lugne Poe and Georgette Camee 7 Synopsis EditSet in the living room of a home the grandfather who is blind waits with the father the uncle and the three daughters They wait for the arrival of the priest and the sister The ailing mother who is in the next room has given birth to a child who sleeps in another adjoining room After hearing many noises the grandfather hears two sets of footsteps upon the staircase The maid appears saying the door was open so she shut it The grandfather claims he heard someone enter the room behind the maid but the others in the room say she was alone The clock strikes midnight the baby commences screaming and the Sister of Mercy appears announcing the death of the mother It became clear that the intruder being referred to by the old man was death itself 8 Later Maeterlinck would explain the dominance of this element which was recurring in his other plays so that it was almost treated as a character in the narrative This Unknown takes on most frequently the form of Death The infinite presence of death gloomy hypocritically active fills all the interstices of the poem To the problem of its existence no reply is made except by the riddle of its annihilation 9 Techniques EditMaeterlinck used several unconventional literary devices in Intruder For example he invested special valence in buildings to dramatize patterns of behavior such as the house representing a form of introversion in which libido psychic energy flows inward 10 The text s conspicuous word repetitions might strike an audience as unnecessary or an oversight on the part of the author 11 Maeterlinck however employed this technique in several of his plays to enhance the atmosphere of the supernatural horror fear gloom and awe Some observers have likened this characteristic to what Edgar Allan Poe aimed for with his liberal use of the rhyme ore in The Raven 11 a likely association considering that the 1891 benefit premiere followed the play with an actor reciting Le Corbeau poet Stephane Mallarme s French translation of Poe s influential 1845 poem 12 English translations EditL Intruse has been translated into English twice by Mary Viele in 1891 13 and by American poet Richard Hovey in 1894 4 References Edit http www theatrehistory com plays intruder htmlis permanent dead link Deak Frantisek Symbolist Theater The Formation of an Avant Garde Johns Hopkins UP 1993 pp 158 62 Maurice Materlinck Bettina Knapp Twayne Publishers Boston 41 a b Maeterlinck Maurice Hovey Richard 1894 1896 The plays of Maurice Maeterlinck The green tree library Chicago Stone amp Kimball Maurice Maeterlinck Knapp 40 Maurice Maeterlinck Knapp 48 9 Deak 160 61 Booth Francis 2011 The Marionette Plays of Maurice Maeterlinck Raleigh NC Lulu Press p 7 ISBN 9781447776628 Bithell Jethro 1916 Contemporary Belgian literature New York F A Stokes company pp 167 Knapp Bettina 1986 Archetype Architecture and the Writer Bloomington Indiana University Press pp 13 ISBN 0253308577 a b Brown Edmund 1987 Five Modern Plays Boston International Pocket Library p 75 ISBN 9780828314350 Robichez Jacques Le Symbolisme au Theatre Lugne Poe et les debuts de l OEuvre L Arche 1957 p 495 Maeterlinck Maurice Viele Mary 1891 Blind The intruder Washington D C W H Morrison nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to L Intruse Maeterlinck Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Intruder play amp oldid 1150692154, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
