Hamburg Dramaturgy
The Hamburg Dramaturgy (German: Hamburgische Dramaturgie) is a highly influential work on drama by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, written between 1767 and 1769. It was not originally conceived as a unified and systematical book, but rather as series of theater essay, which Lessing wrote as commentary on the short-lived Hamburg National Theater. This collection of 101 short essays represents one of the first sustained critical engagements with the potential of theater as a vehicle for the advancement of humanistic discourse. In many ways, the Hamburg Dramaturgy defined the new field of dramaturgy, and also introduced the term.[1]
The idea of a journal with Lessing as a dramatic critic to reflect on the Hamburg National Theater's efforts was conceived by the theatre's founder Johann Friedrich Löwen, and Abel Seyler, "the power behind the throne," agreed, "at first grudgingly, but later was enthusiastic over the periodical's success."[2]
Topics covered by Lessing in the series of essays include Aristotle's theory of tragedy, acting theory, the role of theater in society, the means by which theater achieves its emotional effects, play and actor criticism, issues of translation, and a nascent theory of the psychology of emotions. Lessing's writings were influential for many German theater artists who came after, notably Bertolt Brecht.
In 1890, Helen Zimmern published an English translation of the text; this version was re-published by Dover in 1962. Zimmern's translation omits nearly 30% of the original text. Translators Wendy Arons and Sara Figal, with editor Natalya Baldyga, are producing a new, complete, and fully annotated translation of the text; the essays are being published online at MediaCommons Press and will be published in print form by Routledge.
References
Notes
- ↑ "Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Hamburgische Dramaturgie (1767)" (in German). University of Duisburg. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ George Freedley, John A. Reeves, A history of the theatre, Crown Publishers, 1968, p. 243