No abstract
There is a tendency nowadays to downgrade the thirties. The reason for this is that the prevailing mood of the thirties was what used to be called “left of center.” Beginning with the late forties— from the time the phrase about the “iron curtain” became part of the common vocabulary—our “intelligentsia” sounded the retreat. The Roosevelt administration, subjected to sharp criticism not infrequently close to slander, seemed to be in bad odor. “Left of center” might be construed as something worse than liberalism. To be “radical” implied that one might be tainted with some degree of “pink.“A good many of the writers, artists and theatre folk in the thirties were inclined to radicalism. (Had not the Roosevelt administration sponsored the Projects for writers, artists and theatre?) In the early forties the fervor of the thirties was gradually absorbed by the pressures of the war.
Professor Else explains in his preface that this book is not intended as a complete new edition of the Poetics, for he omits five and a half chapters, and does not deal with all of the textual problems. On the other hand, it is not a coherent account of Aristotle's theory; Professor Else promises to provide that in a later work. It is, in his words, “a close line-by-line analysis of Aristotle's argument,” to clear the way for a new and more accurate interpretation of the Poetics.His method is to present a short segment of the Greek text, as emended by himself, and then his own translation into English. His translation incorporates his own interpretations of key phrases, sometimes departing very far from the literal meaning of the Greek—if one can speak of a literal meaning when translating from one language to another. He then defends both his textual emendations and his interpretations, taking on a frightening array of grammarians, editors and commentators who have been disputing over the Poetics in many languages for the last twenty centuries.
In the theatre this is the time of prizes and awards. The less theatre we have, the more prizes are awarded. Perhaps that is our way of compensating through honor and esteem what we cannot supply in substance. It is certain that among devoted playgoers, the prizes for acting—even more than those for plays—create jubilation, discussion, even dispute. In any case, a good deal of genuine sentiment is expended on the occasion of the various awards.The most awarded actress of the past season is unquestionably Shirley Booth. Miss Booth (Motion Picture Academy Award for her performance in Come Back, Little Sheba; Antoinette Perry Award for The Time of the Cuckoo) didn't steal it, as the French say, when they mean that someone got what was deserved.
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