登陆注册
5259800000076

第76章 ABOUT PLAY-ACTING(4)

Now I arrive at my project, and make my suggestion. From the look of this lightsome feast, I conclude that what you need is a tonic. Send for 'The Master of Palmyra.' You are trying to make yourself believe that life is a comedy, that its sole business is fun, that there is nothing serious in it. You are ignoring the skeleton in your closet. Send for 'The Master of Palmyra.' You are neglecting a valuable side of your life; presently it will be atrophied. You are eating too much mental sugar; you will bring on Bright's disease of the intellect. You need a tonic; you need it very much. Send for 'The Master of Palmyra.' You will not need to translate it; its story is as plain as a procession of pictures.

I have made my suggestion. Now I wish to put an annex to it. And that is this: It is right and wholesome to have those light comedies and entertaining shows; and I shouldn't wish to see them diminished. But none of us is always in the comedy spirit; we have our graver moods; they come to us all; the lightest of us cannot escape them. These moods have their appetites--healthy and legitimate appetites--and there ought to be some way of satisfying them. It seems to me that New York ought to have one theatre devoted to tragedy. With her three millions of population, and seventy outside millions to draw upon, she can afford it, she can support it. America devotes more time, labour, money and attention to distributing literary and musical culture among the general public than does any other nation, perhaps; yet here you find her neglecting what is possibly the most effective of all the breeders and nurses and disseminators of high literary taste and lofty emotion--the tragic stage.

To leave that powerful agency out is to haul the culture-wagon with a crippled team. Nowadays, when a mood comes which only Shakespeare can set to music, what must we do? Read Shakespeare ourselves! Isn't it pitiful? It is playing an organ solo on a jew's-harp. We can't read.

None but the Booths can do it.

Thirty years ago Edwin Booth played 'Hamlet' a hundred nights in New York. With three times the population, how often is 'Hamlet' played now in a year? If Booth were back now in his prime, how often could he play it in New York? Some will say twenty-five nights. I will say three hundred, and say it with confidence. The tragedians are dead; but Ithink that the taste and intelligence which made their market are not.

What has come over us English-speaking people? During the first half of this century tragedies and great tragedians were as common with us as farce and comedy; and it was the same in England. Now we have not a tragedian, I believe, and London, with her fifty shows and theatres, has but three, I think. It is an astonishing thing, when you come to consider it. Vienna remains upon the ancient basis: there has been no change. She sticks to the former proportions: a number of rollicking comedies, admirably played, every night; and also every night at the Burg Theatre--that wonder of the world for grace and beauty and richness and splendour and costliness--a majestic drama of depth and seriousness, or a standard old tragedy. It is only within the last dozen years that men have learned to do miracles on the stage in the way of grand and enchanting scenic effects; and it is at such a time as this that we have reduced our scenery mainly to different breeds of parlours and varying aspects of furniture and rugs. I think we must have a Burg in New York, and Burg scenery, and a great company like the Burg company. Then, with a tragedy-tonic once or twice a month, we shall enjoy the comedies all the better. Comedy keeps the heart sweet; but we all know that there is wholesome refreshment for both mind and heart in an occasional climb among the solemn pomps of the intellectual snow-summits built by Shakespeare and those others. Do I seem to be preaching? It is out of my life: I only do it because the rest of the clergy seem to be on vacation.

同类推荐
  • 阿毗昙心论经

    阿毗昙心论经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大易象数钩深图

    大易象数钩深图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 丹溪治法心要

    丹溪治法心要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说弥勒成佛经

    佛说弥勒成佛经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太乙金镜式经

    太乙金镜式经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 唯识学概论

    唯识学概论

    《中观学概论》和《唯识学概论》两书的作者弘学居士,本名李英武,重庆南岸人氏。外祖母、母亲都是虔诚的佛教徒。弘学是我汉藏教理院同班同学正果法师的忠实弟子。1993年他写了《佛学概论》,我专门为他写了序,并希望他能“写出中、高两级佛学院校学生阅读的佛学书籍,并作为各级佛学院校的教材或参考资料”。
  • 借助游戏测智力(超级智商训练营)

    借助游戏测智力(超级智商训练营)

    本书精选了这些全球著名学校的经典智力测试游戏,里面既有暗含机关的巧思妙解,又有别出心裁的逻辑挑战。锻炼你的分析力、计算力、观察力、想象力,象形力、判断力、创新力、思辨力以及逻辑思维九种能力,发散思维。迎接挑战,你准备好了吗?赶快来接受挑战吧。
  • 空中铁爪

    空中铁爪

    谢尔曼·鲍德温所著的《空中铁爪——一位美国海军舰载机飞行员的作战经历》讲述了美国海军“中途岛”号航空母舰上一名舰载机飞行员的作战经历,作者回忆了在航空母舰上服役的经历和感受,叙述了舰载机的日常训练的过程,以及参加海湾战争中的经历及作战过程。内容详细,文笔流畅。《空中铁爪——一位美国海军舰载机飞行员的作战经历》适合研究舰载机飞行及战法的相关人员参考,也可供军事爱好者阅读。
  • 腹黑废材:绝色瞳术玄师

    腹黑废材:绝色瞳术玄师

    【双强,宠文,爽文,1V1】当24世纪的雇佣兵之王身穿百里家懦弱胆小废柴无颜女时,又会掀起怎样的风云?她是腹黑绝色,执掌瞳术的佣兵之王。他是神秘莫测的城主大人,偶临下界,遇最大收获。医毒双绝,阵法无双,神兽相伴,至于炼器嘛,炼器宗师死死的抱住大腿不放手! 关于女主成神后的采访。 ???????“请问你成神后有什么感想” ???????百里未月:感谢我一路上遇见的作死的渣渣们,帮助我增强实力(迷之微笑)————————————————————新人发文,求支持(?˙ー˙?) 作者智商不够……多多包涵
  • 我的帅气王妃

    我的帅气王妃

    她,穿越到一个陌生的时空,恍若作了一个奢侈的梦,梦中写尽天下华丽,温柔,浪漫,公主和王子的梦,过上了幸福生活的梦,谁,会是梦中一起幸福终老的人?又仿佛经历了一次惊天动地的旅程,背叛、血咒、誓约、阴谋、征战,何处不流血,何处不是九死一生?又会是谁,陪她历尽生生死死,为她杀尽天下妖魔鬼怪,护她一生平安?他,外表冷漠却内心温暖的男子,冷漠时如冰雕,温暖时如天使,伤害、痴爱?他与她之间究竟谁又能说得清?(已完结。)============================<帅气王妃>有群了:QQ群:17253087口令:书中的角色名字=============学大家做了个视频《我的帅气王妃》视频地址:
  • 仙尊系统

    仙尊系统

    不过打了个游戏,竟然就穿越了!我是修仙废材?老子经验升级无瓶颈!你是炼药大师?老子一键炼丹,丹药批发!你精神强大,兽宠两三只?老子随意捕捉,每升十级多一个宠物栏!
  • 指尖上的悸动

    指尖上的悸动

    你用手机给人发过信息吧?当然。你每天会发给同一个人吗?不会。你相信,这两人从没见过面吗?不相信。然而,某一天,他们相遇了……这是一条误发手机短信引出来的故事。这是一个四年后突然中断了联系后,在现实中不经意的邂逅,引发了各种溺宠的故事。
  • 司马迁(中外名人传记青少版)

    司马迁(中外名人传记青少版)

    在中华民族源远流长的历史长河中,无数的人们穿行而过;纷繁绵长的历史,如大江东去,淘尽泥沙,同时也沉淀出无数历史伟人的丰功伟绩和人生的悲情与壮美,让后来人产生无限的敬仰和慨叹。司马迁作为一个伟大历史人物,以撰写出历史名著《史记》而光耀千古,为后人称颂和敬仰!作为一代史家,司马迁将全部的人生奉献给了历史,也给中华文明乃至整个人类的文明做出了巨大贡献。然而,他以《史记》记录着波澜壮阔的历史,但他自己的生平事迹,却几乎被历史遗忘了!本书以人物传记的方式,力图将司马迁的伟大一生呈现出来。读者如能从中获得一些启发,能有益于自己的人生,那将是我们极大的荣幸。
  • 富翁是这样打造的

    富翁是这样打造的

    这是一个跨国教育子女的传奇故事,这是值得让所有中国家长反思的成功教子个案。望子成龙的母亲沙拉,曾是一个地道的中国式妈妈,也希望孩子通过高考进入名校。可是,当她回到以色列后,坚决放弃做中国式妈妈,转而当起犹太母亲:儿子在家吃住,要交生活费;儿子大学毕业,让他去服兵役,以经受更艰苦的磨练!就是这样一种“冷酷”的母爱,却得到了儿女丰厚的回报,两个儿子都成了富翁。犹太人注重教育,我们注重文凭;犹太人注重智慧和生存能力,我们注重知识和考试成绩……此文肯定对您的教子思路有所启发。请勿错过!
  • 彩霞满天

    彩霞满天

    那个弹琴的女孩,捡小麻雀的女孩,到岩洞里找他的女孩,陪他看落日的女孩,跟着他走往世界尽头的女孩,像一片美丽的晚霞,倏然消失在漫漫长夜里。身份的悬殊,阻不断两心的羁绊,际遇的坎坷,隔不绝彼此的相思。但猜忌的疑云,蔽去了夕阳的余晖。如何相拥捱过长夜,共同迎来明朝的彩霞满天?