Child's play

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A play in two acts by Martin Walser is child's play . It was first published in 1970 by Suhrkamp Verlag and was premiered in Stuttgart in 1971 under the direction of Alfred Kirchner . The play is about a generation conflict in which two siblings, as a revolutionary attitude typical of the time, plan the murder of their father in a mock revolution.

action

The piece is divided into two acts, which can also be separated from one another in terms of content. Both acts are set in the holiday home of the Spohr family, around which the play revolves.

Father Gerold has arranged a family reunion for the purpose of intergenerational discussion, in which his two children, Asti and Bille, as well as he and his second wife Irene, should take part. In the first act only the siblings Asti and Bille are present. It "associatively common slogans or childhood memories or socialization experiences are strung together and presented in a scenic way through role plays". The revolutionary, non-conformist mood of the younger generation becomes clear here and culminates in the fact that Asti and Bille, the latter encouraged by their brother, plan the murder of their father and justify this to each other. It becomes very clear that the family of the siblings seems to be broken up and everyone involved is suffering from it. This can also be seen from the fact that the mother, with whom the siblings neither had a good relationship and who was already divorced from the father, recently died. For the children, the father now embodies “the older, lying, [adapted], materialism-oriented generation who, through their behavior, values ​​and educational methods, have alienated and made cynical the younger generation.” Dive into the end of the first act Gerold and Irene up, Asti raises the pistol, but as it turns out in the second act, no murder occurs. There is now a direct confrontation between the two generations. “The father, tactically versed […], turns the helpless, unsophisticated attack into artistic pseudo-actions; Film and film discussion burn up the revolt ”. Ultimately, as a way out of the situation, instead of a revolution against individuals, Bille shows an insight into the structures of the system; she and Asti then leave the scene and it remains to be suspected that Asti could join their commitment - a confrontation did take place, but apparently had no visible results.

people

Asti

Asti, full name Sebastian, is a 20 year old young man who sees himself as a revolutionary. As a nonconformist, Asti rejects any authoritarian structure. He finished school without a high school diploma and spends most of his time sitting around, doing nothing and occasionally going to the movies. Asti is very dissatisfied with the world as it created the previous generation and expresses his frustration in numerous dissolute monologues; ultimately, however, does not actively do anything to change the unsatisfactory state for him. His negative attitude is also manifested in the fact that he shot his dog Pollo as a precaution against the world that appeared to be evil to him. Asti's mother, with whom he had a problematic relationship, was cared for to death by himself a few weeks ago. Asti also blames his own father, who is already newly married, in part for the death. Asti's general frustration with society, himself and any external circumstances leads to hatred for his father, which is why he plans to kill him. Ultimately, however, Asti is unable to act here either.

Bille

Bille, actually Sybille, is Asti's 23-year-old sister. Like him, she is also a nonconformist, but in comparison to Asti she appears to be more committed and sensible because, unlike her brother, she deals with the circumstances. Bille studied, but now and then writes articles for the radio and has changing partnerships. She lets herself be infected by Asti's idea of ​​killing her father - “Parricide is chic anyway” - but ends the situation by convincing Asti that “one can gain insight into the social, economic constraints of the [Must] procure capitalism in order to be able to bring about change ”.

Gerold

Gerold is the 48-year-old father of Asti and Bille and has already been married for the second time. His first wife died a few weeks ago and his new wife, Irene, is significantly younger than himself. He is a professor and manager of an industrial corporation and appears to have a liberal attitude.

Irene

Irene is Gerold's second wife, who at 29 years of age is significantly younger than himself. Asti and Bille suspect her of cheating on Gerold. In the second act of the play, it serves as a means of provocation towards Gerold, as Asti implies sexual acts with her in front of his father.

Work context

Background on literary history

In literary history, Walser's play refers to the “intellectual and moral protest movement that became known as the 1968 movement, which was mainly concentrated in the vicinity of the universities”. The protests were directed in different directions, for example against political developments or the effects of the affluent society . In “Ein Kinderspiel”, Walser refers accordingly to a “no longer openly [attacking], no longer visible [revolting] generation”, which he represents through the two siblings Asti and Bille. Although Asti and Bille are both non-conformist and dissatisfied with the society created by the previous generation, they represent two different tendencies of the protest movement. While Bille represents all those who think progressively and try to advocate change, Asti is more representative of the current of those who are revolutionary, but ultimately not able or willing to change something and therefore tend to be self-centered and pessimistic are aligned. However, the piece also shows that both Asti influences Bille and vice versa, which suggests that the two tendencies of the protest movement can also influence one another.

In the work of Martin Walser

Walser had already dealt with the subject of adaptation in earlier works, which is probably why the protest movement of the late 1960s was a very interesting topic for him. Six years before “Ein Kinderspiel” and thus also shortly before the protest movement began, Walser wrote the play “ The Black Swan ”, which has some similarities with “Ein Kinderspiel”. Similar to there, this piece also addresses a generation conflict, whereby the point here is that the new generation can no longer identify with the older generation due to the acts committed in the past and secretive acts. There is no communication, which is also a problem in “Ein Kinderspiel”. Again, problems are not discussed for a long time, until the conflict almost ends in murder. Although the generation conflicts discussed in both pieces can be transferred to a large part of society, Walser allows them to take place within the family, with the family being portrayed more strongly as a political and social institution in “Ein Kinderspiel”.

As a kind of continuation of Walser's previous pieces, it can be seen that until the end there has been no actual change in the existing conditions, neither socially nor within the family. However, "A Children's Game" also has an important difference compared to the previous pieces:

“It indicates the possibility [that] people can positively change their relationship to themselves by eliminating or at least beginning to eliminate mental disorders and their causes that have stood in the way of free self-development. In this respect the piece reflects a development [sic!] That has also become apparent in prose since ' Der Sturz '. "

- Anthony Edward Waine : Martin Walser. Munich: CH Beck 1980. Page 163.

After the publication of “Ein Kinderspiel”, Walser devoted himself more to prose again, which is why this piece can be regarded as the final work of Walser's early dramaturgical phase.

Performances

premiere

The world premiere of “Ein Kinderspiel” took place on April 22, 1971 at the Stuttgart State Theater. The direction was taken over by Alfred Kirchner , who introduced himself with this play as the upcoming senior director in Stuttgart. The main roles were Giovanni Früh as Asti and Rosel Zech as Bille. The role of Gerold was played by Traugott Buhre , that of Irene by Rosemarie Rohweder . It was the actors themselves who persuaded the Walsers to rewrite the play at an important point. Walser originally planned to ultimately have Asti von Gerold shot, but dropped this idea at the suggestion of the actors.

While there was predominantly positive criticism for the actors and especially for Kirchner's direction, Walser's play itself fell through with both the audience and the critics. Even during the performance, negative interjections could be heard several times, and at the end of the piece there were boos from the audience.

Friedrich Luft just described the first act as “monotonous and almost devoid of any theatrical importance” and concluded with the following: “Walser is [...] going back into theses, exploration and world-view theater. He stumbles. You really don't like to watch it. ”Clara Menck praises Walser's attempt to bring the generation conflict to the stage, but criticizes:“ But gradually you realize: It sticks to individual numbers, the overall picture doesn't come from Vitracs, Viktor or the children in power ', beyond Hatry's' little brother and sister' and relatives. From a distance, Coeteau's wistfully waving 'Enfants terribles'. ”For director Kirchner, she stated:“ As far as you can tell, he has done a good job on the ungrateful object ”. The comparatively most positive review comes from Dietmar N. Schmidt, who criticizes the audience's lack of understanding for the play: “'Ein Kinderspiel' [...] delivers bitterly serious games on the subject of revolution, the demands of which on the intellect make the average visitor want to get involved , seems to exceed - to the point of misunderstanding and incomprehension, especially in the public who should be affected, instructed and awakened. "

Revised version

Walser was hit hard by the generally damning criticism. He withdrew and submitted his next work, The "Gallistl'sche Disease", only under the pseudonym Carl O. Abrell. Benjamin Henrichs summed up the piece that it "failed for the first time in Stuttgart in 1971 [and] unfortunately just as bad as its reputation."

In 1975 Walser wrote a second version of the piece with a new second act. The piece now also plays in 1975, while the first version was set in 1968. While Walser gave the original version a rather optimistic ending that shows how possible changes in society could be possible, the new version now shows Gerold and Irene waiting for the children and discussing what has become of them. Asti becomes a successful toy manufacturer, Bille is portrayed as a former terrorist. “With this [Walser] follows the experiences of the seventies and intensified his criticism of the phrases of the 68 revolt. Asti [serves] as an example of how smoothly the transition from anarchist revolutionism to the heights of capitalism could be mastered. "

However, even the revised version was not very well received after its premiere. This is how Thomas Thieringer judged: “A piece about the beginning and the end of the student movement was not a piece of cake, despite Walser's modernization. The main shortcoming is not that this 'child's game' is only looking for conversational situations and offers no action […]. The lack of the piece (in the new version) is that Walser almost contemptuously lets his people be carriers of ideas and suffering, he lovelessly betrays them to an artistic hopelessness. "

expenditure

First version
  • Child's play. Piece in two acts. Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1970, 77 pages
  • also in: Collected Pieces . Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1971, 349 pages, ISBN 3-518-06506-8
    • same also: 1972
    • same also: 1976
    • same also: 1979
    • same also: 1981
    • same also: 1982
    • same also: 1985
    • same also: 1988
  • also in: Spectaculum, No. 17, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1972, pages 237-272, ISBN 3-518-09073-9
  • Extracts:
    • under the title: From "Children's Games" by Martin Walser, in: Theater heute, special annual issue 1970, page 16, ISSN  0040-5507
    • in: Texts from the lake. A literary almanac, Konstanz, Dr. Neinhaus Verlag GmbH 1977, 68 pages, pages 35-36
    • in: by hand. Manuscripts by modern writers and composers from a private collection, an exhibition by Dr. med. Joachim Ruf, Böblingen 1985, page 23
  • Translation:
    • "Un Jeu d'enfants", translated by Bernard Lortholary, Paris, Gallimard 1972, 77 pages, ISBN 2070319776 (French)
Second version
  • Child's play. Piece in 2 acts, 2nd revised. Ed., Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1975, 71 pages, ISBN 3-518-00400-X
  • also: a breeze. Piece in 2 files, printed as a manuscript, new version, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1977.
  • also in: pieces, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag 1987, pages 305-368, 595 pages, ISBN 3-518-37809-0
  • also in: MWW IX, pages 415–488

literature

  • Martin Walser: Child's play. Piece in two acts. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag 1970. ISBN 978-3518104002
  • Werner Brändle: The dramatic pieces of Martin Walser. Stuttgart: Academic Publishing House Hans-Dieter Heinz 1978. ISBN 978-3880990463
  • Jörg Magenau: Martin Walser. A biography. Reinbek near Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag 2005. ISBN 3-498-04497-4
  • Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser . Munich: CH Beck 1980. ISBN 978-3406074387

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Werner Brändle: The dramatic pieces of Martin Walser. Stuttgart: Akademischer Verlag Hans-Dieter Heinz 1978. Page 196.
  2. ↑ a b Gerald A. Fetz: Martin Walser. Stuttgart: JB Metzler 1997. page 100.
  3. ^ A b Dietmar M. Schmidt: Difficulties with the revolution. Walser premiere in Stuttgart: 'A children's game', in: Frankfurter Rundschau , April 26, 1971, page 17.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Martin Walser: A child's play. Piece in two acts. Frankfurt a. M .: Suhrkamp Verlag 1970.
  5. ^ A b Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser . Munich: CH Beck 1980. p. 162.
  6. ↑ Martin Walser: A child's play. Piece in two acts. Frankfurt a. M .: Suhrkamp Verlag 1970. p. 23.
  7. ^ A b Thomas Thieringer: Paper Revolutionaries, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung October 14, 1980, page 10
  8. ^ Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser . Munich: CH Beck 1980. Page 159f.
  9. ^ Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser . Munich: CH Beck 1980. page 160.
  10. ^ A b c d Friedrich Luft: They know what they don't want. Martin Walser's “Children's Game” premiered in Stuttgart, in: Die Welt April 24, 1971, page 23.
  11. ^ Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser. Munich: CH Beck 1980. Page 160ff.
  12. ^ Anthony Edward Waine: Martin Walser. Munich: CH Beck 1980. Page 163.
  13. ↑ Gerald A. Fetz: Martin Walser. Stuttgart / Weimar: JB Metzler 1997. Page 103.
  14. ↑ a b c Clara Menck: Generational conflict is not child's play. Walser's play premiered in Stuttgart, in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung April 26, 1971, page 22.
  15. ↑ Jörg Magenau: Martin Walser. A biography. Reinbek near Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag 2005. Page 291.
  16. ↑ Benjamin Henrichs: A dad looks into the children's room. The Munich proT plays Martin Walser, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung June 14, 1972, page 12.
  17. ↑ a b Jörg Magenau: Martin Walser. A biography. Reinbek near Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag 2005. Page 290.