Page:The thirty-six dramatic situations (1921).djvu/36

34 THIRTY-SIX DRAMATIC SITUATIONS "Madame Margot" (Moreau and Clairville, 1909); and, in comedy, "Chantecler" (Rostand, 1910) with its parody "Rosse, tant et plus" (Mustiere, 1910). B (1) - Revolt of One Individual, Who Influences and Involves Others: — Goethe's "Egmont;" "Jacques Bonhomme" (Maujan, 1886); "La Mission de Jeanne d'Arc" (Dalliere, 1888). Example from fiction: "Salammbo." From history: Solon feigning madness.

(2) — A Revolt of Many: — "Fontovejune," by Lope de Vega; Schiller's "William Tell;" Zola's "Germinal;" "The Weavers of Silesia," by Hauptmann (forbidden in 1893 with the approval of a Parliament soon afterward dissolved); "L'Automne," by Paul Adam and Gabriel Mourey (forbidden in 1893 with the approval of another Parliament shortly before its dissolution); "L'Armee dans la Ville" (Jules Romain, 1911): "The Fourteenth of July" (Roland, 1902). From fiction: a part of the "Fortunes des Rougon" by Zola. From history; the taking of the Bastile, and numerous disturbances of the same period.

This species of action, particularly in modern scenes, has given fine virile dramas to England, Spain, Italy and Germany; of a forceful and authoritative character in the two first countries, of a youthful enthusiastic type in the two last. France, most certainly, would seem of all countries the most likely to understand and express such emotions.

But. . . "Thermidor" was prohibited "for fear" it might offend the friends (centenarians apparently) of Maximilian; "Le Pater" "for fear" it might be displeasing to Communists; Zola's "Germinal" and "L'Automne" by Adam and Mourey (two works painted in widely different colors, as the titles sufficiently indicate) were stopped "for fear" of the objections of a few conservatives; "Other People's Money" by Hennique, "for fear" of shocking certain financiers who have since been put behind bars; "Lohengrin " (although the subject is Celtic) was long forbidden "for fear" of irritating a half-dozen illiterate French chauvinists; an infinite number of other plays "for fear" of annoying Germany