January 2004
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127 Reads
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1 Citation
Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift
It is well known, that many of the modern, epic qualities of Hauptmanns drama result from his adaptation of Zolas naturalistic novel. Widely overlooked, however, has been the striking difference in which the theme of the social revolt is treated in both works. The essay argues, that this discrepancy can be explained by the works underlying religious ethics and their related concepts of politics, nature, sexuality, and of the mind and body dualism. This also results in Hauptmanns and Zolas preference for significantly different poetical means like allegorical signification on the one hand, and tragical closure on the other. Thus a remarkable cultural difference of French and German keyworks of 19th century naturalism can be outlined.