ABSTRACT

This essay surveys criticism and drama by the little-studied Edwardian playwright St. John Hankin. A leading figure in the Edwardian “New Drama” movement, Hankin sought to develop the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century comedy to subversively depict the period’s social problems. He revised the “well-made play”, a dramatic form that emphasised climactic narrative resolutions, by rethinking the way that its structure emphasised climactic and conclusive endings. He theorised that plays with indeterminate endings could imitate complex, ongoing social issues related to marriage, gender, and money. In his plays, he structures the characters’ dialogue around promises that are never quite conclusive. Instead of resolving any problems, these promises linger and become ongoing expressions of the issues that affect the characters. As the essay demonstrates, Hankin’s work is a distinctive alteration of the “well-made play” that infuses the form with a sense of irresolution.

摘要

本文对爱德华七世时代的剧作家圣约翰·汉金（St. John Hankin）的批评和戏剧进行了调查。汉金（Hankin）是爱德华七世时代“新戏剧”运动的领军人物，他试图发展19世纪末和20世纪初的喜剧，以颠覆性的方式描述该时期的社会问题。他通过重新考虑其结构强调高潮性和结论性结局的方式，修改了“精心制作的戏剧”，这是一种戏剧性的形式，强调了高潮性的叙事方式。他认为结局不确定可以模仿与婚姻，性别和金钱有关的复杂，持续的社会问题。在他的剧本中，他围绕着从未有定论的诺言构筑了角色的对话。这些承诺并没有解决任何问题，而是徘徊不前，并成为影响角色的问题的持续表达。