When did expressionism originate?
- WW1 (1994) onwards
Who are some of the influential playwrights of the expressionist movement?
- Germany: George Kaiser
- USA: Thornton Wilder
What is an example of a well known Expressionist play?
“Our Town” - Thornton Wilder
What is expressionism about and what does it entail?
- anti-realistic, subjective reality
- hallucinations
- dreams
- spirits
- visions
- secrets
- unconscious desires
What does expressionism express?
- expresses psychological forces that lie under the surface of human mind in a stylised manner
What is the purpose of expressionism?
- to express the inner feelings and experiences of characters
- a journey to the soul
- to protest against the contemporary social order
What are some of the qualities that expressionism focuses on?
- anti-materialism
- anti-industrialism
- humanitarianism
How does expressionism use the three unities of time, place, and action?
- exaggeration
- distortion
- disruption of three unities
What does expressionism show?
- how humanity’s spiritual potential can be realised
What does expressionism attack?
- attacks capitalist values in industrialised societies
What devices are used in expressionism?
- chorus
- narrator
- soliloquies
- unusual stage effects
What do expressionist plays concentrate on and why?
- concentrate on negative aspects of the present
- to prove how false ideas have distorted man’s spirit
Who’s journey do expressionist plays follow?
- the protagonist’s journey
- can be illogical
- often a journey/a search
What is the structure of an expressionist play?
- episodic structure
How is the protagonist represented in expressionism?
- protagonist is central (everything seen through their eyes)
- protagonist is tortured by events and society
How are the characters other than the protagonist represented in expressionism?
- dehumanised
- automatons
- abstractions
How is dialogue used in expressionism?
- staccato delivery
- illogical
- rhythmical
How is emotion and mood used in expressionism?
- highly emotional
- abrupt
- shocking
- sudden shifts in mood
How is sound used in expressionism?
- sound used to illicit emotional response from audience
How is design represented and used in expressionism?
- used to bring out thoughts and feelings of protagonist
- exaggerated shapes and lines
- tilted walls
- bizarre costumes and masks
- multi-level sets
- shapes may be distorted
- abnormal colours
