Lavrin, Janko
(Krupa bei Semicu, Slovenien 1887-1986 London) : Professor für Slawistik Universität Nottingham
Subjects
Index of Names : Occident
Chronology Entries (2)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1927 |
[Lavrin, Janko]. Yi shu jia de Yibusheng. Jiao Juyin yi. [ID D26219]. Lavrin schreibt : "Ibsen is also one of those who look upon the creation of art as a means to the creation of life. He hated mere aestheticism with its dogmatic l'art pour l'art, considering it as dangerous to ture art as dogmatic theology is to true religion. In the first half of his literary activity, Ibsen was considerably under the influence of the French drama of mere plot and situations. But as soon as he came to regard the intrigue, as well as the character, subspecie of some 'idea' or other, he was led gradually by corresponding changes in technique, to the so-called Ibsenian play. Intrigue for the sake of intrigue lost its former importance for him, and in transferring the centre of gravity to the 'philosophy' and psychology of the characters, he naturally emphsized the inner at the expense of the external drama. The consequence was that the external dramatic action and movement were reduced to a minimum, to be replaced by the inner dramatic tension. With this object Ibsen (in his later works) put the tragic quilt of his heroes into the past, i.e. outside the acted drama. By partial confessions, by mysterious hints and allusions to previous quilt he creates from the very beginning of the play that peculiar 'Ibsenian' atmosphere which draws our attention so strongly to the inner working of the characters. The external catastrophe itself is for Ibsen only a pretext and symbol of an inner transformation." |
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| 2 | 1931 |
[Lavrin, Janko]. Yibusheng yu Xiao Bona. Zhang Menglin yi [ID D26220]. Lavrin schreibt : "Shaw, being an active 'extrovert', is directed towards external life problems ; the brooding 'introvert' Ibsen, on the other hand, concentrates first of all upon that internal problems of life which can perhaps be solved only upon a supra-logical or religious plane. The whole inner tragedy of Ibsen was due to the fact that, endowed with a profound moral instinct. Devoid of religious consciousness, he was bound to have recourse to purely intellectual solutions, to various philosophical and sociological creed, which led him to scepticism and proved eventually mere illusions, mere 'ghosts' ; for however plausible they be on the plane of logic and reasoning, they were helpless on that plane which is beyond reasoning ; consequently they could not save him from his impasse. Ibsen needed religion as the ultimate justification of his own moral sense, which was strong enough to keep him spell-bound to the end by the uncompromising 'all-or-nothing', and to weigh him down by his continuous feeling of guilt - the feeling of individual responsibility for the evils of all life. It is interesting to compare in this respect the creative methods of Shaw and Ibsen. For apart from the difference which exists between a comedy and a 'serious' drama, there are certain similarities in the inner constitution of Ibsen and Shaw. Both of them are nonconformist in character, which means that they are stimulated by protest and by fighting against the tide ; both are reformers, both are intellectuals, and both write 'plays of ideas' ; that is, they start with some problems or other, which could not be said in plain philosophic terms, and they prefer to solve my means of their art. Kam Kwok-kan : Lavrin gives an illuminating study of Ibsen by constrasting him with Shaw. The latter is often treated as a disciple of the former. But with regard to their temperament, artistic concerns, and psychology, Lavrin shows that there are a number of fundamental differences. Ibsen is a moral idealist and his works are in one sense a representation of the conflicts between his ideals and the reality in which he lived. Lavrin affirms that Ibsen writes from an inner inevitability, which is the chief incentive of his works. His own spiritual fighting and experience, which he tries to embody in his plays, are the real cause. For Lavrin, what makes Ibsen different from his contemporaries, is that he does not have religion as a last resort in his moral struggle. Without such a belief, all evils of life become the responsibility of the individual. Ibsen's uncompromising principle of 'all-or-nothing' is an attempt at seeking the support of religion as 'the ultimate justification of his own moral sense'. Lavrin's remarks were especially useful to Chinese critics and readers alike in the 1930s, who were experiencing a new form of drama different from their own tradition. |
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Bibliography (2)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1927 |
[Lavrin, Janko]. Yi shu jia de Yibusheng. Jiao Juyin yi. In : Chen bao fu kann ; no 16-17 (1927). Übersetzung von Lavrin, Janko. Ibsen as artist. In : Lavrin, Janko. Ibsen and his creation : a psycho-critical study. (London : W. Collins Sons & Co., 1921). 藝術家的易卜生 |
Publication / Ibs61 | |
| 2 | 1931 |
[Lavrin, Janko]. Yibusheng yu Xiao Bona. Zhang Menglin yi. In : Xian dai xue sheng ; vol. 1, no 8-9 (1931). Übersetzung von Lavrin, Janko. Ibsen and Shaw. In : Lavrin, Janko. Studies in European literature. (London : Constable, 1929). 易卜生與蕭伯納 |
Publication / Ibs62 |