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The Théâtre Engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II

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The Théâtre Engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II Dr. Sarala Barnabas The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II India | UAE | Nigeria | Uzbekistan | Montenegro The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II By Dr. Sarala Barnabas Copyright 2019 by Dr. Sarala Barnabas First Impression: 2019 The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II ISBN : 978-81-941253-3-4 Rs. 650/- No part of the book may be printed, copied, stored, retrieved, duplicated and reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author/publisher. DISCLAIMER Information contained in this book has been published by Empyreal Publishing House and has been obtained by the author from sources believed to be reliable and are correct to the best of her knowledge. The author is solely responsible for the contents of the articles compiled in this book. Responsibility of authenticity of the work or the concepts / views presented by the author through this book shall lie with the author and the publisher has no role or claim or any responsibility in this regards. Errors, if any, are purely unintentional and readers are requested to communicate such error to the author to avoid discrepancies in future. Published by: Empyreal Publishing House Guwahati, Assam, India Preface In my final year at college, a visitor was brought to our class. He was a foreigner. Our professor could hardly hold back his laughter when he said the guest was an American poet. Did something called American Literature actually exist? If so, said our learned teacher, he had certainly never heard of it! It is not known what the visitor thought of this grossly ignorant statement, but it was true that American Literature played no part in Indian college syllabi. It bothered me very much. I had access to so much great writing from my father’s rich library collection. I had grieved over the young American preparing to die in an alien country for a cause that was not even for his own native land (Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls ), read with absorption of the collapse of a whole way of life (Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind), a war that had torn a nation asunder. English Literature naturally dominated the scene, added to some years later by Commonwealth Literature. (I have to say I love English Literature, starting with Chaucer). Indian Universities were slow in turning their attention to American Literature. Pune University was one of the first to pioneer this new study. It was bliss to be asked to teach Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost to name only a few. Later I was asked to also teach these courses at the Pune University’s graduate Department of English. It was a mutual sharing of a great literature. Somehow I felt the urge to use my mental capacities much more than I was doing in teaching graduate classes. I went to see Dr S. Nagarajan, Head of the Department of English in Pune. He was a formidable figure, and most people were afraid to approach him. He had a Ph.D. from Harvard, having specialized in Shakespearean studies. I was determined not to involve myself in high-sounding doctoral studies which would prove to be totally unchallenging. I knew several candidates who, unable to continue with such topics that offered no intellectual rewards, had simply given up. I explained to Dr Nagarajan that my interest was in American Literature, preferably drama. It took him very little time to come up with American drama of the Depression decade, but there was a stipulation—no registration for the degree till I had done intense study. Only when I was ready to actually start writing the thesis could I register. The American Studies Research Centre was a godsend. Friends in the U.S. hunted through their old books, and came up with treasures, including a rare collection of Federal Theatre Plays. I studied a hundred plays of the thirties, not all relevant to my purpose, of course, made copious notes, had enlightening discussions with visiting American professors at ASRC—until one memorable day, I could go and register at last! IV I have found all the mental stimulation I wanted and more doing this doctoral study. It had to start at time in history going back to World War I, followed by the utter chaos of the Crash of 1929, leading to the start of World War II. The complete breakdown of the American economy brought unprecedented disaster. In its wake came disbelief, fury, anguish and helplessness, to say nothing of hunger and homelessness. Small wonder then that writers, whether poets, dramatists or fiction writers exploded instantly in anger. All of them became involved in the depths America had sunk into. Walt Whitman wrote in another time of great national trouble: Long, too long America, Travelling roads all even and peaceful you From learnt from joys and prosperity only But now, ah now, to learn from crises Of anguish…. Drum-Taps This study explores how deeply the theatre especially became engaged in its concerns for what was happening in those times. I am grateful beyond words to my American referee who wrote I was the first candidate from India he had come across who had understood the ethos of America so completely. Sarala Barnabas V Table of Contents Preface IV – V Table of Contents VI Chapter - 1: PERSPECTIVES ON THE THIRTIES: HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL 1 – 18 Chapter - 2: PERSPECTIVES ON THE THIRTIES: LITERARY 19 – 33 Chapter - 3: PERSPECTIVES ON THE THIRTIES: THE THEATRE 34 – 48 Chapter - 4: DRAMA OF PROTEST AND PROPAGANDA 49 – 77 Chapter - 5: CLIFFORD ODETS 78 – 101 Chapter - 6: ROBERT SHERWOOD 102 – 128 Chapter - 7: DRAMA OF PROTEST 129 – 146 Chapter - 8: DRAMA OF THE THIRTIES 147 – 181 BIBLIOGRAPHY 182 – 197 EPILOGUE 198 – 205 VI The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II CHAPTER - I PERSPECTIVES ON THE THIRTIES: HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL 1 The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II A. THE CRASH AND THE DEPRESSION I. The Post- War Decade II. Disaster And Retribution: The Impact Of The Crash III. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The Coming Of The New Deal B. THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION ISOLATIONISM The Inevitability of War I. The Third Reich II. The Spanish Civil War III. The Second World War These are the times that try men’s souls. (Thomas Paine, The American Crisis) ‘…everything dat’s fastened down is comin’ loose….’ (De Lawd, The Green Pastures) 2 The théâtre engagé American Drama from the ’29 Crash to World War II A. THE CRASH AND THE DEPRESSION I. The Post War Decade Our first task will be to obtain a clear picture of the background of the nineteen thirties. Without such a background an understanding of its drama would be only superficial. This is especially true of the theatre engage which is one of the primary concerns of this study. If we are to study the theatre engaged with its times, then it is essential that we know what those times were. What were some of the forces that went into the making of the decade? What were the circumstances that shaped and moulded the era? What was it that stirred dramatists to such anger and protest? These are some of the questions we must attempt to answer. To do this we must go back in time, not to 1929, but beyond that, to 1918. The American people had learnt that the First World War ended when a message was received from President Woodrow Wilson which said: My fellow Countrymen: The armistice was signed this morning. Everything for which America fought has been accomplished. It will now be our fortunate duty to assist by example, by sober, friendly counsel, and by material aid in the establishment of just democracy throughout the world. It is one of the tendencies of man to believe that every war is the last one---“the war to end all wars” – but history has shown that before the shouting and hurrahs die down, the causes for another conflict begin to build up. Thus while peace was still new-born, humiliation and resentment were widely felt in defeated Germany. Time would prove the unintentional irony of the President’s words. The League of Nations which Wilson ardently supported would fail and instead of “just democracy” being established all over the world, as he hoped, infamous ideologies would reign. But none of this was anticipated in 1918. Hysterical joy and relief were the emotions uppermost in the minds of most Americans. A period of great economic prosperity followed the end of the war. A certain disillusionment was also apparent. This feeling was particularly obvious in the young. A kind of devil-may-care mood prevailed which set off the beginning of a search by young people for something which America did not seem to have. Youthful and aspiring artists and writers, unable to find what they wanted in Greenwich Village, scraped together sufficient money to move to Paris, now a literary and artistic mecca. There on the Left Bank they found the companionship of other young expatriates like themselves. In its issue of May 1928, transition magazine asked a number of them, “Why do Americans Live in Europe?” The replies were varied but significant. Gertrude Stein said it was because an artist needed a place away from home; Hilaire Hiler felt it was because “there were no facilities for the enjoyment of leisure” in America; McAlmon reported that in Europe one’s private life was less interfered with, while Kay Boyle insisted that in America “each citizen functioned with pride in the American conspiracy against the individual.
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