Preface to Miss Julie - Yavanika

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566 Nineteenth- andTwenticth-Century Scandinayia less deep-rooted causes. The spectator, however, generally chooses the one that puts the least strain on his mind or reflects most credit on his insight. Consider a case of suicide. "Business failure," says the merchant. "Unhappy love," say the wornen. "Physical illness," says the sick man. "Lost hopes," says the down-and-out. But it may be that the reason lav in all of these or in none of them, and that the suicide hid his real reason behind a completely different one that rvould reflect greater glorv on his memory. I have motivated the tragic fate of Miss fulie with an abundance of circumstances: her mother's basic instincts, her father's improper bringing-up of the girl, her own inborn nature, and her fianci's s\\'av over her weak and degenerate mind. Further and more immediately: the festive atmosphere of Midsumner Eve, her father's absence, her rnonthlv illness, her preoccupation vvith animals, the erotic excitement of the dance, the long summer twilight, the highly aphrodisiac influence of flowers, and finallv chance itself, which drives trvo people together in an out-of-the-wav room. plus the boldness of the aroused man. As one can see, I have not concerned mvself solel,v with phvsiological causes, nor confined mvself monomaniacallr,' to psvchological causes, nor traced evervthing to an inheritance from her mother, nor put the blame entirely on her monthly indisposition or exclusively on "immorality." Nor have I simplv preached a sermon. Lacking a priest, I have let the cook take care of that. I am proud to say that this complicated wav of looking at things is in tune u'ith the times. And if others have anticipated me in this, I am proud that I am not alone in my paradoxes, as all nerv discoveries are called. And no one can sav this time that I am being one-sided. As far as the drau'ing of characters is concerned, I have made the people in mv play fairly "characterless" for the following rcasons. In the course of time the word character has acquired manv meanings. Originally it probably meant the dominant and fundamental trait in the soul complex and was confused with ternperament. Later the middle class used it to mean an automation. An individual rvho once for all had found his own true nature or aclapted himself to a certain role in life, rvho in fact had ceased to grou', was called a man of character, r.vhile the man who was constantly developing, who, like a skillful sailor on the currents of life, did not sail with close-tied sheets but who fell off before the wind in order to lufi again, r,vas called a man of no character-derogatoril,v of course, since l.re \\,as so difficult to keep track of, to pin dou'n and pigeonhole. This middle-class conception of a fixed character rvas trarrsferred to the stage, u'here the midclle class has always ruled. A character there came to rnean soneone who u'as ahvays one and the same, alu,al's drunk, alwavs joking, always moving, and who needed to be characterized only by some physical defect such as a club foot, a wooden leg, or a red nose, or by the repetition of some such phrase as, "That's capital," or
,.dinaia August Strindbery 567 :r, generally chooses the one ts most credit on his insight. ;ays the merchant. "Unhappy e sick man. "Lost hopes," says r Iay in all of these or in none behind a completely different rory. lie with an abundance of cirfather's improper bringing-up nc6's sway over her weak and ly: the festive atmosphere of thly illness, her preoccupation ce, the long summer twilight, d finally chance itself, which y room, plus the boldness of 'self solely with physiological to psvchological causes, nor rother, nor put the blame enly on "immorality." Nor have I have let the cook take care 'ay of looking at things is in tated me in this, I am proud :w discoveries are called. And ded. rned, I have made the people ring reasons. In the course of :anings. Originally it probably n the soul con-rplex and was le class uscd it to mean an rd found his orvn true nature o in fact had ceased to grorv, ho was constantly developing, 'e, did not sail with close-tied to luft again, was called a man l was so difficult to keep track ;s conception of a fixcd characldle class has alwavs ruled. A /as always one ancl the same, rnd who needed to be chara club foot, a wooden leg, or rhrase as, "That's capital," or "Barkis is willin'." This uncomplicated way of viewing people is still to be found in the great Molidre. Harpagon is nothing but a miser, although Harpagon could have been both a miser and an exceptional financier, a fine father, and a good citizen. Worse still, his "defect" is extremely advantageous to his son-in-law and his daughter who will be his heirs and therefore should not find fault with him, even if they do have to u'ait a while to jump into bed together. So I do not believe in simple stage characters. And the summary judgments that writers pass on people-he is stupid, this one is brutal, that one is jealous, this one is stingy, and so on-should not pass unchallenged by the naturalists who know horv complicated the soul is and who realize that vice has a reverse side very much like virtue. Since the persons in my play are modern characters, living in a transitional era more hectic and hysterical than the previous one at least, I have depicted them as more unstable, as torn and divided, a mixture of the old and the new. Nor does it seem improbable to me that modern ideas might also have seeped down through newspapers and kitchen talk to the level of the servants. Consequently the valet may belch forth from his inherited slave soul certain modern ideas. And if there are those who find it wrong to allow people in a modern drama to talk Darwin and who recommend the practice of Shakespeare to our attention, may I remind thern that the gravedigger in Hamlet talks the then fashionable philpsophy of Giordano Bruno (Bacon's philosophy), which is even more improbable, seeing that the means of spreading ideas were fewer then than now. And besides, the fact of the matter is that Darwinism has always existed, ever since Moses' history of creation from the lower animals up to man, but it u'as not until recently that we discovered it and formulized it. My souls-or characters-are conglomerations from various stages of cuJture, past and present, walking scrapbooks, shreds of human lives, tatters torn from former fancy dresses that are now old rags-hodgepodges just like the human soul. I have even supplied a little source history into the bargain by letting the weaker steal and repeat words of the stronger, letting them get ideas (suggestions as they are called) from one another, from the environment (the songbird's blood), and from objects (the razor). I have also arranged for Cedankenilbertragunel through an inanimate medium to take place (the count's boots, the servant's bell). And I have even made use of "waking suggestion" (a variation of hypnotic suggestion), which have by now been so popularized that they cannot arouse ridicule or scepticism as they would have done in Mesmer's time. I say Miss Julie is a modern character not because the nran-hating halfwoman has not always existed but because she has now been brought out into the open, has taken the stage, and is making noises. Victirn of a superstition 1 Teleuathv.
Page 1 and 2: DMICTHEORY ND CRITICISM Greeks to C
Page 3: t49-1912 ' a long time seemed to me
Page 7 and 8: ndinaia I rvoman, that stunted form
Page 9 and 10: naia August Strindberg >/l re highl
Page 11 and 12: dtndyta August Strindbery 577 bly i

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