Preface to Miss Julie - Yavanika

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568 Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Scandinavia (one that has seized even stronger minds)- that rvoman' that stunted form of }ru*"n being, standing *itft ma'n, the lord of creation' the creator of culture' is meant to be the equal of man or could ever possibly-be'.she involves herselfinanabsurdstrugglewithhiminwhichshefalls.Absurdbecausea stunted form, subiect #tne laws of propagation' will alwavs be born stunted andcannevercatchupwiththeone*1.'ohasthelead.Asfollorvs:A(the n-ran) and B (the *o.i",,; start from-th:-t1-" poin] C' A w]th,a speed of i"iui ,ry 100 and B with a speed of 60.vhen will Be overtake A? Answer: never. Neither rvith the help of equal education or equal voting rights-nor bv universal disarmament and temperance societies-any more than two oarallel lines can never meet. The half-rvoman is a t1,pe that forces itself on ffi*" ;iiil;i;J fo, po*"., medats, recognition, diplomas, ".r for*.t]I,]: sold itself foi money. If represents degeneration. It is not a strong sPecles for it cloes not rnaintain itself, but uniortunately it propagates its misery in thefo]lowinggeneration.Degeneratemenunconsciouslvselect-theirmates iro- "*o.,itil"s" h"lf-."o-Jt" so that thev breed and spread' producing creatures of indeterminate sex to u,hom life ii a torture, but who fortunately are overcom. .u..t,u"lt,' either by a hostile realitv, o1 by uncontrolled -the b.""ki.,g loose of their iepressed instincts, or else b1, their frustration in not being able to compete *iit, tt e male sex. It is a tragic tvpe, oftering us the speciacle of a desperate fight against nature; a tragic legacy -of.romanticism iil"t is now being dissipaied bi naturalism-a movement u'hich seeks onlv ;;i;.;t, and fo"r that strong and healthv species at9.Lesu1ted'. But Miss |ulie is also a vestlge of the old warrior nobilitv that is now being superseded bv a neu'nobilittlof netve and brain' She is a victirn of the disorder produced within a farnill' b'v a mother's "crinte"' of the mistakes of awholegenerationgonewlong'ofci,cumstances,ofher.owndefectivecon. stitution-all of which put togliher is equivalento the fate or universalaw of the ancients. The .,Jtur"lii, have banished guilt along with God, but the .o.tr"qu.n".s of the act-punishment, imprisonment' or the fear of it-cannotbebanishedro,tt'.si*plereasonthatthevrenrainrvhetherornotthe naturalist dismisses the case irom his court. Those sitting on the sidelines can easilv afiord to be lenient; but what of the injured parties? And even if her ;;,h;t;;."*p"'"a to io'go taking his revenge' Miss |ulie take veng"r.r." o.t herseif, as she dJes in th! play, because of that inherited or ar:- 1vguld !"ir"a sense of honor that has been transmitted to the upper classes fromrvell, where does it come from? From the "g: o.f barbarism' from the first Ary"nr, from the chivalry of the l\4iddle Ages' And uery code it was' but i l": now inimical to the suro.iual of the .ace. Iiis the aristocrat's form of hara-kiri' a law of conscience that bids the fapanese to slice his own stomach when someone else dishonors hirn rn" same^sort of thing surviveq slightly modified, in that exclusive prerogative of the aristocracv, thJ duel' (Example: the husband challenges his wife's'lover to a duel; the lover shoots the husband and runs off
ndinaia I rvoman, that stunted form of :reation, the creator of culture, r possibly be, she involves herh she falls. Absurd because a rn, will always be born stunted s the lead. As follorvs: A (the re point C, A rvith a speed of n will Be overtake A? Answer: on or equal voting rights-nor ;ocieties-anv more than two r is a type that forces itself on ition, diplomas, as formerly it on. It is not a strong species .ely it propagates its misery in rconsciouslv select their mates breed and spread, producing a torture, but who fortunately 'ealitv, or by the uncontrolled :lse by their frustration in not ; a tragic type, offering us the r tragic legacy of romanticism r movement r.vhich seeks only ecies are required. rrior nobilitv that is now being brain. She is a victirn of the r's "crime," of the mistakes of ces, of her own defective connt to the fate or universalaw guilt along with God, but the nment, or the fear of it-caney remain rvhether or not the ose sitting on the sidelines can iured parties? And even if her rge, Miss fulie would take ven- :cause of that inherited or ar:- ed to the upper classes frome of barbarism, from the first \nd a very fine code it was, bu[ te aristocrat's form of hara-kiri, :e his own stomach when someg survives, slightly modified, in : duel. (Example: the husband roots the husband and runs off August Strindberg 569 with the wife. Result: the husband has saved his honor but lost his wife.) Hence the servant fean lives on; but not Miss |ulie, r,vho cannot live without honor. The advantage that the slave has over his master is that he has not committed himself to this defeatist pnnciple. In all of us Aryans there is enough of the nobleman, or of the Don Quixote, to make us sympathize r,vith the man who takes his oivn life after having dishonored hiniself by shameful deeds. And we are all of us aristocrats enough to be distressed at the sight of a a great man lying like a dead hulk ready for the scrap pile, even, I suppose, if he were to raise hirnself up again and redeern himself by honorable deeds. The servant fean is the beginning of a new species in which noticeable differentiation has already taken place. He began as the child of a poor worker and is norv evolving through self-education into a future gentleman of the upper classes. He is quick to learn, has highly developed senses (smell, taste, sight), and a keen appreciation of beauty. He l-ras already come up in the world, for he is strong enough not to hesitate to n.rake use of other people. He is already a stranger to his old friends, wl.rom he despises as reminders of past stages in his development, and whom he fears and avoids because they know his secrets, guess his intentions, look lvith envy on his rise and in joyful expectation torvard his fall. Hence his character is unformed and divided. He wavers betrveen an admiration of high positions and a hatred of the men who occupv them. He is an aristocrat-he says so himself-familiar with the ins and outs of good society. He is polished on the outside, but coarse underneath. He wears liis frock coat with elegance but gives no assurance that he keeps his body clean. He respects Miss fulie but he is afraid of Christine, for she knorvs his innermost secrets. Yet he is sufficiently hard-hearted not to let the events of the night upset his plans for the future. Possessing both the coarseness of the slave and the toughmindedness of the born ruler, he can look at blood without fainting, shake off bad luck like water, and take calamity by the horns. Consequently he will escape from the battle unwounded, probably ending up as proprietor of a hotel. And if he himself does not get to be a Rumanian count, his son will doubtless go to college and possibly end up as a government official. Now his observations about life as the lorver classes see it, from below, are well worth listening to-that is, they are whenever he is telling the truth, which is not too often, because he is more likely to say what is advantageous to him than what is true. When Miss fulie supposes that everyone in the lower classes must feel greatly oppressed by the weight of the classes above, fean naturally agrees with her since he wants to win her sympathy. But he prornptly takes it all back when he finds it advisible to separate himself from the mob. Apart from the fact that |ean is coming up in the world, he is also superior to Miss fulie in that he is a man. In the sexual sphere, he is the
Page 1 and 2: DMICTHEORY ND CRITICISM Greeks to C
Page 3 and 4: t49-1912 ' a long time seemed to me
Page 5: ,.dinaia August Strindbery 567 :r,
Page 9 and 10: naia August Strindberg >/l re highl
Page 11 and 12: dtndyta August Strindbery 577 bly i

Preface to Miss Julie - Yavanika

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