Freitag, 2. 11. 06
[final version only:] Bei Shaw ’s „Frau Warren’s Gewerbe“ (Raimundtheater). 1 Ein ganz vortrefflich geführtes Stück, doch leider nur ein Tendenzstück, das ebenso gut eine Parlamentsrede, ein Feuilleton u. dgl. hätte werden können. Die Pointe: die bereits in Bildung erzogene Tochter begreift zwar den nationalökonomischen Zusammenhang von Geld, Schein, Gesellschaft, Heuchelei, also die Notwendigkeit des „Gewerbes“ u. des damit verknüpften Consequenzen u.s.w., nimmt aber Anstoß daran, daß ihre Mutter, weil über solche nationalökon. gut fundierte Duldung hinaus, an ihrem Gewerbe außerdem auch noch mit wirklicher Überzeugung festhält. Sieht die Tochter allenfalls ein notwendiges „Übel“ in der Sache, so will die Mutter dagegen das „Übel“ nicht zugeben. Weil es so ist, u. so sein muß, wessen sollte [sie] sich denn schämen, so meint die Mutter? 2 Dagegen nimmt das Gefühl der Tochter Anstand daran, daß die Mutter so schamlos. [‒] Wer könnte dieses Problem lösen? © Transcription Ian Bent, 2017 |
Friday, November 2, 1906
[final version only:] At Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession (Raimundtheater). 1 A thoroughly excellent, well executed play, though regrettably a play with an axe to grind that could just as well have been a parliamentary speech, a feuilleton, or suchlike. The gist of it is: the already highly educated daughter appreciates the political-economic relationship between money, outward appearance, society and dissimulation, hence the necessity for the "profession" and the consequences that flow from it, etc., but is scandalized by the fact that her mother, [who entered it] initially out of well-founded political-economic concerns, continues to cling to her profession with real conviction. If the daughter sees the matter as a necessary "evil" when the worst comes to the worst, the mother on the other hand will not admit to the "evil": since that is how it is and must be, what should [she] be ashamed of, then? ‒ so thinks her mother. 2 On the other hand, the daughter's feelings are offended that her mother is so shameless. ‒ Who could solve this problem? © Translation Ian Bent, 2017 |
Freitag, 2. 11. 06
[final version only:] Bei Shaw ’s „Frau Warren’s Gewerbe“ (Raimundtheater). 1 Ein ganz vortrefflich geführtes Stück, doch leider nur ein Tendenzstück, das ebenso gut eine Parlamentsrede, ein Feuilleton u. dgl. hätte werden können. Die Pointe: die bereits in Bildung erzogene Tochter begreift zwar den nationalökonomischen Zusammenhang von Geld, Schein, Gesellschaft, Heuchelei, also die Notwendigkeit des „Gewerbes“ u. des damit verknüpften Consequenzen u.s.w., nimmt aber Anstoß daran, daß ihre Mutter, weil über solche nationalökon. gut fundierte Duldung hinaus, an ihrem Gewerbe außerdem auch noch mit wirklicher Überzeugung festhält. Sieht die Tochter allenfalls ein notwendiges „Übel“ in der Sache, so will die Mutter dagegen das „Übel“ nicht zugeben. Weil es so ist, u. so sein muß, wessen sollte [sie] sich denn schämen, so meint die Mutter? 2 Dagegen nimmt das Gefühl der Tochter Anstand daran, daß die Mutter so schamlos. [‒] Wer könnte dieses Problem lösen? © Transcription Ian Bent, 2017 |
Friday, November 2, 1906
[final version only:] At Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession (Raimundtheater). 1 A thoroughly excellent, well executed play, though regrettably a play with an axe to grind that could just as well have been a parliamentary speech, a feuilleton, or suchlike. The gist of it is: the already highly educated daughter appreciates the political-economic relationship between money, outward appearance, society and dissimulation, hence the necessity for the "profession" and the consequences that flow from it, etc., but is scandalized by the fact that her mother, [who entered it] initially out of well-founded political-economic concerns, continues to cling to her profession with real conviction. If the daughter sees the matter as a necessary "evil" when the worst comes to the worst, the mother on the other hand will not admit to the "evil": since that is how it is and must be, what should [she] be ashamed of, then? ‒ so thinks her mother. 2 On the other hand, the daughter's feelings are offended that her mother is so shameless. ‒ Who could solve this problem? © Translation Ian Bent, 2017 |
Footnotes1 George Bernard Shaw's play Mrs. Warren's Profession (1902). The characters are: Mrs. Kitty Warren, Mr. Praed, Sir George Crofts, Rev. Samuel Gardner, Vivie Warren, and Frank Gardner. The play was given at the Raimundtheater on November 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 19. 2 Schenker first wrote "wessen sollte sich die Mutter schämen?" ("of what should her mother be ashamed?"), and then edited it to read "wessen sollte sich denn schämen, so meint die Mutter?" ("of what should [she] be ashamed, then? ‒ so thinks her mother."), which now lacks its subject. The mother, brought up in poverty in Deptford, started as a prostitute out of necessity, but has risen meanwhile to being the wealthy joint owner of a string of brothels and escort services throughout Europe. The daughter is Cambridge-educated and thinks her mother should have given up her "profession" once her daughter's education was complete. |