Product Description

First published for private circulation in Vienna in 1900, Arthur Schnitzler's famous play looks at the sexual morality and class ideology of his day through a series of sexual encounters between pairs of characters. When published publicly in 1903, it became an immediate best-seller, scandalized Viennese society, and a year later was censored. Schnitzler was accused of pornography and worse. In 1922 Freud wrote to him that you have learned through intuition-though actually as a result of sensitive introspection-everything that I have had to unearth by laborious work on other persons. By choosing characters across the social spectrum, La Ronde offers a powerful view of how sexual contact transgresses boundaries of class. Nicholas Rudall's new translation sensitively captures the language distinctions of the representative characters in the play while providing a remarkably playable script. New in the Plays for Performance series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1374508 in Books
• Published on: 1982-01-01
• Original language: German
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 108 pages

Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation)

About the Author
Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1930), the Austrian author and doctor, is probably best known for his plays 'La Ronde' and 'Liebelei'. His early years were marked by a particular interest in the emergent science of psychology and his writings anticipate Freud's psychopathological theories.

Stephen Unwin founded the English Touring Theatre in 1993.

Customer Reviews

important, in another time and place
The play is composed of 10 scenes, and the subtitle of the play is "ten dialogues". In Scene One, a prostitute and a soldier meet up and he attempts to seduce her. She arranges to meet him the next day, but they immediately have sex on a riverbank. His face is hidden. The soldier treats her callously. In Scene Two, our soldier is with a maid in a park, he seduces her and they have sex. Again, his face is hidden. He treats her like an animal. He moves on to the next woman.

In Scene Three, our maid is at the home of a young gentleman. The gentleman and the maid have sex, then the gentleman leaves. In Scene Four, the young gentleman and the young wife have sex. (she is married, but not to him....) He makes elaborate preparations before the encounter. They make a big deal of their relationship. She says that she loves him. They plan to meet again.

In Scene Five, our young wife and her husband are present. Husband tells the wife how hard it is to be a man, how sexual insecurity must be overcome before marriage (what a trial!). The wife challenges him on his double standard. She calms down and they have sex. He tells her everything she wants to hear. In Scene Six, the husband entertains the sweet young miss. In a dining room, no less. Of course, they have sex. The husband is challenged on another double standard. He wants to know if the lady is married, but she isn't supposed to have the same curiousity. He calms her, and she warms back up to him; they plan to do it again in a more private setting.

In Scene Seven, our sweet young miss is busy with a poet. The poet acts like an artistic type. They profess their mutual love. They have sex. He says that he is Biebitz, and he says that he's not. She doesn't care. They act like they are in love. They part. In Scene Eight, our poet is actively romancing an actress in a country inn. The actress is difficult; she makes the poet leave, call up to the window, then he returns to bed. She puzzles him with a riddle, then, in a shocking turn, they have sex. The actress and the poet then bicker about plays, acting, and performances.

In Scene Nine, our actress meets up with the Count, this in the actress' bedroom. The Count is a pompous braggart, but that doesn't stop them from having sex. They are both happy with it and decide to do it again. In the final scene, the count meets up with the girl of the streets (from scene one). He is sitting on the sofa; she is in bed. Apparently, they have already had sex. He acts as if he doesn't believe that he's done it. He tries to advise her on her career and way of life, then reflects that all women are after money. He decides that he likes the honest approach, and announces that he will return. As the count leaves, he and the maid trade greetings.

The playwright apparently was making fun of the Viennese sexual code of the day, which must have been a sort of "everyone does it, but no one talks about it" scene. He portrays a society of shallow narcissists, interested only in pleasure and the maintenance of appearances. Along the way, Schnitzler challenges several assumptions regarding sexual behavior and gender.

I suppose all this was scandalous and forward-thinking for early 20th century Vienna, but it's boring and predictable now. The dialogue of the play is often interesting, but it doesn't rise above interesting in most of the scenes.

'La Ronde' for Dummies:
Man: Hello. Come in to my small Parisian apartment overlooking the river.
Woman: I can't stay but a minute.
Man: Come closer...take off your corset.
Woman: You're pretty fresh, you are.
Man: A kiss!
Woman: Somebody might see!
Man: We can go somewhere private.
Woman: It's too far...my sister...
Man: Cognac?
Woman: I'm not thirsty.
Man: Stupid thing! My treasure!
Woman: You're tearing my chemise...oooh...
Man: I love you! Let's screw!
Woman: No! Oh, okay.

Later -

Man: (weeping)

Woman: What's your name again?