The Problem of the Actress in Modern German Theater and Thought

Reconstructs the constitutive role that German actresses played on and off the stage in shaping not only modernist theater aesthetics and performance practices, but also influential strains of modern thought.

Jackson S.E. :

S.E. JACKSON is Assistant Professor of German at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Anyone interested in modern theater and feminist studies will find both combined in Jackson's book. The book not only offers an in-depth analysis of the challenges and expectations actresses faced in German theater but could also serve as a basis for further discussions on gender, art, and culture.

Wer Interesse am modernen Theater und an feministischen Untersuchungen hat, findet diese vereint in Jacksons Buch. Das Buch bietet also nicht nur eine tiefgreifende Analyse von Herausforderungen und Erwartungen, denen Schauspielerinnen im deutschen Theater begegneten, sondern kann auch aufbauend für weitere Diskussionen über Geschlecht, Kunst und Kultur bedeutsam sein.

This compelling text is written in a clear and accessible style, making it appropriate for use with undergraduate students, yet what is most impressive is its attention to a wide range of genres and its relevance for a wide range of fields. In Jackson's book, there is truly something for everyone.

The Problem of the Actress is both focused and expansive... by focusing on the aesthetic, cultural, and social agency of the actresses, Jackson demonstrates how their lives and careers challenged the limitations not just of small-minded critics, but of otherwise path-breaking modernist playwrights.

The book is an important contribution not only to analyzing how gender relations have shaped German modernism but also to undoing that double standard in present-day scholarship by unearthing the hitherto obscured authorship of actresses like Gertrud Eysoldt (1870-1955) or Tilla Durieux (1880-1971)... [I]t will be an important resource for anyone working on modern German theater.