John the Baptist: A Play

Hermann SudermannProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 135K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.John the Baptist: A Play by Hermann SudermannAuthor: Sudermann, Hermann, 1857-1928,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Nov 20, 2010

Editor's review

Hermann Sudermann's John the Baptist: A Play is a drama on the subject of John the Baptist, belonging to the vein in his dramatic work that engages the conflict between religion and human nature. It does not settle for retelling the biblical narrative; instead it places the prophet within the tensions of power, desire and faith, and uses stage dialogue to explore conscience, judgment and redemption. For Chinese readers, the value of this play lies in the window it offers onto how late nineteenth-century German-language drama rewrote religious figures: psychology is magnified, and conflict is concentrated more on the individual versus authority. It is best read as a literary drama rather than a theological treatise, with attention to scene arrangement, character speech and dramatic irony. As a public-domain ebook, the edition is easy to search and cite, making it suitable for selected reading or comparative study by readers with intersecting interests in theatre history, German literature and religious studies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in German-language drama and late nineteenth-century literature
Students and teachers studying the literary rewriting of religious figures
Those needing a public-domain English play text for selected reading or staging reference
Readers who enjoy dialogue-driven plays of intellectual conflict

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous biblical exegesis or theological argument
Those who want only light plotting and prefer to avoid religious themes
Beginners unaccustomed to the play form and stage dialogue

Reading tips

Begin with the cast list and scene structure, and clarify the lines of conflict among John, the powerful and the crowd.
Read key dialogue aloud to feel the stage rhythm and the tone of the characters' voices.
Compare with the biblical accounts of John the Baptist, marking where the author adds, cuts and psychologizes.
For research, note how religious themes are transformed into conflicts of power and conscience.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this play follow the biblical story of John the Baptist strictly?

It draws on John the Baptist, but as a dramatic work it literary reworks character psychology and conflict rather than retelling the Bible verse by verse. Readers may treat it as a literary work using a religious figure as material, focusing on how the author arranges dialogue, scenes and relationships, without demanding that it meet exegetical standards.

Can I understand this play without knowing the Bible background?

It can be read, but familiarity with the basic accounts of John the Baptist will make it smoother. It is advisable to spend a little time first getting the outline of the relevant figures and events before entering the play; focus on the characters' choices between power and faith, and even without theological detail you can grasp the dramatic conflict.

Where should the reading focus be placed in Sudermann's play?

Focus on how the dialogue stages the pull between conscience and power, how the scenes advance the conflict, and the psychological rewriting the author performs on the religious figure. For research, also note the play's didactic tone and stage directions, understanding them within the context of late nineteenth-century German-language drama.

Is the public-domain electronic edition suitable for staging?

It can serve as a base text, but staging also requires considering the translation's language style, scene lengths and stage feasibility. It is advisable to read the whole play first for cuts and character analysis, then check the completeness of the public-domain edition; for formal performance, copyright and adaptation permissions should be confirmed separately.

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About the author

Hermann Sudermann Author · German · 1857–1928

Hermann Sudermann (1857–1928) was a German writer and a leading representative of German Naturalism, born in Matzicken, East Prussia, and died in Berlin. He worked early in life as a tutor and journalist, and rose to fame in 1887 with the novel Dame Care. His plays Honour and Heimat (translated into English as Magda) won acclaim throughout Europe, and he also wrote The Cat's Bridge and Lithuanian Stories. His work spans fiction and drama, focusing on social reality and individual destiny with a realistic style and dramatic intensity. The library holds nineteen of his works, including The Undying Past, Magda: A Play in Four Acts, The Song of Songs, Dame Care, The Silent Mill, and Roses: Four One-Act Plays, commonly classified under inspirational growth.