Home >> Austrian Studies, Volume 16, Number 1

Indigenous and Imported Elements in Late-Nineteenth-Century Viennese Theatre: the Theater in der Josefstadt from Gründerzeit to Jahrhundertwende

Author: Linhardt, Marion

Source: Austrian Studies, Volume 16, Number 1, 1 December 2008 , pp. 69-86(18)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract:

In the last third of the nineteenth century, the Theater in der Josefstadt attracted attention less because of its artistic achievements than because of its almost constant financial crises. Although it was one of Vienna's least prestigious theatres during that period, it lends itself particularly well to an exploration of the relationship between tradition and modernity. If one compares the Theater in der Josefstadt with other Viennese theatres and with the city's newer entertainment establishments, it becomes clear that definitions of `tradition' and `modernity' were directly associated with the distinction made between indigenous and imported elements at the time. This article investigates how these pairs of terms interacted from c. 1860, when Johann Hoffmann was running the Theater in der Josefstadt, through to 1899, when it was taken over by Josef Jarno.

German
Obwohl das Theater in der Josefstadt im letzten Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts weniger durch sein künstlerisches Angebot als durch nahezu permanente wirtschaftliche Krisen von sich reden machte und im Gefüge der Wiener Theater auf einem unteren Platz rangierte, eignet es sich in besonderer Weise dazu, das Verhältnis von `tradition' und `Moderne' zu diskutieren. Blickt man von dieser Bühne auf die übrigen Theater Wiens und auf die neuen großstädtischen Vergnügungsetablissements, so wird deutlich, dass die Vorstellungen von `Tradition' und `Moderne' unmittelbar verbunden waren mit der Frage nach `Eigenem' und `Fremdem'. Der Beitrag verfolgt dieses Wechselspiel von der Direktion Johann Hoffmanns um 1860 bis zur Übernahme des Theaters durch Josef Jarno 1899.
More about this publication?
  • Austrian Studies is an annual journal reflecting sustained interest in the distinctive cultural traditions of the Habsburg Empire and the Austrian Republic. By publishing a wide range of articles in English, together with a selection of book reviews, it aims to make recent research accessible to a broadly based international readership.

    The focus is on Austrian culture from 1750 to the present. Literature is considered in relation to psychology, philosophy, political theory, music, theatre, film, and the visual arts. 'Austrian' includes German-language culture of former areas of the Habsburg Empire, such as Prague and the Bukovina, as well as the work of people of Austrian origin living abroad. Austrian interactions with other linguistic and ethnic groups -- the Jewish communities of Austria-Hungary, for example -- are also taken into account.

    Each volume of Austrian Studies has a coherent but broadly conceived theme, and reviews of the most important recent publications in the field of Austrian studies. Each volume also includes a number of substantial review essays devoted either to keeping readers up to date with major cultural debates and events, or to areas of scholarship in which activity has been particularly intense.
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