Nonrealistic American Plays: Ties Between Continental and American Expressionistic Drama

Abstract

In order to establish a concrete basis for the frequently mentioned but superficially investigated ties between Continental and
American Expressionist drama, this study endeavors not only to examine the expressionistic elements in native plays but also to
determine the extent to which American playwrights were inspired by the works of Continental-chiefly German-Expressionists. This study
focuses on the nonrealistic dramaturgy of Georg Kaiser, Walter Hasenclever, and other Continental Expressionists, which inspired many
American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Elmer Rice, and John Howard Lawson. It shows their attempts to fuse
realistic and expressionistic elements into esthetically satisfying dramatic works and how American Expressionism has tended to follow
more the examples set by the German Expressionists than that by Strindberg, in whose "dream plays" the author's consciousness reigns
supreme. Moreover, most of the American Expressionist plays are tempered with realistic elements in the manner characteristic of
Georg Kaiser or Ernst Toller.