Miss JulieIn Miss Julie, a willful young aristocrat, whose perverse nature has already driven her fiancé to break off their engagement, pursues and effectively seduces her father's valet during the course of a Midsummer's Eve celebration. The progress of that seduction and the play's stunning denouement shocked Swedish audiences who first attended the play in 1889. Despite its controversial debut, this now-classic drama, inspired by the new ideas of naturalism and psychology that swept Europe in the late 19th century, helped to shape modern theater, and remains one of the most potent-and most frequently performed-of modern plays. The full text of Miss Julie is reprinted here as translated by Edwin Björkman, complete with Strindberg's critical preface to the play, considered by many to be one of the most important manifestos in theater history. |
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Common terms and phrases
actors Anton Chekhov anyhow arms August Strindberg become believe bell better Bob Blaisdell boots bottle chopping-block CHRISTINE cook count course dance door dream drink Edited by Bob Edited by James Eugene O'Neill everything eyes face father feel flowers Frederick Douglass girl give glass go to bed happened hate heard Henrik Ibsen Henry David Thoreau honour illusion James Daley JEAN JULIE goes kind kitchen Lake Como lilac listen live look MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE Midsummer Eve Miss Julie mistress Molière monologue mother never night OLAUDAH EQUIANO once play puts razor rings scene scoundrel seen sick slave sleep Sojourner Truth soul speak spectators SPEECHES stage stand stay stove table-drawer talk tell theatre thing thought tired tragedy treederee-derah Treederee-derallah Treederee-derallah-lah valet What's William Shakespeare wine WIT AND WISDOM woman young lady