Franz Grillparzer was not a man of extravagance either in phrase or conduct. His life as an individual and artist is marked by a reticence, an aversion to the unveiling of the inner SOul,1 that is perhaps best matched by the concise style and expression of his works. This art of effective restraint is particularly visible in the dramas where often a single word or indeed an utter silence carries the greatest emotional impact. There is an absolute lack of sound and fury signifying nothing; even in the frenzy of inspiration 2 Grillparzer carefully chooses words that best convey his thoughts and for purely emotional release he turns to another medium which he sharply distinguished from poetry: to music. If this poet then who knows no empty phrases applies terms like 'betrothed of the gods',3 'mother of all greatness',4 'mighty 5 lever of the universe', 'messenger of divine happiness'6 to one and the same concept at different times, we may assume that he here expresses something deeply anchored in his being. And indeed, the motif of concentration ('Sammlung') and inspiration ('Begeisterung') is one that we meet again and again in the poetry, the diaries and the dramas. This emotional state is at all times highly revered and greatly sought by the poet - it is, in fact, made a condition of creative productivity and, as the years pass, finally develops into a condition of life itself in the prophecy of 'Libussa'.

In this first comprehensive survey of criticism on Grillparzer, Dr. Roe highlights the main areas of critical debate and provides a chronological account of the major trends and developments: through periods of misunderstanding and neglect or of political appropriation in the cause of Nazism or Austrian nationalism, and through recent decades dominated by various schools of thought, whether sociological or psychoanalytical. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of Austrian and European literature, Austrian culture, and literary theory and criticism.

Figuring the Female explores language as a cultural document for an intervention into the ways that female alterity is framed in the ancient world. Grillparzer creates a new way of being that is primarily discursive in which the once unintelligible female figure may be known and heard.

In Grillparzer's Libussa William Reeve provides an important interpretation of a work that has received little detailed attention from European and American critics. The play has been dealt with in a broader context in numerous monograph-length overviews or introductions to Grillparzer, but this is the first time that it has received the careful consideration it deserves.

This work provides a general survey with the main emphasis on the thematic and dramatic content of the plays (genesis and background, structure, characters, major themes), as well as questions of language, style and imagery, especially where these contribute to the play's theatrical effectiveness. This work's most important contribution to scholarship is the investigation of Grillparzer's interest in the Classical generation of writers, reflected in almost all his works, either in the form of a debt to a particular work or in the echoing of key philosophical themes of the period. Grillparzer's mature works reveal an interest in high ideals on the one hand and a recognition of the demands of everyday reality on the other, while the formal precision of Classical drama is enriched by a theatrical immediacy in keeping with Viennese traditions. This combination reflects the conflicts in Grillparzer's own personality and results in a considerable degree of ambiguity in the presentation of characters and themes, but it is precisely such a rejection of easy solutions in his works that ensures their relevance for a modern audience.

The purpose of this study is to report the reactions and criticism of those German, Swiss, and Austrian authors who commented on Les sing's Emilia Galotti from the time of its creation to the twentieth century and to note the various degrees to which it influenced writers of different personal and literary bent. It will be seen that the repre sentatives of a given literary trend, although regarding the play primarily in the light of their own ideals, were not necessarily in accord with one another over certain of its aspects. Emilia Galotti is especially suited to this kind of investigation because it took form in an age when interest in principles of dramatic composition was particularly intense, and because it was written by a figure who was perhaps most influential in the discussions centering on them. Emilia Galotti further lends itself to this study because, despite the fact that it has remained an extremely enigmatic work, it was and continues to be a highly popular play, having been. translated into at least twelve foreign languages and having also had an overture written in its honor.