Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934

Judith Beniston

Welttheater
Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934

Judith Beniston

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Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1925), Austrian writer

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MHRA Texts and Dissertations 46

Bithell Series of Dissertations 23

W. S. Maney & Son Ltd for the Modern Humanities Research Association and the Institute of Germanic Studies

1 January 1998

ISBN: 978-1-839546-84-6 (Hosted on this website)

Open Access with doi: 10.59860/td.b05062a

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Hugo von Hofmannsthal had a lifelong fascination with the theatrum mundi topos. Judith Beniston analyses his changing responses to it against an unfamiliar backdrop - the revival of Catholic drama which, from the 1890s onwards, accompanied the rise of Austria’s Christian Social party. The solipsism of ‘Jung Wien’ and the conservative modernism of the Salzburg Festival are juxtaposed with the career of Richard von Kralik (1852-1934), the key figure in Austria’s Catholic literary culture from 1890 to 1934. This study offers close readings of Das kleine Welttheater and Das Salzburger große Welttheater, and explores the ramifications of the fascination with the notion of Welttheater which Hofmannsthal and Kralik shared. In juxtaposing elite and popular culture, Beniston sheds new light on a neglected aspect of Austrian cultural history, on the selectivity of Hofmannsthal’s approach towards Austria’s Baroque tradition, and on the difficulties he faced in his attempt to assimilate his own work into it.

This book, originally published in paperback in 1998 under the ISBN 978-0-901286-84-0, was made Open Access in 2025 as part of the MHRA Revivals programme.

Contents:

i-vii, 1-286	Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890–1934 Judith Beniston Complete volume as single PDF The complete text of this book.	Read

i-vii	Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890–1934 - Front Matter Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c15d361 Front cover, Contents and Acknowledgements.	Read Cite
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1-20	Chapter One: Welttheater in Context Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c26c79e Introduction - Variations on the Theatrum Mundi - Transformations of the Baroque.	Read Cite
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21-57	Chapter Two: The Self as Universe: Aesthetes, Artists, and Children Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c37bbe5 Childhood and Theatricality - Patterns of Development - Das kleine Welttheater	Read Cite
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58-88	Chapter Three: World Theatre after Wagner Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c48b02c Cultural Background: Crisis and Response - From 'Die Jungen' to 'Jung Wien' - Trends in Cosmic Drama.	Read Cite
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89-116	Chapter Four: Catholic Revival in the 1890s Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c59a40f The Leo-Gesellschaft - Weihnachtsspiel and Osterfestspiel - Calderón at the City Hall.	Read Cite
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117-56	Chapter Five: Popular Theatre and Mass Spectacle Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c6a9856 The Catholic Vereinsbühnen - Theatre in the Catholic Literary Dispute - Greek Drama and Arena Theatre on the Professional Stage - Hofmannsthal's Jedermann.	Read Cite
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157-99	Chapter Six: War and Cultural Conservatism Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c6c4a5d Patriotism and Propaganda - The Catholic Laienspiel Movement - Richard von Kralik: An Assessment.	Read Cite
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200-51	Chapter Seven: World Theatre in Salzburg Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c7bb41c Festival Planning - Das Salzburger große Welttheater.	Read Cite
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252-64	Chapter Eight: Conclusion Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c8ca863 Ausblick.	Read Cite
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265-86	Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890–1934 - End Matter Judith Beniston doi:10.59860/td.c15d360 Bibliography, Index and back cover.	Read Cite
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Bibliography entry:

Beniston, Judith, Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934, MHRA Texts and Dissertations, 46 (MHRA, 1998)

First footnote reference: ³⁵ Judith Beniston, Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934, MHRA Texts and Dissertations, 46 (MHRA, 1998), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: ³⁷ Beniston, p. 47.

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Cite this volume in MHRA author-date style

Bibliography entry:

Beniston, Judith. 1998. Welttheater: Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934, MHRA Texts and Dissertations, 46 (MHRA)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Beniston 1998: 21).

Example footnote reference: ³⁵ Beniston 1998: 21.

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This title was first published by W. S. Maney & Son Ltd for the Modern Humanities Research Association and the Institute of Germanic Studies but rights to it are now held by Modern Humanities Research Association and the Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies.

Permanent link to this title:

www.mhra.org.uk/publications/Welttheater
www.mhra.org.uk/publications/td-46

Welttheater Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934

Judith Beniston

Welttheater
Hofmannsthal, Richard von Kralik, and the Revival of Catholic Drama in Austria, 1890-1934