Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Der Besuch der alten Dame [The Visit]

Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.2: German-language Writing and Culture: Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, 800-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1956

Places

Switzerland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

When Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote his “tragische Komödie” (tragic comedy) Der Besuch der alten Dame [The Visit, 1956], he had already tested his innovative concept of tragicomedy in the previous play, Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi [The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi, 1952], an “open” parable in the Brechtian tradition, witty and brimming with puns and grotesque effects, meant to challenge his audience to re-think reality along the lines of an anti-mimetic counter-conception to the miserable real world of Cold War and ideological strife. In his Theaterprobleme [Problems of the Theater, 1955], written immediately before The Visit, he provided the theoretical foundations of his …

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2026 words

Citation: Knapp, Gerhard P.. "Der Besuch der alten Dame". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 August 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15455, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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