Rainer Maria Rilke's Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge: a theater of imagination

Palasvirta, Natalie S. (2004) Rainer Maria Rilke's Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge: a theater of imagination. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Rainer Maria Rilke's The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (1910) are viewed as a new kind of theater for the modern age. Through protagonist Malte's subjective imagination we witness sound and silence, visualize scenery and lighting, observe how costumes affect perception of character, and discover a connection between Malte's masks and masks in Greek theater. These technical aspects of theater, plus two special effects, support the premise of Malte as an actor. Learning to see opens him to empathize with others. Remembering the past helps Malte to understand his present and helps him discover the great human drama represented at Orange. From the St. Vitus Dancer, Malte learns how to play a role, which leads him through rehearsal for his part, the Prodigal Son. At last Malte comes to lerms with love, Abelone, and God, and finds a secure self behind a role on the world's stage.

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