Such a play might make a great
first-night success; but the more the author relied upon the mystery for
his effect, the more fatally would that effect be discounted at each
successive repetition.
One author of distinction, M. Hervieu, has actually made the experiment
of presenting an enigma--he calls the play _L'Enigme_--and reserving the
solution to the very end. We know from the outset that one of two
sisters-in-law is unfaithful to her husband, and the question is--which?
The whole ingenuity of the author is centred on keeping the secret, and
the spectator who does not know it in advance is all the time in the
attitude of a detective questing for clues. He is challenged to guess
which of the ladies is the frail one; and he is far too intent on this
game to think or care about the emotional process of the play. I myself
(I remember) guessed right, mainly because the name Giselle seemed to me
more suggestive of flightiness than the staid and sober Leonore,
wherefore I suspected that M.
Pages:
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419