Modern Hieratic Ideas about Theatre: Maurice Maeterlinck and Antonin Artaud

Abstract

THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION OF MAETERLINCK'S THOUGHT is by Antonin Artaud, who wrote an introduction to the publication of Maeterlinck's book of poetry Douze Chansons (by Stock) in 1923. The metaphor is significant. In 1902, Maeterlinck published a collection of essays entitled Le Temple enseveli, a title which refers to the author's predominant philosophical concern, namely the soul and its invisible realm. By employing this image to characterize Maeterlinck's thought, Artaud conjoins his predecessor's poetic, dramatic and discursive forms, and points to the creative process of a thought that has as its origin, center and goal, the unknown forces of life and death. The fact that Artaud wrote a penetrating and appreciative text on Maeterlinck in which he states that, "... Maeterlinck utilise certains procedes de pensee dont on ne remarque pas assez l'aclualite" (Artaud's emphasis, O.c. 213), poses first of all a challenge to modern criticism of Maeterlinck's work which has not been met. Secondly, this text with its specific hieratic metaphor invites a comparison between the ideas on theatre of the two playwrights-theoreticians, which, given Artaud's controversial, but seminal place within modern theatre, ought to reveal Maeterlinck's role as a precursor to an important trend in twentieth century drama. Since I see the image as descriptive of both authors' dramatic intention, I propose in this article to establish such a connection by taking my point of departure in the metaphorical temple.