Reigen

By Arthur Schnitzler

Book Overview

Hands Around Reigen: A Cycle of Ten Dialogues is a play written by Arthur Schnitzler, an Austrian playwright and novelist. The play consists of ten scenes, each depicting a sexual encounter between two characters who are connected to each other in some way. The characters are from different social classes and backgrounds, and their interactions reveal the hypocrisy and moral decay of Viennese society at the turn of the 20th century.The play is structured as a series of dialogues, with each scene ending with one character moving on to the next encounter. The characters include a soldier, a prostitute, a countess, a poet, a maid, a young gentleman, a married couple, and others. Each scene is set in a different location, ranging from a park to a hotel room to a private salon.Throughout the play, Schnitzler explores themes of love, desire, power, and social class. The characters' conversations reveal their innermost thoughts and desires, as well as their fears and insecurities. The play also critiques the moral standards of Viennese society, which is shown to be hypocritical and corrupt.Hands Around Reigen was first performed in 1920 and was immediately controversial due to its frank depiction of sexuality. The play has since become a classic of modernist literature and has been adapted into numerous films and stage productions. It is considered one of Schnitzler's most important works and a seminal work of modernist literature.POET: You bore me? . . . You haven't the faintest idea what you mean to me . . . You're a whole world in itself . . . You are divine, you are genius itself . . . You are . . . you are godly simplicity . . . Truly, you . . . But you shouldn't talk about Fritz now.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419144243
• ISBN13: 9781419144240
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Sexual tension sparkling in every page

A play for our times. Even though it was written more than 100 years ago, Arthur Schnitzler's `Hands Around' is still fresh and down to earth, when it comes to man-woman relationships that will lead to a sexual intercourse. Originally written in 1890s, this play was an instant scandal when first performed in 1920s. One can't help but wonders why. Don't wonder that much everything is there: sex is the main theme of this text. Yes, in this play people frankly talk about having sex for different reasons, such as money, love, power etc. This is what makes this text so timeless. A proof of this is that dramatist David Hare --who scripted the movie `The Hours'-- updated it and entitled as `The Blue Room', that brought together talents like Nicole Kidman and director Sam Mendes, to the London production.`Hands' is a cycle of 10 dialogues always featuring a man and a woman. One is trying to seduce the other, who, by different reasons, is trying to escape from the seducer. More than baring bodies with his words, Arthur Schnitzler --whose one of most famous work `Dream Story' was the base for Stanley Kubrick's `Eyes Wide Shut'-- bares people souls, and brings a lot of tension --mostly sexual-- to the stage. Most of this author works' deals with Love (sex) and Death and this play is no exception. Although very subtle sometimes, Schnitzler is not afraid of talking about dissimulation and the power that sex has over people, making them do things they would never do in other context. This play is a gem. Wonderfully written and with unforgettable characters. Nevertheless, it is not for everyone. Some people may be offended with so many invasions of our minds and souls.

The dance of lust

Arthur Schnitzler's play "Hands Around" was first published in 1897, but (according to the brief prefatory note in the Dover edition), its controversial nature prevented it from being performed until 1920. The Dover edition contains an English translation of the play."Hands Around" is a cycle of ten dialogues, each of which is linked to the previous and following dialogue through one or the other speaker. Thus, "The Girl of the Streets and the Soldier" is followed by "The Soldier and the Parlor-Maid," which is in turn followed by "The Parlor-Maid and the Young Man," etc. The couple in each dialogue is about to have, or has just had, a sexual encounter.Through his characters, the Vienna-born Schnitzler holds up a harsh mirror to the dishonesty, hypocrisy, and loneliness of life. There are some passages of truly dark cynicism. Consider this statement of "the Count" to "the Actress": "Happiness? There really is no such thing as happiness. All the things that people talk about most, don't exist... for instance, love."Schnitzler paints a rather bleak portrait of human nature. His characters' disturbing inner lives are ironically complemented by surroundings that are either sadly shabby or elegantly decadent. Overall, "Hands Around" is a fascinating, if uneven, work of European theater.

A wonderful short play on promiscuity

Though the last reveiw was good enough to compel me to read this play, the writer is a bit off. Hands Around involves 10 people who each have affairs with two lovers. Each scene involves the dialouge between the lovers before and after they have sex. It starts with the "girl of the streets", who has sex with a soldier, who forces himself upon the maid, who is suduced by the young man, etc. and ends with the girl of the streets... I found the play not only intruiging because of its bold approach torwards promiscuity but also because of the time it was written; 1890. It was only first publicly presented in the 20's and even then was condemed for the scandal it created. I read this in one sitting, first because it's short and you could easily finish it in under an hour, but also because I couldn't put it down. If this play is ever performed near where I live, I will have to see it. Everyone should have the privledge of enjoying this work and now that it's in dover-thirft editions you can get it for less than a what a sandwich might cost you.