Book Description
The mortal conflict of the sexes, traced here by Strindberg in the clash between an aristocratic young woman and her valet. Plays for Performance Series.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Swedish


The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
Full-length drama in one act by August Strindberg, published in Swedish as Froken Julie in 1888 and performed in 1889. Also translated into English as Countess Julie and Lady Julie, the play substitutes such interludes as a peasant dance and a pantomime for the conventional divisions of acts, scenes, and intermissions. Julie, an aristocratic young woman, has a brief affair with Jean, her father's valet. After the sexual thrill has dissipated, they realize that they have little or nothing in common. Strindberg portrays Julie as a decaying aristocrat whose era has passed and Jean as an opportunistic social climber to whom the future beckons.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One of the greatest classics of modern theater—the fateful drama of a willful young aristocrat’s seduction of her father’s valet during a Midsummer’s Eve celebration. Inspired by the new ideas of naturalism and psychology that swept Europe in the late 19th century, the play is reprinted here from an authoritative edition complete with Strindberg’s critical preface, considered by many one of the most important manifestos in theater history.

SYNOPSIS