Book Review. Russell DiNapoli. The Elusive Prominence of Maxwell Anderson's Works in the American Theater [Reseña]

Rel'is a de Eswdios No eame icanos. 11. º 9 (2 003 ). pp. 135 - 141 BOOK REVIEWS RUSSELL D1NAPOLI. The El11si e P omi11e11ce < ~ Maxwell Ande son 's Wo ks in he Ame ic<111 Thea e . Va lencia: U. de Valencia, 2002. The Uni e si a de Valcnc ia 's «B iblio ec a Ja ie Coy d'es u dis nonl- amc icans» appca s o be a new ou le o Spanish Ame icanis s. i s e y namc paying homagc o one o ou mos dis inguished ep escn a i es. A ecen! i le in hc collec ion is Rus se ll DiNapoli's The Elusi e P omine11ce <~ Maxw ell Ande so11 's Wo ks in he Ame ica11 Thea e . In o ma i e. eadable and supe bly documen ed. i co ns ilu es he i s impo an s udy o Maxwell Ande son e e publishcd in Spain. I con css I was one o hose -alluded by Di Napoli- whose acquain ance wi h And e son's wo k was limi ed, ha ing ound him mo e o en men ioned in pa ssing e e en ces han discussed in d ep h. Maxwe ll Ande son is ce ai nl y no e y popul a wi h modc n audicnccs and qui e neglec ed by mos c i ics. Nonc heless, he ac ha he is always induded among he mas e s o Ame ican d ama and acknowledged as a subs an ial d ama is had always exci ed my cu iosi y. DiNapoli 's wo k p o es an cxccllen in oduc ion o his in e es in g albei con o e sia! playw igh and his ini ial adm i ssion ha he « ou nd his [ Ande son 's ] p lays accep able. bu no g ea . Undoub edly Ande so n was a c a sman a w i ing plays. Bu g ea ness en ails a mo e han ju s skill» ( 1 4) was o me an inducemen o eading as I ook i as an ou igh challen ge o a a h e se iew. Th c book has ou sec ions o chap e s. In he i s one, «D ama in he Uni ed S a es om he Beginnings o he Second Wo ld Wa », DiNapo li o e s a pano amic ske ch o he his o y o Ame ican d ama. om i s co lonial beginnings o Wo ld Wa II. Ob iously, he accoun o he las decades is mo e de ailed, his being hc pc iod when Ande son 's many wo ks we e p oduced. Though his his o y is pleasan o ead, i will p obably say li le o h e expe ; mo eo e , as he e is no poin ha DiNapo li ies o make and his ske ch has no ele ance o hc la c di sc u ss ion o Ande son, i a he de la ys he handling o cen al poin s and co uld ha e bee n done wi hou . Th c second chap c , «Maxwell Ande son's Plays: A C i ica! O e iew», aces a his o y o Ande son's d ama and i s c i ica] ecep ion. In sec ion h ee. disconce ingly en i led « T aces o Ana chism», D iNapoli analyzes he way Ande so n 's shi ing ideological p os i i on(s) caused ange . eluc ance o ake him se iou sly o . om he i ies on, sh ee indi e c nce owa d s hi s wo k. DiNapo li 136 Rook Re iews examines he playw igh s ideological s ance and i s p oblema ic delinea ion, as well as h c uniqueness o a w i e who, by managing o a li cna e Righ is s, Le is s, Communis s and nea ly e c yonc clse, was sen enced o a long os acism. no well o e . I he book had ended a e chap e h ee. one would cel a ce ain oundness in i and he ce ain y ha i had p o ed o shown wha i se ou o p o e o show; he eal signi icance o in e es o wha e e ha is would emain open o discussion. Howe e , DiNapoli's s ud y goes on. The e is a ch ap e ou . and his is, in my opinion, hc one ha p esen s his mos o iginal con ibu ion o Ande son 's c i icism. Howe e , I belie e ha he ma e ial deal wi h in his chap e dese es an independen book and no simply a so11 o disconce ing a e wo d in a wo k which is eally dedica ed -as e idenced by he i le- o an al oge he di e en subjec . No ma e how eebly and uncon incingly DiNapoli ies o connec bo h a so ne poin . hei en o ced symbiosis emains puzzling. Ce ainly DiNapoli's majo con ibu ion o Ande sonian c i icism is no he disco e y o hc elusi e p ominence o his wo ks in he Ame ican hea e -disco c e d long ago- bu ha o Ande son 's o iginal concep ion o agedy, whi ch sees i es ing on « he dyadic associa ion o an abs ae! he o wi h wo con as ing p o agonis s» (93). I s ill oil o unde s and why he book was no a icula ed a o und his disco e y, which would mo eo e possibili a e a c i ica! eassessmen o he Ande sonian canon, as hin ed by DiNapoli .1 Bu as ny du y is no only o sing he p aises o DiNa poli's o he wise exce ll en wo k. I e el I should poin ou so ne o he sho comings I pe cei ed. Fo ins ance. a poin s he au ho ial oice ge s los . To a ce ain ex en , his is u nde s a ndable as chap e s 1 o 3 a e abou Ande son 's c i ica! ecep ion and he chooses o s and asíde in o de o Je us hea he opinions o c i ícs and e iewe s. Bu o me his, mo e han a jus i ica ion. is u he p oo ha chap e 4 - whe e his oice is mo e loudly hea d- should ha e been he cen c o he wo k and no í s las chap e . In his sense, I wo nde whe he i was cally necessa y o ha e di ec access o so ma ny c i ica] oiccs -pa icula ly wh en a e so ne pagcs I s a ed ha ing he eeling ha I was eading wha I had jus ead o e en had ead se e a! imes be o e- o whe hc i would ha e been bc e o skip sume u h em and o e usa me e accoun u majo ends in Ande sonian c í icism and assessmen , alluding o di ec sou ces in pa en he ical ci a i ons o wi h oo no es i so ne u hc explana ion we e equi ed. As we absolu ely belie e DiNapo li has no in en ed his conclusions bu de i ed hem om eliable sou ces , we p obably p e e o gi e ou ime ami a en ion o his conclusions a hc han o his sou ces. O co u se I'm no sugges ing hei elimina ion, as hei p esence is essen ial o e en ual checking o a mo e in-dep h app oa ch bu no necessa ily wí h such p ominence. Ce ainly I miss oo no es in he olume, no l. N one heless. 1 eel he e is a ce ain nai c e in DiNapoli's bclie ha he dis n e y o a new c i ica] c:a ego y. alid o so ne o Ande son"s wo ks. will c awaken in c es in he d am a is and esul in a csh and cnhanced app ecia ion o his plays by p o duc:c s. edi o s and h ea i c:al audiences a la ge. Book Re .. ie 1 s 13 7 because o any special ondness bu because hey cou ld ha e been used o accommoda e all hose i esome de ails and ac s ha DiNapoli inco po a es in o he body o he ex and which end up ge ing in hc way o a smoo h ea<ling and p e cn ing you om ollowing he main a gumcn a ion.2 Cu iously cnough in a olume so s u ed wi h a c s, 1 was su p ised a no inding an index o quick c e ence. which would ha e been o g ea help in a book which is -c hap e 4 excep ed- pe haps mos usc ul as e e ence. Also, so ne u he edi o ial wo k in o de o a oid y po g aphical mis akes would ha e been nee de d. Espccially in chap e h ee he e a e se e a! quo a ions o w hi ch no e e ence is supplied. Apa om hesc mino e o s, he wo k con sis en ly main ains a high s anda d o schola ship. as e idenced by i s excellen bibliog aphical sec ion. Thc e a e a couple o s a emen s ha need cla i ica ion. The con en ion ha «[ p] io o Wo ld Wa I, ealism in Eu ope had los g ound o he exp essionism o d ama is s like Tolle , S indbe g. Wedekind, and B ech » (32) has o be e o nula ed as B ech 's i s plays we e ac ually no p oduced un il he ea ly we nli es. Also, he asse ion ha a un o a hund ed pe o mances o Hwnle was « he longes playing cngagemen e e o Shakespea e's b ooding agedy» (20) needs speci ica ion as i is ha d o be lic e ha he longcs un o Shakcspea e's play could be one o jus 100 pe o mances, e en i ha could ha e becn ou s anding in a pa icula con ex . l would ha e abo been mo e cla i ying had he au ho gi en in pa en hescs hc yea when each play was i s p oduced ins cad o he da e o pub li ca ion o he cdi ion includcd in Wo ks Ci ed . The aus c i y and sob ie y o he edi ion -usual ea u es in he ou p u o uni e si y p esscs- p obably accoun s o he absence o i ll us a ions , hough a imes i would ha e been help u l o isualize spcc i ic p oduc ions o Ande son 's plays. Un o una el y, DiNapoli's olume <loe s no lis o he i les in he «Biblio eca Ja ie Coy d 'es udis no d-ame i cans» collec ion. I would ha e been g ea ly in e es cd o know, cspecially i ali o h em a e o hc quali y o DiNapoli's. As I see i , his has he unin cnded e ecl o encou aging you o ush o o h e i ems in he se ies and is , all in all. a e y se ious a ncl honcs cndea ou and a ema kable a emp a opcning new a cnues o acadcmic inqui y. RAMÓN ESPEJO ROMERO Uni e sidad de Se illa DAVID Rio RA GAD S. Robe Laxal : la o::: de los ascos e11 la li e a u a no eame i- cmw. n. p .: Uni e sidad del País Va sco, 2002. Nowadays, i seems u nd eniable ha one o he heal hics conse qu ences o he «Canon wa s» o hc l 980s has been he di sco e y o a signi ican numbe o au ho s 2. Excep ionally con using a e DiNapoli n ü an e c enc es o he dozens o plays w i en hy Ande son. 138 Book R e iews who had b e : n neglec ed o a long ime. As a cs ul . he li c a y canon o he Un i ed S a es has u ned no only mul icul u al, bu also mo e di e se a nd appealing. O e he pas ew yca s. Da id Rí o Raigadas has become he ocal o ce in acing h c Jegacy o he Ba sque-Ame ican mino i y in U. S. li e a u e ami. o una cly, his many e o s ha e inally c ys alized in a majo c i ica! wo k which upcns innume able pa hs o u u e esea ch on hi s ascina ing ield. Rob c Laxal -who dicd on Ma ch 23, 2001-has ound a knowledgcab le in e p e e o hc six een wo ks he lc behind, se e a] o whic h we e nomina ed o he Puli z e P ize. By he i me o his dea h, Laxal had long becn hailcd as ' he o i ce' o he Bu sque-Ame ican ex p e iencc. cxplo ing h e a e o he huusands who mi g a e d o he Uni ed S a es mos ly o econom ic casons and o e n se led in Ne ada as shephe ds. This book o e s a comp ehensi e s udy o how he image o bo h Bu sques and Basque-Ame icans un olds in many o La xal 's wo ks. Sincc Laxal s i ll emains a !a gel y unknown igu e in hc Ba sque Coun y and he es o Spain. Da id Río s a s by o e ing a de ai led biog aphical s udy o he w i c 's li c: he pays sp :cial a en ion o he social. economic. and e hnic ac o s ha mo i a ed his pa cn s' mig a ing o hc Uni ed S a es in he ea ly wen ie h cen u y, whe e hey me and ma icd. Bo n in Cali o nia in 1923. R obe Laxal spen mos o his liF e in Ne ada. whe e his b o hc Paul e en ually heco ne i s se na o and hen go e no in 1966, hus ea i ming hc suc cess ul adap a ion o so ne Basqu e- Ame icans in he «land o oppo uni ies». As Rí o Raigad as ap ly dem ons a es. m os o La xa l 's ic ional and non- ic ional ex s e ge on h c au obiog aphical, dealing wi h he di icul p ocess bo h he and his pa cn s had o endu e in o de o su i e in a social and e hnic en i onm en ha some imes me he Basques wi h indi e ence and c en hos i li y. His main wo k, Sll'ee P omised L and, published in 1957 o c i ica! accla im. has been co nside ed by William Douglass as ' he classic' li e a y ex o hc Basque diaspo a. On he one hand i sc u inizes he nig a o y expe ience o Laxal "s own a he , and on he o he he ip ho h o hcm oo k in 1953 o hei homeland. which ascina ed he a is so much ha he would e u n a numb e o im es in he ollowing dccades. Swee P omi.1·ed Land se om h e b eg inning many o he dis inc i e ea u es o he au ho "s li e a y uni e se: emphasis on he Ba sq ue ea li y, a ea lis ic a nd in im a e app oac h o e en s, an cpisodic s uc u e, and a concise dic ion wi h s udcl en poc ical ou bu s s which pe haps is no su icien ly quo ed he e. Ac co <l ing o h is c i ica! s u dy, in Laxal 's wo ks he diaspo ic no emen o he Ame ican co n inen eaches symbolic dimensions and becomcs an ini ia ion i e. a quasi- ny hical jou ney wi h p o ound conno a ions which a e discussed he e in g ea de ail. Clea e id ence o i is he ilogy Laxal published la e in his ca ee depic ing he e olu ion o he Inda 1 amil y. again w i h a ma ni es au obi og ahi ca l sub ex . The Busque Ho el (l 989), Ch ild o he Holy Ghos ( 1992). and The Go e mo ' .1· Ma11sio11 (l 994) o e mul iple insigh s on h e benc i s and he isks o assimila ion o h e Basque-Ame ican m in o i y. While The Ba sq11e H o el ( 1989) is an ob i ous ec ea ion o Laxal 's pe sonal cx p e ience as an immig an in he Uni ed S a es, Child o he Ho/y Ghos is bo h a li e al and me apho i ca l sea ch o he wo ld hi s pa en s le behind in Eu ope. since Book Re ie11·s 139 he p o agonis cmba ks on a symbolic jou ney back o he Basque Coun y in o de o ace hei oo s. Da id Río ca e ully poin s ou ha his is he i s occasion in which a emale cha ac c is he p o agonis in wha o he wise ends o be a ma kedly mascu li nis li e a y domain. The p o agonis 's mo he , Mai ia, is p esen ed as a ic im o he p ejudiccs o he pa ia chal Basque socie y, so ha she inally decides o esca pe away ac oss he Ocean; he p o o ypical image o he S a uc o he Libe y ha appea s a he end o Clzild o he Holy Ghos unc ions as a symbol o eedom in an ob ious pa io ic <liscou se celeb a ing he Uni ed S a es . Finally, The Go e no ' s Mmzsion is commonly conside ed a ailed a emp on Laxal 's pa o w i e a poli ical no el by ic ionalizing he success ul ca ee o his b o he in Ne ada <lu ing he 1960s. Whilc he no el acknowledges he success o so ne second-gene a ion Basqu es like Paul Laxal in hci land o adop ion, i also ale s o he des uc i e na u e inhe en in assi mila ing oo excess i ely « he Ame ican way o li e », since his adop ion can 1mply o gc ing one's oo s o e en bc aying hem. In o de o p o e his hypo hesis, Da id Río pays special a en ion o he disin eg a ion o he s ong amily ies o Basque cul u e in he Uni ed S a es, and in his analysis he makes ex ensi e use o We ne Sollo s' well-known heo e ical concep s o «consen » and «descen », as he o en does h oughou he en i e book. In se e a! o his mino miscellanous wo ks. Laxal included igne es depic ing scenes o adi ional u al li e in he Basque Coun y. Majo idiosync a ic ea u es o Basque e hnic iden i y a e unde sco ed: he in luence o he Ca holic Chu ch. he al i udes owa ds he law, he de pendcn cc on o ali y, he s ong amily li e. he ha monious ela ionship wi h na u e, o he concep ion o ime. Howe e , gi en ha Laxal 's pe spec i e ne e ceased o be a o eign one, Da id Río docs no hesi a e o no e se e a! imes ha his imp essions can be a he id ea lized and educ i e a imes. Ne e heless. Laxal managed o co e in a e ile way new g ound ha widens he scope o con empo a y U. S. li e a u e wi h a dis inc i e oice. In his epea ed a emp s o explo e and unde s and he Basque idcn i y in bo h con inen s and he ha dships o s a ing a new li e in a o eign <lis an land, he con ibu ed o enla ging he U. S. li c a y canon and added o i s mul icul u al ichness. I Robe Laxal has igh ully become he oice o he Basque expe ience in he Uni ed S a es, wi h hi s in o ma i e wc ll -documen ed o e iew Da id Río Raigadas has c on i m ed his posi ion as he oice o Robe Laxal in li e a y s udi es . JUAN IGN ACIO GUIJARRO GON ZÁLEZ Uni e sidad de Se illa Ca nne Manue l, e<l . TeachinR Ame ican Li e a u e in Spmzish Uni e si ies. Biblio eca Ja ie Coy d'es u lis no d -ame icans. Valencia: Dcpa amen de Filología Anglesa i Alemanya, Uni e si a de Valencia, 2001 . ISBN 84-370-5340-4. 133 p. This olumc is included in he ecen ly ini ia ed collec ion o wo ks on No h Ame ican S u<lies edi ed by he Uni e si y o Valencia. a welco ne addi ion o he 140 Book Rel'i ews expanding p oduc ion on Ame ican S udics in Spain which has gi en ise o such a lu a bl e an d usdu l ini ia i es as he ca e ully edi ed bilingual edi ions o Ame ican ex s p oduccd by he Tall e de Es udios No ea me icanos o he Uni e si y o León, am ong o h e s. In i s h eme, he book also links up wi h he inc easing conce n w i h eaching in highe educa i on ha has il e ed om Ame ican and B i ish acad emia, e lec ed. o ins ance, in he collec ions on hi s subjec issued by he MLA (Op i o 11 s j ó Teachiní{ and Appmaches o Teac/Jing). o in he clca ly didac ic in e n whi ch guid es he e di o s o wo ks such as he 4 h cd i ion o he H ea h An lw/ogy <~ Ame i ca n Li e a 11 e. pu bl ished wi h an accompanying ol um e o sugges ions o eaching. One o he mos aluable ea u es o Teaching Ame ican Li e a u e is ha i bcgins by linking, h ough i s i s wo a icl cs . Uni c si y edu ca ion o he l e e! i mm edia ely p eceding i . ha is, seconda y schoo ling. a conn ec i on which is oo o en o go en wi h di e esul s o bo h le els. In hi s espec , Be ni o Cam acho Ma ín, he au ho o one o hem. makes a lucid, i somewh a opiniona ed. analysis o he de c.:l ine o he eaching o li e a u e in seconda y schools, bo h in e nn s o he hou s de o ed o i and a eas co e cd. and in e ms o he much -denounced educ ion o h e slllden s' le e! o knowledge and in e p e a i e ski ll s. The emaining a icles -so ne in English, so ne in Sp anish - <leal wi h di e en aspcc s o hc caching o Ame ican l i c a u e. wi h a ma ked emp hasis on lwcn ie h cen u y na e ials and especially on A ican -Ame i ca n li e a u e; in ac , he book will be pa icula ly use ul o eache s o hc la e . This imbalance in con en is a na u al esu l o wha hc book ne e ies o hi de, ha is, i s o igins in a Scmina 011 eaching o ganized by he Uni e si y o Valencia. Howe e . h e wcaknesses o h e book a e also ela ed o i s o igins. and so ne could ha e bcen a oided wi h a s ic e p ocess o selcc ion and edi ion. So me a icles which ob iously may ha e wo ked we ll as o al p escn a ions lack h e elabo a i on bo h in con en and o m h a wou ld be expec cd in w i en wo k o h is ca ego y. including any bibliog aphical e e cnce. O he s a e ali oo ob iously d awn s aigh o n he eaching p ojec s equ i ed o ull p o esso ship in Span i sh Uni e s i ies: a ew ha c he mo e se ious law o s aying om he eaching issue al ogc h e and si n pl y p esen ing pa icula eadin gs o indi idual wo ks. E cn so, hc e a e use u l p ac ica! sugges ions and ideological co nside a ions o be d awn om mos . ami h e book also includes some excellen ma e ia l. I would highligh . among i . Isabel So o's «Teaching A ican Am e ican Li e a u e in Spain », wi h i s in clligen dc ence o he need o be conscious o h e ideological and pe sonal elemen s w hi ch a e insepa a bl e om eaching. and which cons i u e «a ce 11ain a i ude:: o li c which in u n in luences choices and ac i ons » (36), a de ence backed up wi h ex ensi e es ea ch and e e ences o di ec eaching ex.pe icnce. Ma ía F ías's ex . also cen e ed on A ican Ame ican Li e a u c. is ex emely ho ough, exhaus i ely wcll docu nen ed and ye manages o kcep eac l1 ing-o ien ed h oughou : apa om h e h eo e ical-ideological in oduc i on, she o e s se e a! appendic es including a d e a ilcd syllabus. a speci ic bib liog aphy. and sugges ions o bo h p ac ica! and heo e ical classes. as well as a sam pl e exam. 1 his, oo. is de i ed om a eaching p ojec , i is om a hi g hl y elabo a ed onc. Finall y, Juan Ignacio Gu ija o «' And I Book Re iews 141 only am escaped o ell hee' », on caching Mohy Dick, combines a deep knowledge o he subjec wi h a i id and o en humo ous analysis o his pe sonal eaching expe ience, in whi ch a s ong sense o us a ion al his awa eness o he limi a ions o many s uden s is balanced wi h a s ubbo n op imism. His accoun o his e olu ion om an abs ae! o a mo e sociohis o ical eading o Mel ille 's wo k in his eaching o he no el ac s as a aluable eminde o he cons an in e ac ion ha should exis be ween eaching, lea ning and esea ch. Many o hc essays insis on his in e ac ion, as wcll as on an ex emely idealis ic app oach o he eaching p ocess; Sco De ick's a icle on Eme son in he class oom summa izes his app oach which conside s he aims o eaching o be « o s imula e hc mind, o encou age c ea i i y. o ins ill c i ica! hough and o cul i a e he cou age o disag ee» (76). In ac , he collec ion sugges s ha he e a e many ac i e and conce ned eache s in Spanish uni c si ies, o he poin ha so ne o he c i icism le elled by ce ain w i e s a he supposed passi i y and unconce n o o he eache s secms a he oo icious. No wi hs anding, i is ue ha he essays as a whole show a g ea e awa cness o he wo k o o he Spanish au ho s in he same ield han is usual: o ins ance, Ca me Manuel's bibliog aphies on me hodology include ample e e ence o Spanish wo ks, especially in he mo e gene al sec ion. These bibliog aphies. oge he wi h a sec ion on isual ma e ial also compiled by he edi o , cons i u e he closing sec ion o he o lum e. Thei undeniab le use ulness, o my nind, could ha e been imp o ed by a g ea e balance be ween sec ions (so ne unjus ly b ie , so ne excessi ely de ailed) o by a p e ious, mo e limi ed and less ambi ious, <le ini ion o in en ions. Fo ali i s weaknesses, hen, h e olume is good e idence o he heal hy s a e o Ame ican s udies in Spain, and o he exis ence o a g oup o de o ed and conce ned eache s which should in igue, encou age and exci e new gene a ions o s uden s. Teache s will ind in i use ul sugges ions, bibliog aphical e e ence, and ideo lo gical s i nulus o hei wo k. MARÍA ANGELES TODA IGLESIA Uni e sidad de Se illa