Der Zuschauer

We have many times remarked on the fact that a singular word can have greater and lesser meanings, that definitions can be in either stark or inane contrast, higgle-piggedly at variance, have additional glosses within glosses, and yes, it is hard to tell where the margins are, what is explication, commentary, and what is simply marginalia. One could cite Dr. Johnson, Pierre Bayle, Voltaire, and of course the great editors of the various editions of the Oxford English Dictionaries, for examples. We can also mention Owen Barfield’s ideas about how meaning in words, singular words, mutate over time. His exploration of single word histories is brillant. He is not a writer to be glossed or paraphrased and so we would refer you to his remakable little book, Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning, first published in 1928.
However, let us have a good gnaw on the hash of definiton; let us try and nail jelly to a wall. It is our intention to sort out this great mess of meaning that comes with the writing down or speaking out of the word dramaturgy.
The Oxford American Dictionary offers the succinct entry: the theory and practice of dramatic composition. That is the whole of it. Under dramaturge we get 1. a dramatist. 2. a literary editor on the staff of a theater who consults with authors and edits texts. Also: “mid 19th cent.: via French and German from Greek dramatourgos, from drama, dramat- ‘drama’ + -ergos ‘worker.” This is all of value and we will return to it. We also would like to point out that the next word entry is Drambouie.
The Shorter OED is less useful, more porous but with some insight. “1. Dramatic composition; the dramatic art. 2. Dramatic or theatrical acting. Now rare. 3. Social. a theory which interprets individual behavior as the dramatic projection of a chosen self.” The entry is quaint, redolent of a distaste for phoney continental hooey words like dramaturgy. The Americans seem to have fetched up the word and given it sharper distinction. And, by the way, here too Drambouie follows dramaturgy, and why not: “Drambouie, from Gaelic, dram buidheach, satisfying drink, and the less robust meaning, a Scotch whisky liqueur.” The Americans mention Scots-Gaelic.
The French Hachette denotates dramaturgie as dramatic art and treatise on dramatic art.
Not surprisingly the Germans lend more to the matter. In the Duden we have for Dramaturgie: “a. dramaturgy. b.dramatization. c literary and artistic director’s department, also script department. A Dramaturg is “a literary and artistic director (who also plans the programme of performances and advises on choice of costumes, scenery.” Script editor is mentioned.

Now, what to make of that? More later.

Text To Follow. The World Tour of Dramaturgical Office in places like Ulan Blator has taken a lot out of our staff. For further commentary on Trotsky in Ulan Blator, and Mongolian Cultural History, please see the page, Grabbe, Here.