Religion and the Stage; Affirmations: God in the Modern World
London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1928. First edition. Original gold paper wrappers (7 1/4 inches tall), decorated in black. Mild soiling to wrappers, minor wear to corners. Very good indeed. Item #1405
"THERE IS NO TRIBE WHOSE CUSTOMS ARE MORE STRANGE AND WHOSE MENTALITY IS MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE CHURCH TO UNDERSTAND THAN THAT OF THE STAGE"
First edition, in the original soft wrappers, of Sybil Thorndike's essay—a Theology of Acting and an appraisal of the "vital antagonism" between the Church and the Drama.
The English actress, thought to represent the last of the Henry Irving - Ellen Terry tradition of the Victorian stage, had a gift for playing tragedy. It is said that George Bernard Shaw wrote Saint Joan (1924) specifically with Thorndike in mind as Joan of Arc. Thorndike described herself as "an old-fashioned socialist, an Anglican and a pacifist—a mixture of which Mr. Marx might disapprove" (Jonathan Croall). Thorndike finds that "all art is sacramental in that it conveys spiritual meaning." and the stage mirrors the liturgy in the contemplation and worship of the Supreme Actor. "We shall wake up and realise that that Something which we have felt far away and tried hard to find was holding our hand through it all. That Something is God. Acting has shown me this." When Dame Sybil died her ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey in June 1976. Religion and the Stage was part of Affirmations: God in the Modern World, the publisher's series of essays edited by the Rev. Percy Dearmer. The series "attempts an inductive approach to religion based on the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness." The inside of the back wrapper details The Life of the Spirit, a nine-point scheme of the series. Jonathan Croall. Sybil Thorndike: A Star of Life.
Price: $40.00