Susan Glaspell

在Elaine Aston的An Introduction to Feminism and Theatre裡看到一段很有趣的話，Aston引述Issac Goldberg說，'"O'Neill's women do not understand their menfolk" and "Glaspell's men do not understand their women"'(118)[在Eugene O'Neill的劇本裡，女人無法理解她們的男人；在Susan Glaspell的劇本裡，男人無法理解他們的女人。]

二十世紀初，美國劇壇橫空出現了兩顆閃耀的新星*，O'Neill被捧為本土出身第一個能與歐洲劇作家平起平坐的彌賽亞**，而Susan Glaspell則被冷落在一旁，直到八○年代女性主義興起才漸獲重視。

Trifles（瑣事）是Glaspell最著名的獨幕劇，在陰暗懸疑的氣氛中，貫穿全劇的是零碎的閒聊與影響甚劇的瑣事。劇情描述一名男子在睡夢中被繩子勒死，他的妻子是最大的嫌疑犯。警長、檢察官、鄰居證人、警長夫人、鄰居太太五人一同來到命案現場，其中警長夫人Mrs Peters與鄰居太太Mrs hale是因為要幫嫌疑犯拿換洗衣物等用品才一起前往。在男人們四處勘查時，女人們在廚房發現了作案動機：一隻被扭斷脖子的金絲雀。原來是在不幸福的婚姻中，丈夫虐殺了妻子唯一的感情出口，使妻子憤而殺害丈夫。基於同情和同理，兩人最後決定湮滅這證據。

SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.
HALE: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.
(The two women move a little closer together.)

上面這段引文中，三個男人對女人執著於瑣事感到奇怪，而女人們不回嘴，只是默默的靠近彼此，其實就已經暗示著警長夫人和鄰居太太最後的選擇。

金絲雀無庸置疑同時也是比喻兇手有如不再歌唱的籠中鳥，兩段話說得非常明白：

MRS HALE: Why, I don't know whether she did or not—I've not been here for so long. There was a man around last year selling canaries cheap, but I don't know as she took one; maybe she did. She used to sing real pretty herself.

MRS HALE: (with a slow look around her) I wonder how it would seem never to have had any children around, (pause) No, Wright wouldn't like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too.
MRS PETERS: (moving uneasily) We don't know who killed the bird.
MRS HALE: I knew John Wright.

在Strindberg的Miss Julie裡也有類似比喻。

Glaspell的劇本不多而且大部分是獨幕劇，少full-length，她的劇本集絕版後，到90年代才重出選集，跟O'Neill有美國國家圖書館經聖經紙全集所受到的愛護完全不能比。Plays by Susan Glaspell選錄了四個劇本，包括獨幕的Trifles和The Outside，三幕的The Verge與四幕的Inheritors。The Outside跟Riders to the Sea有種可以聯演的感覺，都是在講女性對於至親喪生於大海的反應，The Outside提供了兩個寡婦的不同觀點。The Verge說的是二十世紀初期覺醒的女性在當時的尚未覺醒的社會中最後走向崩潰一途，讀起來有一種恐怖的壓力感，難怪是女性主義相當愛戴的作品。劇中的溫室跟Trifles裡頭的籠鳥象徵意義差不多。Inheritors我還沒看，等我看完再補充。另外Glaspell還有一個較有名的full-lenghth劇本Bernice，可惜沒有收錄在選集中無緣得見，大概要到比較古老的圖書館才能看到。

Gutenberg有Plays by Susan Glaspell，可供合法下載。
http://www.gutenberg.org/

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*兩人都是Provincetown Players（前衛劇團）出來的劇作家，彼此認識。兩個人的文風有時都好sentimental XD
**此前的美國劇場作品普遍被認為藝術價值不高。O'Neill即使在後起之秀Arthur Miller和Tenesse Williams席捲劇壇之後還能夠聲望不衰，就是因為有開山祖師的名號護法加持。Modern Drama在2007的冬季號（50.4）便是在研究O'Neill持續被「正典化」的現象。
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Aston, Elaine. "The 'Prisonhouse of Criticism': Susan Glaspell" in An Introduction to Feminism and Theatre. London Routledge, 1995.
Glaspell, Susan. Plays by Susan Glaspell. Edited by C. W. E. Bigsby. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.