A grotesque satire by a Czech expressionistic dramatist : (on the interpretation of Frank Wollman's play Člun na moři)

Deemed a major figure among Slavonic scholars and comparatists, Frank Wollman is also an author who met with due attention in Czech theatrical life. The aim of this paper is not only to describe the origin and reception of his three-act play Člun na moři [A Boat at Sea] (premiered in 1923), but to offer an interpretation of Wollman's third dramatic work as well. Doing justice to its subtitle – "a human grotesque and political satire" − the play vacillates between social drama and satire. Its accent on the individual´s role in history and on the conflict of contemporary ideas betrays the expressionistic inspiration from the Literary Group of Brno (F. Gőtz). The theme of a deserted shipwreck at sea is, in the limited dramatic space, confronted with conflicting types as symbols of the ruination of mankind. Aesthetically and ideologically, Člun na moři is probably Wollman's best text put on stage, notwithstanding its failure to gain full theatrical attention. On the whole, the play is an interesting work of art which exemplifies the search for new means of expression and infinitely variegated forms of Czech expressionistic drama of the time.