Journals / Tykhe Sanat ve Tasarım Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 20

An Analytical View of the Critique of Szondian Hermeneutics on Modern Drama Theory

Modern Dram Teorisi Üzerine Szondi Hermenötiğinin Eleştirisine Analitik Bir Bakış

Funda Özşener(YUZUNCU YIL UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-1350-5019
Pages
135–146
Publication Date
2026-06-26
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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This study aims to address the aesthetic principles of Szondian hermeneutics at a conceptual level by presenting a general summary of the critiques and counter-criticisms expressed at the colloquium, and to achieve this by revisiting and presenting fundamental perspectives on Modern Drama Theory.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:When Szondi completed his dissertation, Theorie des Modernen Dramas (1956), the work exerted a significant influence on ongoing theoretical debates in twentieth-century theatrical literature, particularly on the relationship between form and content and their analytical interpretation.
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Key Findings & Data:The Criticism of Peter Szondi Colloquium (1983) was organized to discuss some of these critiques of Szondian hermeneutics, placing Modern Drama Theory at the center.
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Conclusion & Impact:This study aims to address the aesthetic principles of Szondian hermeneutics at a conceptual level by presenting a general summary of the critiques and counter-criticisms expressed at the colloquium, and to achieve this by revisiting and presenting fundamental perspectives on Modern Drama Theory.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Modern dram teorisi · Mutlak dram teorisi · Peter Szondi

Abstract

When Szondi completed his dissertation, Theorie des Modernen Dramas (1956), the work exerted a significant influence on ongoing theoretical debates in twentieth-century theatrical literature, particularly on the relationship between form and content and their analytical interpretation. For this reason, more than for his other works on tragic and eighteenth century drama, numerous serious, decisive critiques and counter-criticisms emerged concerning the theory of Absolute Drama. The Criticism of Peter Szondi Colloquium (1983) was organized to discuss some of these critiques of Szondian hermeneutics, placing Modern Drama Theory at the center. Some of the counter-criticisms presented in the colloquium concerned the rhetorical dimension of the Absolute Drama Thesis. Szondi was considered rhetorically reductionist. Furthermore, his discussion of only three aspects of classical drama from a literary critic's perspective led to his departure from theater. The founding character of Modern Drama Theory is considered crucial, as it embodies the subtleties of Szondian hermeneutics. Szondi thought within a historical context, and historicity, as never before defined, became the method that shaped his method. Thus, his theory established clear boundaries and specific principles, advising us to avoid the formal and thematic shortcomings of the age, and creating a body of aesthetic principles by which crises in modern drama could be identified and evaluated. Szondi's work also incorporates a biographical source for formulating his individual experiences. Therefore, he prioritizes historical and aesthetic tensions and moments of crisis in a modern sense, and, alongside opposing approaches, offers a historicized guide to the study of twentieth-century theatrical literature. This study aims to address the aesthetic principles of Szondian hermeneutics at a conceptual level by presenting a general summary of the critiques and counter-criticisms expressed at the colloquium, and to achieve this by revisiting and presenting fundamental perspectives on Modern Drama Theory.

Özet

Szondi, Theorie des Modernen Dramas (1956) adlı tezini tamamladığında, çalışma özellikle yirminci yüzyıl tiyatro edebiyatının süregelen teorik tartışmaları, biçim-içerik ilişkisi ve bunların analitik çözümü üzerinde büyük etki yaratır. Trajik ve 18. yüzyıl dramasına yönelik diğer çalışmalarından ziyade -bu sebeple- Mutlak Dram Teorisiyle ilgili çok sayıda ciddi, belirleyici, eleştiri ve karşı eleştiri ortaya çıkar. The Criticism of Peter Szondi Kolokyumu (1983) Szondi hermenötiğine yönelik bu eleştirilerin bir kısmını, Modern Dram Teorisini merkeze yerleştirerek tartışmak amacıyla gerçekleştirilir. Kolokyumda ortaya konan karşı eleştirilerin bir bölümü, mutlak drama tezinin retorik boyutuyla ilgili olur. Szondi retorik olarak indirgemeci bulunur. Ayrıca klasik dramanın yalnızca üç yönünü, bir edebiyat eleştirmeninin bakış açısıyla tartışmış olması, tiyatrodan kopmasına yol açmıştır. Modern Dram Teorisinin kurucu niteliğineyse, Szondi hermenötiğinin inceliklerini taşıması bakımından büyük önem atfedilir. Szondi, tarihsel bağlamda düşünmüş, tarihsellik daha önce hiç tanımlanmadığı şekliyle, yöntemini belirleyen metot olmuştur. Böylece onun teorisi; kesin sınırlar ile belirli ilkeleri işaret etmiş, çağın biçimsel ve tematik kusurlarından uzak durmayı öğütleyerek modern dramada yaşanan krizlerin saptanıp değerlendirilebileceği bir estetik ilkeler bütünü yaratmıştır. Szondi'nin çalışmasında, bireysel tecrübelerini formüle edişinin biyografik kaynağı da mevcuttur. Bu yüzden, tarihsel ve estetik gerilimleri, kriz anlarını, modern anlamda önemser ve yirminci yüzyıl tiyatro edebiyatı incelemelerinde, karşı yaklaşımlarla birlikte, ortaya tarihselleşmiş bir kılavuz koyar. Bu çalışma, kolokyumda dile getirilen, eleştiri ve karşı eleştirilerin genel bir özetini sunarak Szondi hermenötiğinin estetik ilkelerine kavramsal düzeyde değinmeyi ve bunu da Modern Dram Teorisine yönelik, temel bakış açılarını, yeniden ele alıp, aktararak gerçekleştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Özşener, F., *, F. Ö. (2026). An Analytical View of the Critique of Szondian Hermeneutics on Modern Drama Theory. Tykhe Sanat ve Tasarım Dergisi, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 20, 135–146. https://doi.org/10.55004/tykhe.1774829

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