the CIVIL warS (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Wilson
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Minimalism
- Time of Work: Unspecified
- Setting: the United States, Europe, Japan, and a jungle
- Genres: Drama, Musical drama, Opera
- Subjects: History, Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Philosophy or philosophers, Nineteenth century, Europe or Europeans, Literature, Marriage, Class consciousness, Civil War, Death or dying, Folklore, Loneliness, Bereavement or grief, Western Europe or western Europeans, Japan or Japanese people, Time, Homemakers, Heads of state, Olympic Games
- Locales: Europe, United States, Japan
Characters Discussed
Abraham Lincoln,
Mrs. Lincoln,
Robert E. Lee,
Mrs. Lee,
John Wilkes Booth,
Mathew Brady, and
American Civil War soldiers, some of the historical and fictional personages, resembling animated wax figures on display, who populate the work’s arresting scenarios. They are derived from a series of “free associational” thoughts, sparked by reflections on the American Civil War. Because the playwright also considered his central concept of civil war to be applicable to a wide variety of confrontations, including family conflicts, the family of Frederick the Great and an American fin de siècle family appear as well. The international scope of the project (originally scheduled to premiere at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games) is reflected in the use of figures (for example, a Japanese sun goddess, William the Silent, and Giuseppe Garibaldi) who may be identified with the countries that participated in the venture. The appearance of Hercules in the final act is perhaps in recognition of the ancient origin of the Games.
Sources for Further Study
Arenas, Katherine. “Robert Wilson: Is Postmodern Performance Possible?” Theatre Journal 43 (March, 1991): 14-40.
Davis, P. G. Review of the CIVIL warS. New York 17 (June 4, 1984): 81.
Howell, John. “Robert Wilson and David Byrne: The Knee Plays.” Artforum 25 (March, 1987): 131.
Kroll, Jack. “An Epic of Civil War in the Human Family.” Newsweek 105 (March 18, 1985): 72.
Lieberson, Jonathan. “Lovely to Look At.” New York Review of Books 32 (April 11, 1985): 18.
Nelson, Craig, ed. Robert Wilson: The Theater of Images. 2d ed. New York: Harper, 1984.
Rockwell, John. “An Efficient Battle Plan for Wilson CIVIL warS.” New York Times, December 11, 1986, p. 26.
Rockwell, John. “Stage: In Cambridge, Wilson’s CIVIL warS.” New York Times, March 4, 1985, p. 18.
Rogotf, Gordon. “Time, Wilson, and What a Play Should Do.” Theater, Summer/Fall 1991, 52-53.
Walsh, William. “A Tree Grows and Grows.” Time, May 21, 1984, 85-86.
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