Abstraction
For expressionists, abstraction is the distillation of reality into its essence. Expressionists are not interested in presenting the world as human beings might see it or apprehend it through any of the senses, but rather as they emotionally and psychologically experience it. In drama, abstraction means that a play is conceptual rather than concrete, and it means that plots and characters are frequently symbolic and allegorical. For instance, a character might simply be called “Father,” as in Strindberg’s play The Father, or “Cashier,” rather...
Source: Literary Movements for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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