The final plays

This volume contains the last three plays by Arthur Schnitzler that have been published. In the Play of Summer Breezes, the last of Schnitzler's plays to appear in his lifetime, is a subtle comedy of reconciliation reminiscent of Chekhov at his best. The two other works in this volume, The Word and Procession of Shades, were not published until long after his death. Both plays were begun much earlier, approximately 1907 and 1909 respectively and fit perfectly into the thematic progression of his works. They provide variations on a number of his favorite themes: the function and the responsibility of the artist, the misuse of language, the double standard of sexual behavior for men and women, and the extent to which one individual is legitimately entitled to influence the life of another.