The version I read is actually translated by Jonathan Franzen, and that's perhaps why I'm not a huge fan as Franzen seems to me--and this is having only read non-fiction essays and memoir by the man--among the most pretentious and condescending writers I have ever read. Franzen elected to keep all of Wedekind's idiosyncratic punctuation, which I appreciate because, y'know, authorial intent, but the result is a series of over-long, choppy speeches that are difficult to imagine in actual performance. Franzen insists he was trying to render lines that an English-speaking performer might deliver naturally. If he "succeeded" in cleaning these up for performance, then the original must be a stilted piece of junk.

On the whole, this seems to me most interesting because of its oddity, not because of its once shocking and now passe message that parents who shroud sex in secrecy and mystery raise kids who aren't prepared for their "awakening", often to disastrous results. I don't think this is a good play, but because of it's unconventionality I do think it is an interesting play, one I'd be curious to see performed just to see if a cast could overcome the many ob-stackles the play seems to presents.

PS: Protip: When translating a German play written in 1891, please avoid the phrase, "You can say that again, girl!"

Everything happens so fast in the play that I caught myself wondering if it wasn't simply meant to be a musical. It is short and powerful, and I can only imagine how it was received in 1891. Its message, of course, is still very important today.

I wanted to read the book after seeing the amazing musical production. I have to say I am glad I did it this way, knowing already I was going to be somewhat disappointed with the book.

Have to say, I was very annoyed and confused when reading the "ten notes' by E. Bentley. It seemed to me that some of his explanations/diatribes about what Wedekind wrote and his thought-process lead me down the "confusion" path more times than not.
Also, this is my first book that I have read in this "play-script" format genre. It didn't mind it as much as I thoughtI was going to. But I think seeing/loving the musical and wanting to know more helped in this endeavor.

At times too heavy, at times too light. Deserving of another read, maybe another translation. Sometimes the musical seems very far from the "source material," yet other times it seems a perfect fit.

Después de ver la versión argentina de la obra musical NECESITABA leer esta obra de teatro. Me encanta.