「紀念可歎的奧大維」湯瑪斯．奧大維：評論與聲望

“Remember Poor Otway”Thomas Otway: Critical Response and Popular Acclaim

湯瑪斯．奧大維（Thomas Otway1652-1685）在文學史中是個非常奇特的例子，因為在那個時代，他被認為是個偉大的作家，卻在當今的文學史料中消失。艾勒狄斯．尼可（AllardyceNicoll）在他的《英國戲劇史：一六六○至一九○○》裡把湯瑪斯．奧大維喻為「更勝於莎士比亞」，並且還說「十八世紀的革命者都尊奧大維為大師」，但奇怪的是，在大部分的文學選集裡，奧大維的名字找都找不到。他的戲劇經常在英、美的舞臺上表演，其中的一齣劇孤兒（The Orphan）是紐約第一齣上演的劇碼。我在此將把過去對於奧大維作品的評論回顧一番，由這些從德萊登（Dryden）到狄更斯（Dickens）對他的評價中，我們不難發現奧大維在二十世紀前的劇場魅力。

Thomas Otway (1652-1685) is one of the most stunning examples in literary history of a writer considered great by his contemporaries who has practically vanished from the annals of literature today. Allardyce Nicoll in A History of English Drama, 1660-1900calls him “better than Shakespeare” and adds thathe was “hailed by the 18thcentury revolutionaries as a master,” but one would seek in vain for his name in most anthologies. His plays were produced regularly on both the British and American stage, where one of them, The Orphan, was the first play performed in New York. I will review the critical commentary on his works from Dryden to Dickens and the evidence of his popularity with theater audiences before the 20thcentury.