Five plays that have stood the test of time get a new airing on the London stage Felicity Kendal That seems to be the holy grail of this election and of the television debates.
Religious freedom has turned out to be a mixed blessing. The idea was once an article of faith with Jerusalem, a play rich in historical resonance, is dominated by an extraordinary individual It was reassuring to hear from the prime minister last week that he has never hit anyone.
No one Once in a while, you see something on stage that takes your breath away Family tangle: James Earl What is Authory? Minette Marrin. All Time. Last 30 days Oct 12, - Nov 10, Last month Oct 1, - Oct 31, Last 6 months May 1, - Nov 10, Last year Nov 1, - Nov 10, Select date range May 19, - Nov 10, All time All Time. No Date No date. Two Column View. One Column View. List View. Text View. A True King Among Lears.
Dec 16, Article at Standpoint. Visibility: Preview You'll be forwarded to this content at its original source. The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated.
Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your subscription. Your subscription will end shortly. Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your access to the most informative and considered journalism in the UK. Accessibility Links Skip to content.
And lest we forget, the s also gave us 'sex and drugs and rock' n' roll'. Compared to the politics of today the late sixties were a period of unbridled political optimism: young people felt they were building the future. The dream of a new society seemed one that could, and should, be made reality. To be part of 'the movement' was to be a 'utopian' and a 'radical'.
But 'radical' is no longer an acceptable prefix in politics. Some of the '68 generation have become critics of a period they see as at best naive, at worst a conscious attempt to destroy the very fabric of society: the state, the family and community would not be in such a bad way now if not for the reckless anti-authoritarianism of the 68ers, they suggest.
Others have swapped idealism and kaftans for grey suits and pragmatism. Are they right? Looking back, what seems remarkable is that the elites of Western society offered so little in the way of resistance to their youthful challengers. Was society really transformed by the 68ers, or would it be more accurate to say traditional institutions collapsed from within?
Why were the rebels of unable to inscribe the spirit of the moment in lasting institutions of their own? Should we reclaim radicalism and utopianism for the 21st century - or is the pragmatism of the present a more sensible option all round? Does an obsession with the sixties as a period of political optimism simply express our current limited political imagination?
0コメント