Paraphrase the following

Question

In a letter in response to an invitation to write for Stockholm based newspaper, Strindberg wrote,

“I’m a socialist, a nihilist, a republican, anything that is opposed to the reactionaries! And from instinct, for I’m Jean-Jacques’ intime where a return to Nature is concerned: I’d like to join in turning everything upside down in order to see what lies at the bottom; I believe we are now in such a state, so dreadfully regulated, that things can’t be straightened out, it must all be burned down and blown up, so we can start afresh!” (Strindberg, Strindberg’s Letters 77)

Though Strindberg’s work preceded the Avant Garde movement, his works laid the foundations, or at least followed similar concepts, for later avant-garde artistic movement. In the letter, he calls for the complete remake of theatre at his time. His innovative techniques developed in his post-Inferno drama works reveal a level of aesthetic radicalism, the form of which subsequent radical and avant-garde artists will come to be known for. Strindberg, as several avant-garde artists later on, repeatedly professed disdain for organized politics as it began to emerge at the end of the nineteenth century. His political standpoints ranged from anarchist to liberal.

Answer 1

In response to an invitation from a Stockholm newspaper, Strindberg wrote,

“I consider myself a socialist, a nihilist, a republican—anything that opposes the conservatives! It’s instinctual for me, as I align with Jean-Jacques' intimate connection to a return to nature: I want to overturn everything to uncover what's underneath; I believe our current condition is so severely regulated that it cannot be corrected; it must all be destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up so we can begin anew!” (Strindberg, Strindberg’s Letters 77)

Although Strindberg's work predates the Avant-Garde movement, it laid the groundwork for later avant-garde artistic expressions or followed similar ideas. In his letter, he advocates for a complete transformation of theater at that time. His groundbreaking techniques found in his post-Inferno plays demonstrate a form of aesthetic radicalism that will characterize future radical and avant-garde artists. Like many avant-garde creators who followed him, Strindberg often expressed his contempt for organized politics as it began to emerge in the late nineteenth century. His political views ranged from anarchism to liberalism.