The Duse myth in mythical fin de siècle Vienna

Eleonora Duse’s debut in the Wiener Theater circuit was a smashing success and from that moment on she and Vienna (involved, in the twilight of the 19th century, in identifying the nature of its own modernity) established a special, intense relationship of a dual kind. On the one hand, the proponents of the so-called “Viennese modern” saw in her a model by which to define a new idea of acting, an alternative to the naturalist style then prevalent on the stages of that era and that, in place of the written text, restored the actor’s personality at the center of the theatrical event. And on the other hand, consequently, by worshipping Eleonora Duse’s absolutely unique and original nature, they made it one of the elements that marked the specificity of Viennese culture, in the transitional turn-of-the-century period. At the turn of the century, between Vienna and Duse a reciprocal relationship was formed, in which each of the two poles contributed to creating the mythical image of the other.