Marie Odile

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

A mere synopsis of the plot of this play would give quite a false impression of its character. It is the story of a novice in a convent who has a child by a soldier; yet it is, essentially, a pretty idyll with a sad ending. It is in a sense a curious play to be produced at the present time, since the soldier is quite a sympathetic character. As it stands the scene is in Alsace, the period 1870, and the soldiers are Germans. But in a MS note at the beginning the author states that all references to Germany and German soldiers will be struck out and the war, soldiers and country made indefinite: I conjecture his reason must be that the soldiers are made so much more decent than the actual German soldiers in this war. Marie-Odile is a novice in a convent, where she has been reared since she was taken in as a foundling. The sisters generally look down on her and a new Mother Superior tyrannises over her, while she is treated kindly by Sister Louise. Emphasis is laid on her extreme innocence and ignorance: she does not know how babies come into the world. At the end of Act I there is an alarm of approaching soldiers and all flee except Marie-Odile who cannot be found. Returning to find the place empty she suddenly sees a handsome young soldier; she takes him for St Michael and falls on her knees. The action goes on with the beginning of Act II. The young soldier explains who he is and is amused by her ignorance. Ethers arrive and she gets food and they get wine. They all chaff her, enjoying her naiveté and innocence and the whole scene is pretty and amusing. There is no brutality and only one moment of violence, when a soldier roughly embraces her and is quelled by the first soldier, Philip. Philip's superior officer, seeing that the boy is smitten with her, gives him the opportunity by leaving him alone in the convent. He respects her innocence and is going away, but she, falling in love with him, in all innocence begs him to stay. At the curtain he 'embraces her passionately on the mouth'. In the last act a year has passed. Marie-Odile has remained looking after the convent, assisted by a doddering old gardener. She has become a mother and her baby is supposed to be there in the basket. Then the nuns return. Sister Louise comes first and Marie-Odile tells her of the adventure, still seeing no sin in it and believing that her baby came as a miracle, like Jesus to the Virgin (I confess this length of ignorance rather tries my imagination). But when the mother superior comes she takes the harshest view of the case and expels poor Marie-Odile (still not understanding) at once, after Sister Louise has in vain pleaded that they themselves were to blame for bringing the girl up in such complete ignorance. Many people may object to this play: I think on three main grounds (1) they will say that a novice having a child and glorying in it is offensive. But the play is never licentious or vicious. The girl is innocent and the boy simply overwhelmed by passion. (2) Some will object to the 'business' of convent life, the sisters' crossings and genuflections, etc. I do not think the Catholics would mind, however. After all, a convent is not a church. The sister' sacred phrases are all in Latin. (3) They might object to the uncharitableness of the mother superior as a libel on such people, but that is hardly our affair. The first two possible objections are entitled to serious consideration. So far as my own judgment goes the play is Recommended for license. G. S. Street. PS - as a matter of detail, a soldier's dancing about in a chasuble [sic] (p.48) might offend; I do not think it important. Also Marie-Odile's description of her feelings before becoming a mother, might offend: I think produces objection: pp. 69 and 70.

Researcher's Summary:

The author Edward Knoblauch, who was born in New York, changed his surname to Knoblock in 1916 when he became a naturalised British subject (The Era, 6 September 1916).