SOURCE: Wooton, Carl W. “The Vultures: Becque's Realistic Comedy of Manners.” Modern Drama 4, no. 1 (May 1961): 72-79.

In the following essay, Wooton discusses The Vultures and its importance in the early development of modern realism.

Henry Becque's The Vultures, although important in the early development of modern realism, seems to be, for the most part, a forgotten play, or at least one that has received little critical attention in America. Its inclusion in John Gassner's, A Treasury of the Theatre, in an English translation by Freeman Tilden,¹ however, is likely to make it a familiar play, at least to undergraduate students. It is, perhaps, of value then to examine some of the assumptions made concerning the nature of the play and how well they fit the work as art. In an introduction to the play, Gassner writes of the characters as believing that, “their social conduct and sentiments are...