Maironis ir religinė drama

LTĮ Maironio dramaturgiją iki šiol žiūrima atsargiai, dažniausiai neigiamai. Ji, ypač pirmoji drama Kame išganymas, vertinama iš buitinės realistinės dramos pozicijų, nors pats autorius sąmoningai to vengė. Kame išganymas turi ir Baroko, ir romantinės dramos bruožų. Šis kūrinys atitinka ir XX a. viduryje susiformavusios religinės dramos teorijos reikalavimus. Pastaruoju metu vis labiau linkstama ir šią, ir istorines Maironio dramas vertinti palankiau, jose įžvelgiama šiuolaikinės dramos užuomazgų, naujų sceninės interpretacijos galimybių.

ENMaironis wrote his sermons around the turn of the 20th century when attitudes toward preaching and the clergy's role in society were changing. They help us understand how at that time, in Lithuania, the Church guided the faithful people, shaping their lives and nurturing their spirituality. For the most part, focus in Maironis' sermons is maintained on fundamentals - religious practice, Christian truths and virtues rather than the experience of joy in faith or the value of conscious moral choices. Maironis understood the sermon as oral communication, in other words as a text not so much read as listened to by the faithful people. His sermons in Lithuanian remind one of nineteenth century religious rhetoric; they abound in practical advice, direct or indirect moral pronouncements, and stern warnings that appeal to the emotions. On the other hand, Maironis tempers eloquence with clarity, verbal reticence, and well-thought-out logical structures which suggest the influence K. Jaunius, Maironis' teacher and author of texts on religious oratory.Sermons written after the turn of the century and during the years of independence reflect, but only to a degree, the post-1918 standards of rhetoric and changes in society's attitudes. As for attitudes typical of the clergy, they surface most clearly in sermons where Maironis appeals to the faithful to serve both God and country. Issues related to the role of the clergy are stressed in lectures prepared for seminarians. The addressee of Maironis' sermons is a man in search of life's meaning and purpose. Bypassing deeply philosophical insights, Maironis speaks to him in simple terms and extends, implicitly or explicitly, the traditional invitation to seek the soul's salvation.