George Bernard Shaw's influence on theater has lived beyond his last breath, and Henrik Ibsen's influence on Shaw is a dominant factor in his legacy. Shaw was inspired by Ibsen's use of realism, which he incorporated in his dramas, bringing the movemen into English-based theater. They paper below, written by Al Garza H. Haider Mohaamed and translated from Russian, discusses how Ibsen's influence affected Shaw's work. The author establishes that Shaw's study and critiques of Ibsen's plays allowed him to avoid the weakspots that Ibsen fell prey to. The author also discusses the influence which led Shaw to pen The Quintessence of Ibsenism.
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"THERE is now living at Dresden a middle-aged Norwegian gentleman, who walks in and out among the inhabitants of that gay city, observing all things, observed of few, retired, contemplative, unaggressive. Occasionally he sends a roll of MS. off to Copenhagen, and the Danish papers announce that a new poem of Ibsen’s is about to appear. This announcement causes more stir than, perhaps, any other can, among literary circles in Scandinavia, and the elegant Swedish journalists point out how graceful an opportunity it would be for the illustrious poet to leave his voluntary exile, and return to be smothered in flowers and flowery speeches. Norwegian friends, expressing themselves more tersely, think that the greatest Norse writer ought to come home to live. Still, however, he remains in Germany, surrounded by the nationality least pleasing to his taste, within daily earshot of sentiments inexpressibly repugnant to him, watching, noting, digging deeper and deeper into the dark places of modern life, developing more and more a vast and sinister genius." Here, Edmund Goss discusses a few things. He spent most of his life in exile, because Norway did not believe in the social fairness Ibsen championed. Still yet, his writings were hugely popular in his home country. Hedda Gabler differed from other works of his, as there seemed to be no moral. There was no good to cling to in the play, and the title character was viewed by many as an unrealistic monster. His genius was still given its credit, though, as he delved into the dark, inspired genre of realism.
American author Henry James wrote a series of essays on Ibsen in his work Essays in London and Elsewhere. James was fascinated by Ibsen. He followed his work so closely, he even showed up to the premiere of Hedda Gabler in England. Upon seeing the play, James wrote the following on Ibsen and his work.
On Hedda Gabler:
"It is a truly remarkable show, for as to where nous en sommes, as the phrase goes, in the art of criticism and the movement of curiosity, as to our accumulations of experience and our pliancy of intelligence, our maturity of judgment and our distinction of tone, our quick perception of quality and (peculiar glory of our race) our fine feeling for shades, he has been the means of our acquiring the most copious information." On both: "What occurs is very analogous to what occurs in our appreciation of the dramatist’s remarkable art, his admirable talent for producing an intensity of interest by means incorruptibly quiet, by that almost demure preservation of the appearance of the usual in which we see him juggle with difficulty and danger and which constitutes, as it were, his only coquetry. There are people who are indifferent to these mild prodigies; there are others for whom they will always remain the most charming privilege of art." While Ibsen had been crafting poems and painting since his childhood, he did not write his first play, Catilina, until age 21. He spent the next fifty years of his life paininting, writing poetry and plays, and directing. In total, he wrote 26 plays and one collection of poetry. Below are lists of Ibsen's work - they are listed by year, and then broken into works by thematic period:
Catiline (1850) The Burial Mound (written in 1850, revised version published in 1854) Norma (1851) St. John’s Night (written in 1852, first published in 1909) Lady Inger (written in 1854, first published in 1857) The Feast at Solhaug (1856) Olaf Liljekrans (written in 1856, first published in 1902) The Vikings at Helgeland (1858) Love’s Comedy (1862) The Pretenders (1863) Brand (1866) Peer Gynt (1867) The League of Youth (1869) Poems (1871) Emperor and Galilean (1873) Pillars of Society (1877) A Doll’s House (1879) Ghosts (1881) An Enemy of the People (1882) The Wild Duck (1884) Rosmersholm (1886) The Lady from the Sea (1888) Hedda Gabler (1890) The Master Builder (1892) Little Eyolf (1894) John Gabriel Borkman (1896) When We Dead Awaken (1899)
This video starts from the beginning of Ibsen's life - his birth, family, and childhood - and follows him to adulthood. This video discusses some of Ibsen's best works, and his state of mind behind these works. While not at an artistic status of one of Ibsen's plays, this video does a great job in discussing a personal backgroun on the author, and it might make you laugh! |
Henrik Ibsen19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of realism." ArchivesCategories |