Rather unsuprisingly, first reactions to Hedda Gabler were, at best, dismal. Hedda Gabler can be seen as a lovely comentary on society, but only by those outside of that direct society. As for those reading the manuscript and seeing the play in 1891, they did not understand the character of Hedda - her personality, the conditions of her life, or her reactions to those conditions.
An article by Jens-Morten Hanssen written for the National Library of Norway notes, "Hedda Gabler was published by Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag (F. Hegel & Søn) in Copenhagen and Christiania on December 16th 1890 in an edition of 10 000 copies. The reaction to the book was almost exclusively negative. The critics found nothing but an 'enigmatic' and 'incomprehensible' female character. There was no suggestion of social reform, nothing edifying, no obvious symbolism. The critics outdid each other in condemning the chief character. In the newspaper Morgenbladet Alfred Sinding-Larsen wrote: 'All in all, Hedda Gabler can hardly be called anything but a sinister creature of the imagination, the author`s own creation of a monster in the shape of a woman, without any corresponding model in the real world.'"
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ReceptionDuring its time, the play was not widely admired. Today, however, it is a revered as a classic. ArchivesCategories |