Controversy and hidden pasts are suddenly and painfully exposed as wealthy widow Mrs Alving prepares to open a new orphanage in memory of her husband. Her treasured son Oswald's return from Paris and her relationship with old friend Pastor Manders are no longer the source of joy they once were, as secrets are turned into a frightening and desperate reality.
First published in 1881 and performed the following year, Ibsen paints a bleak picture of the sacred institution of marriage and the family, and with its open discussion of the taboo subjects of free love, incest, and venereal disease, it is hardly surprising that this masterpiece caused such a hostile reaction with audiences and critics alike.
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"I read these plays in high school and still have the book. I'm actually only rereading "The Wild Duck" right now, as LSC's "The Model" has referred to it and I have no memory of the play any longer. " — Teresa (5 out of 5 stars)
"I read these plays in high school and still have the book. I'm actually only rereading "The Wild Duck" right now, as LSC's "The Model" has referred to it and I have no memory of the play any longer. "
" I only read "A Doll's House" out of these. An enjoyable read, at the least. "
" I only read "A Doll's House." It isn't something I would choose to read myself, but it was still enjoyable. "
" This volume contains four of Ibsen's works. They indicate the nature of his talent and also suggest why his work sometimes was not accepted well. These plays represent the middle of his career. "
" Review of A Doll's House: The first two acts of this are so Victorian that it's absurd. Ending kicked ass though. Nora and Ayn Rand would have been cold lesbian lovers. "
" Night of Insomnia= A Doll's House. Not a bad trade "
" Dark and funny and sad. "
" I really didnt like the story of the book. Mr.Garfinkle was right its idea is in a lot of other books and happens in real life. "
" I really liked these plays, even though Ibsen is much more cynical than I am. I like the complexity of his characters. "
" I love Ibsen. He is a thoughtful and thought provoking social commentarian. 'Enemy of the People' is particularly poignant and disturbing regarding the ignorance of the masses. "
" I love this book because I saw a rendition of one of the plays therein with a very young Anthony Hopkins as the antagonist. Amazing. "
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) was a major nineteenth-century Norwegian playwright, theater director, and poet. He is often referred to as “the father of prose drama” and is one of the founders of modernism in the theater. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, and The Master Builder. Several of his plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when European theater was required to model strict mores of family life and propriety. Ibsen’s work examined the realities that lay behind many façades, revealing much that was disquieting to many contemporaries. It utilized a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality.
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