A Doll's House and Other Plays

by Henrik Ibsen

Paperback, 1965

Status

Available

Call number

839.8226

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Penguin Classics

Original publication date

1965

Publication

Penguin Classics (1965), 336 pages

Description

The three plays in this volume demonstrate different sides of Henrik Ibsen's genius, but all deal with themes of alienation from society and the breaking down of convention. A Doll's House (1879) portrays a woman questioning her duty to her husband and seeking to escape the stifling confines of her marriage-a theme that shocked contemporary audiences and established Ibsen's name outside Scandinavia. In The League of Youth (1869), his first prose drama, Ibsen created a vivid comedy about a hypocritical politician, and in The Lady from the Sea (1888), he depicts a woman who longs to return to the life she enjoyed before she was married. Peter Watts's lively modern translation is accompanied by an introduction examining Ibsen's life and times, with individual discussions of each of the three plays.… (more)

Original language

English

Language

English

ISBN

0140441468 / 9780140441468

Similar in this library

Chehov Plays - Invanov, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Uncle Vania, Three Sisters, The Bear, The Proposal, and A Jubilee by Anton Chekhov

Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts by Samuel Beckett

User reviews

LibraryThing member Estramir

In this edition are three contrasting plays by Henrik Ibsen spanning his whole career. The most well known and enduring of the collection is 'A Doll House', the other two, although interesting have a very dated, melodramatic, and old-fashioned feel about them. 'A Doll House' has become such an

influential work that it instantly feels modern and somewhat familiar. You can easily forget that this was written in 1879! The theme of women's equality was both ground-breaking and scandalous at that time, as was the naturalistic setting and language. The mood steadily becomes more anxious as Nora's worst fears come to the surface and the fragile domestic bliss is shattered completely in the surprising ending. With basically only one set, Ibsen masterfully suggests a whole town outside. The plays are accompanied by an interesting introduction to the life of the author and background historical notes, as well as explaining some of the difficulties with translation.

Show Less

1 more

LibraryThing member Salmondaze

Brilliant work. I felt like I had expectations by the third of these plays and yet somehow they were subverted in such a way that makes sense and seems inevitable (as it should). The dialogue pops off the page even in translation and some of the characters feel so real you could touch them. This is

especially true of Daniel Hejre whom the author modeled on his father, a slashing portrait. A Doll's House, meanwhile, is a masterpiece in three acts. Rare is it that a relationship is shown with such crackle on stage as the one between the Helmers. The denouement is a dazzle of bittersweet perfection.

Show Less

Fewer

Amazon.comLibraryThing

Page: 0.4027 seconds