Ibsen Resources (Doll House)

Ian Johnston, "On Ibsen's A Doll's House" � Malaspina University-College lecture states that the average reader's "demand for simple moral clarity in the face of human actions is naive--rather like asking if Oedipus is right or wrong to destroy his own eyesight and become an exile," and proposes that "Nora is both triumphantly right and horribly wrong." http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/introser/ibsen.htm

William Archer's Translation of the play and Introduction � The introduction is well worth reading. http://www.triton.cc.il.us/undergrad_ctr/files/dollshse.html

Emma Goldman, "The Social Significance of the Modern Drama" � Goldman, a rebel, anarchist, feminist, and birth control pioneer, wrote this reaction to Ibsen's play in 1914. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Writings/Drama/doll.html

Study Guide on Ibsen's A Doll's House � One professor's brief set of notes with especially good questions about Nora that help to think about her and her role. http://people.whitman.edu/~dipasqtm/ibsen.htm

Henrik Ibsen - An Introduction � Presents a biography of Ibsen with an analysis of his literary significance. http://www.geocities.com/Baja/9315/ibsen.html

The Doll House � Comprehensive index dedicated to "the father of modern drama," offers electronic copies of his plays, trivia questions and a biography. (This site is temporarily under construction but expected to be functional by October 2001.) http://www.jkpd.net/

The Dramatist: Henrik Ibsen � Excellent biography and critical assessment of Ibsen written by professor Bj�rn Hemmer. http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm

Why I read Ibsen � Greg Swann's informative essay assessing Ibsen�s significance as the �father of modern drama.� http://www.primenet.com/~gswann/Ibsen.html

Ibsen Voyages with Brian Johnston � Go to the etexts (on the left side of screen) to read three interesting essays on �Revolution and the Romantic Theater,� An �Introduction� to Johnston�s translation of four Ibsen plays, and �Ibsen�s Cycle as Hegelian Tragedy.� http://www.ibsenvoyages.com/index.html

A Doll�s House and the Birth of Modern Theater � Brief lecture notes on Ibsen�s contribution to modern tragedy and on Shaw�s essay on Ibsen. http://www.montana.edu/metz/theatre/ibsen.htm

"Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House: Nora's Struggle for Freedom" � Student essay analyzing Nora's struggle for independence, self-esteem, and freedom from the restraints of her marriage and the social expectations of her society. http://userpages.umbc.edu/~relhag1/adollshouse.html

"The Women of England, Their Social Duties, and Domestic Habits" � Full text of an essay written by a woman in London, England in 1839 who believes that the proper role of women should be �promoting the happiness of those around them." The essay provides a solid conceptual framework for understanding characterization in Ibsen's play and the furor the work provoked in "respectable" society. http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/v

Animal Imagery in A Doll's House � probably the best of the many, many essays on this topic. http://www.farlingaye.suffolk.sch.uk/engweb/a-level/essays/dhanimal.htm

A Doll's House Summary � includes main characters; minor characters; setting; plot; symbols; style; dominant philosophy; and quotes. http://members.tripod.com/~SummaryCentral/adollshouse.htm

Themes in Modern Literature � offers an overview of and a feminist perspective on the play, and more. http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/AP
ThemesLitProject98/APThemesStudentProjs/ChopinIbsen/ChopinIbsenmenu.html

Performance Review of A Doll�s House � a 1997 review of the Tony-winning, Broadway production of A Doll�s House offers a controversial new interpretation of Nora and several very interesting insights into the play. http://slate.msn.com/Concept2/97-06-10/Concept2.asp