Davis, Tracy C. (1984) Critical and popular reaction to Ibsen in England, 1872-1906. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study of Ibsen in England is divided into three sections. The
first section chronicles Ibsen-related events between 1872, when his
work was first introduced to a Briton, and 1888, when growing interest
in the 'higher drama' culminated in a truly popular edition of three of
Ibsen's plays. During these early years, knowledge about and
appreciation of Ibsen's work was limited to a fairly small number of
intellectuals and critics. A matinee performance in 1880 attracted
praise, but successive productions were bowdlerized adaptations. Until
1889, when the British professional premiere of A Doll's House set all
of London talking, the lack of interest among actors and producers
placed the responsibility for eliciting interest in Ibsen on
translators, lecturers, and essayists. The controversy initiated by
A Doll's House was intensified in 1891, the so-called Ibsen Year, when
six productions, numerous new translations, debates, lectures,
published and acted parodies, and countless articles considered the
value and desirability of Ibsen's startling modern plays. The central
section of this study is concerned solely with the year 1891, and
considers in detail the forums for debate; Ibsenite and non-Ibsenite
partisans, activity, and opinion; and audience and popular reaction. In
addition to prompting discussion about social issues, Ibsen's plays
also challenged the censorship system, the actor-mangers' cartel, and
the stock-in-trade decorous well-made play. In the 1890s, when Ibsen's
themes and style changed, it became apparent that popular and critical
taste had absorbed the lessons of plays like Ghosts and Hedda Gabler,
and that their comparatively conventional structures and recognizable
systems of signification were greatly preferred to the symbolic
poeticism of plays like The Master Builder and When We Dead Awaken.
Most of the later plays were relegated to independent producing
societies whose technical and financial resources could not possibly
provide suitable scenery or adequate rehearsal, while some of the
greatest actors of the day accrued kudos in the earlier polemical
plays. By the turn of the century, the Ibsenite impulse had
diminished, and his erstwhile champions either promoted a false Ibsen
Legend or morosely conceded defeat by a theatre where musical comedy
and burlesque flourished. The final section of this study describes
the aftermath of the Ibsen Year, and activity in the years leading up
to the dramatist's death. General discussion of production style,
acting technique, and the modernist movement as a whole are also
included in the final chapter.
One objective of this research has been to identify and analyze
the whole spectrum of response, among as many types of readers,
playgoers, and commentators as possible. To this end, a great variety
of Victorian periodicals have been consulted, and columns of theatrical
gossip, leading articles, interviews, and letters to editors have been
sought to supplement the reviews, learned essays, and feuilletons by
theatrical journalists and professional critics. Personal accounts in
diaries, letters, and autobiographies have also been sought to provide
indications of popular interest and opinion, and of Ibsen's place in
the avant garde and mainstream theatre.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater P Language and Literature > PT Germanic literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 -- Public opinion, Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 -- Criticism and interpretation -- History, Norwegian drama -- Great Britain -- History and criticism, Norwegian drama -- Great Britain -- Public opinion
Official Date:	August 1984
Dates:	Date Event August 1984 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Theatre Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Beacham, Richard C. ; Booth, Michael R.
Extent:	455 leaves
Language:	eng

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