Quintessence of Ibsenism (Version 2)

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By Listen TheBook Posted on May 30, 2023

In Category - Essays & Short Works, Literary Criticism

Authors: George Bernard Shaw In Year : 1891

Book Language: English

Audiobook: Quintessence of Ibsenism (Version 2)

Preface
The Two Pioneers
Ideals and Idealists
The Womanly Woman
The Plays-Brand
The Plays - Peer Gynt
The Plays - Emperor and Galilean
The Plays - The League of Youth
The Plays - Pillars of Society
The Plays - A Dolls House
The Plays - Ghosts
The Plays - An Enemy of the People
The Plays - The Wild Duck
The Plays - Rosmersholm
The Plays - The Lady From the Sea
The Plays - Hedda Gabler
The Plays - The Moral of the Plays
Appendix Part 1
Appendix Part 2

This is an essay providing an extended analysis of the works of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and of Ibsen's critical reception in England. Shaw uses this "exposition of Ibsenism" to illustrate the imperfections of British society, using the idea of an imaginary "community of a thousand persons," divided into three categories: Philistines, Idealists, and the lone Realist.

The main discussion revolves around Ibsen's recurring topic of the strong character holding out against social hypocrisy, while stating in his essay's final sentence that the quintessence of Ibsenism is that "there is no formula." ( Michele Eaton)