Feminists have adopted Ibsen as a kindred spirit, and reading these plays, it's hard not to understand why (though there are some things in the introductory essays that seem to miss key aspects of these plays). While many of the things in these plays may seem dated, the struggle for something better is timeless. Ibsen catches despair well; he also struggles with some of life's big questions about truth vs. the comfortable lie, and most of all about the meaninglessness of life. ( )

Going to see Ghosts in a few weeks, so I wanted to refresh my memory of Ibsen. All I really knew was A Doll's House, which was fun to reread. Ghosts seems so melodramatic I'm not sure how it will play. In today's world, congenital syphilis, while horrifying, does not seem as damaging a confession as it was then. The Wild Duck was the most satisfyingly complex of the plays, and I found the plight of the daughter, Hedvig, particularly moving. Ibsen seems to create intelligent women who are ruined by self-satisfied, deluded men (whom they manipulate with quiet skill). Can't wait to see the play. ( )

Two of my favorite plays ("The Wild Duck" and "An Enemy of the People") and two I've not yet read ("Ghosts" and "A Doll's House") or witnessed as a performance.

Ibsen is one of the great playrights. "An Enemy of the People" is a great tale of a man standing up to his nieghbors on a matter of principle . . . . on an issue of pollution. "The Wild Duck" is a fascinating look at the destruction of the social fabric when the lies that allow people to live in peace are shown to be false. ( )

Ibsen is wonderful. ( )

The four are "Doll's House," "The Wild Duck," "An Enemy of the People," and "Ghosts". All are overt criticisms of the hypocrisy common to the human condition -- for example, the hero of "An Enemy of the People" finds his hometown would rather exile him than spend the money to fix their polluted Baths. They are all excellent plays, although somewhat dated. When they were written, they were partially intended to shock. Although no longer shocking, they are still more than worth picking up. Ibsen writes excellent dialogue, and his skill at using close sets emphasizes the feeling of claustrophobia in his characters. 305 pps
9/10 ( )