Warm-up

1. Warm-up Answer the following ?s that relate to our study of A Doll’s House: • What do dolls look like? What do people do with dolls? • What do dolls’ houses look like? How are they different from real houses? • If someone is described as a “father figure,” what traits would you expect this person to have? If someone is described as a “mother figure,” what traits would you expect this person to have? • What is the difference between the way you would move when ballroom dancing versus the way you would dance at a club? •  How is Christmas Eve different from Christmas Day night?

2. A Doll’s House

3. Background • Norwegian drama first published in 1879. • When it was first presented in Copenhagen, Denmark, it was very controversial. • Ending of the play was even changed in some of the places that it was performed. • Considered scandalous. • Ibsen completely shattered what audience’s expectations of a play and of a housewife. • Represents the change from a period known as Romanticism to a period known as Realism.

4. Romanticism Realism • Late 18th century • Response to the spirit of revolution • Folklore, mythology, epics • Emphasis on feelings • Emphasis on the external   • Appreciation of nature, beauty • Characters tend to be “larger than life”- nobility, royalty, etc. • Mid-19th century • Response to Romanticism • Modern, “everyday” • Emphasis on thought • Emphasis on the internal • Appreciation of intellect, truth, and the commonplace • Characters tend to be “everyman”