This work sets out to show how Ibsen and Synge adopt an unconventional style in presenting conflicting and contradictory political alternatives. The work deals with the controversy that characterised the writings of the playwrights both in their subject matter and in their style. Specifically, their ideas on politics and gender relations challenged their contemporaries and still remain the subject of scholarship today. This study thus defends the view that far from avoiding the burning issues of their days, the playwrights repeatedly challenged the central political debates of their respective societies. The work therefore discusses the political climate of Europe, and more particularly, the socio-political climate of Ibsen’s Norway (between 1827 and 1913) and Synge’s native Ireland during the struggle for home rule. Against this backdrop, the work shows how Ibsen and Synge responded to three political questions: the relationship between aristocratic and colonial leaderships on the one hand, and the democratic form on the other hand; between public opinion (national culture) and individual freewill; and between the law and collective progress.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Research Problem
Research Questions
Hypothesis
Purpose and scope of Study
Hypothesis
Significance of Study
Definition of Key Terms
Structure of Work
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES
Literature Review
Theoretical Approaches
CHAPTER TWO: IBSEN, SYNGE AND NINETEENTH CENTURY EUROPEAN CONSCIOUSNESS
Victoria Idealism and Ibsen’s Dramatic Vision
Synge and Anglo-Irish Relationship
Ibsen and the Irish Revival
CHAPTER THREE: SYMBOLISM, ARISTOCRATIC AND COLONIAL LEADERSHIP IN IBSEN’S A DOLL’S HOUSE AND HEDDA GABLER AND SYNGE’S RIDERS TO THE SEA AND THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN
Ibsen, Symbolism and Aristocratic Political Leadership in A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler
Symbolism and Colonial Political Leadership in The Shadow of the Glen and Riders to the Sea
CHAPTER FOUR: DRAMATIC PATTERNS AND LEADERSHIP AMBIVALENCE IN IBSEN’S AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE AND SYNGE’S THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD
An Enemy of the People and The Playboy of the Western World as Realistic Social Problem Plays
The Tragic Patterns in An Enemy of the People and The Playboy of the Western World
The Comic Pattern in An Enemy of the People and The Playboy of the Western World
CHAPTER FIVE: THE TREACHERY OF LAW AND THE VOCABULARY OF PAIN IN IBSEN’S GHOSTS AND HEDDA GABLER AND SYNGE’S THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD AND THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN
Mariage Laws and the Vocabulary of Pain in Ghosts and Hedda Gabler
Nationalist Policies, colonial Laws and Linguistic Ambiguity in The Playboy of the Western World and The Shadow of the Glen
The paradox of Freedom and Repressive Laws
Research Objectives & Key Themes
This thesis examines how Henrik Ibsen and J.M. Synge utilize artistic complexities to challenge conventional leadership structures and political systems. By analyzing selected works, the study aims to uncover how both playwrights address the tension between democratic/aristocratic leadership and individual freedom to foster a new national consciousness.
- The intersection of power, gender, and political leadership in 19th-century drama.
- New Historicism and Lacanian psychoanalysis as critical tools for text analysis.
- The critique of autocratic, colonial, and democratic leadership forms.
- The use of symbolic language and irony to communicate social and political grievances.
- The influence of Ibsen’s dramatic realism on the Irish Literary Revival.
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Artistic Complexities and Leadership Politics in Selected Works of Henrik Ibsen and J.M. Synge
Since Plato, the need for an ideal political system has pre-occupied writers, philosophers and world policy makers. The question that they have been attempting to answer is: What is the ideal political system and how could this system be established? In an attempt to find an answer to this fundamental question, these policy makers, writers and philosophers indulge in an age-old quest: the role of the political systems in fostering progress. This thesis is concerned with how Ibsen in An Enemy of the People, A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler and Synge in The Playboy of the Western World, Riders to the Sea and The Shadow of the Glen attempt to foster a new national consciousness in their respective societies and eras by paying attention to leadership and forms of governments, and by presenting wider socio-political concerns of their day as alternatives of existing patterns.
For example, given the authors’ negative views on colonial, aristocratic and democratic forms of leadership in their respective societies, their works both indict the excesses inherent in colonial, aristocratic and democratic forms of leadership and propose solutions to the problems created by these excesses. Ibsen’s characters suffer in the hands of greedy politicians whose attitudes and leadership skills show a lack of concern for the masses. The characters’ predicaments are directly linked to the laws these leaders put in place.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: Provides the foundational context for the study, including research problems and the theoretical framework of the thesis.
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES: Reviews existing critical literature and details the use of New Historicism and Lacanian psychoanalysis.
CHAPTER TWO: IBSEN, SYNGE AND NINETEENTH CENTURY EUROPEAN CONSCIOUSNESS: Traces the socio-political links between the authors' works and their specific historical contexts in Norway and Ireland.
CHAPTER THREE: SYMBOLISM, ARISTOCRATIC AND COLONIAL LEADERSHIP IN IBSEN’S A DOLL’S HOUSE AND HEDDA GABLER AND SYNGE’S RIDERS TO THE SEA AND THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN: Analyzes how complex symbols reveal the negative impacts of aristocratic and colonial power.
CHAPTER FOUR: DRAMATIC PATTERNS AND LEADERSHIP AMBIVALENCE IN IBSEN’S AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE AND SYNGE’S THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD: Examines how the authors blend tragic and comic patterns to critique democratic failure.
CHAPTER FIVE: THE TREACHERY OF LAW AND THE VOCABULARY OF PAIN IN IBSEN’S GHOSTS AND HEDDA GABLER AND SYNGE’S THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD AND THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN: Explores how repressive legal systems and specific linguistic choices reflect the characters' suffering and lack of freedom.
Keywords
Ibsen, Synge, Political Leadership, New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, Drama, National Consciousness, Colonialism, Aristocracy, Democracy, Symbolism, Victorian Era, Gender Relations, Social Critique.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of the doctoral thesis?
The thesis analyzes the artistic techniques used by Henrik Ibsen and J.M. Synge to critique various forms of political leadership—specifically autocratic, colonial, and democratic systems—and their impact on the individual.
Which specific playwrights are at the center of this research?
The research focuses on the works of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and the Irish playwright J.M. Synge.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to show how these playwrights used unconventional styles to present conflicting political alternatives and how they utilized their dramas to foster national consciousness.
What literary theories are applied in the study?
The thesis employs New Historicism to situate the plays in their socio-political historical context and Lacanian psychoanalysis to explore the psychological depth of the characters.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body investigates specific plays—such as "A Doll’s House," "Hedda Gabler," "The Playboy of the Western World," and "Riders to the Sea"—to analyze the interplay between leadership, symbolism, and colonial/democratic failure.
What are the essential keywords associated with this study?
Key terms include Ibsen, Synge, Political Leadership, New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, National Consciousness, Colonialism, and Dramatic Patterns.
How is the concept of 'Artistic Complexities' defined by the author?
The author defines it as the complicated stylistic choices—including symbolism, irony, and the retrospective technique—that Ibsen and Synge use to produce aesthetically satisfying works that critique traditional power structures.
What is the significance of the comparisons between Ibsen's Norway and Synge's Ireland?
The comparison highlights that both societies, though different, shared historical and political circumstances defined by colonial authority or resistance, which influenced both writers to prioritize realism and critique rigid political structures.
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- Didachos Afuh (Autor:in), 2016, Artistic Complexities and Leadership Politics in selected works of Henrik Ibsen and J.M. Synge, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1488107
