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First Paper.
Ibsen
English 454
Richard Schumaker
Spring Semester 2007
UMUC
Due: 27 Feb 2007 (flex)
1. In Ibsen’s play by that name what is meant by “doll’s house?” Please give a contextual definition, explain the importance of the term in the play, and the overall significance of this term for Ibsen’s time and ours.
2. Identity of male characters. What are the three most important psychological traits unite the major male characters in the play? Please explain why in your mind they are so important. Give clear and careful examples that contain quotes from the play.
3. Identity of female characters. What are the three most important psychological traits unite the major male characters in the play? Please explain why in your mind they are so important. Give clear and careful examples that contain quotes from the play.
4. View this play in any format (real, VHS, DVD etc) and discuss the three major limitations of what you have seen in contrast to the text of the play.
5. You are a director putting on “A Doll’s House” in Washington in 2007. You want to make the play relevant to the contemporary audience. How would you do this?
6. Dreamworks asks you to make a film of “A Doll’s House” using contemporary special effects. You accept this task but are committed to communicating the deepest dimensions of the play. Which effects do you use and why?
7. What are the three major historical trends of Ibsen’s contemporary period that influence his dramatic choices in “A Doll’s House?
8. Is there a contemporary film that contains thematic material that is close to that of our play?
9. “Even though set in a provincial place and time now far from our own, this play has enormous contemporary relevance.” Prove or disprove this statement. Make a case for one interpretative direction or the other—please don’t balance viewpoints.
10. “A Doll’s House has seen its day: this venerable play no longer has any relevance or importance for audiences today. It is a sad cliché.” Prove or disprove this statement. Make a case for one interpretative direction or the other—please don’t balance viewpoints.
11. Wildcard. Formulate your own question in consultation with the instructor
12. Write a letter to a friend that explains why the transformation of Nora has overwhelmed you.
13. Write a letter to a friend that explains why the final conversation between Nora and Torvald has overwhelmed you.
14. Imagine Torvald in five years after the conclusion of the play; a) explain his psychological evolution since the dissolution of his marriage, b) what he is doing now, and c) deal with the overall question of his possibilities for growth
15. Imagine Nora in five years after the conclusion of the play; a) explain his psychological evolution since the dissolution of his marriage, b) what he is doing now, and c) deal with the overall question of his possibilities for growth
Instructions: Write a traditional essay on one of these questions. Make sure that your introduction clearly a) responds to the question in its own terms, b) states a clear and personal thesis, and c) previews clearly the steps of development in the body of the essay. Each of the body paragraphs should have at least one quote of some kind—from the play, our discussions, or a source. All of these are equally good. The conclusion should summarize your argument and draw our some of the deeper implications of what you have been saying. Please give your essay a spirited title which reflects the thesis of your paper. Strive for strong personal tone: you may write in the first person if you like. You may draw on your own experiences. Include one reference to an image, video clip, Web site, or audio clip that relates to what you are trying to say. Integrate this smoothly and brilliantly into the body of your paper.
