{"product_id":"9781411431683","title":"Six Plays by Henrik Ibsen (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSix Plays by Henrik Ibsen\u003c\/i\u003e is part of the \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe father of modern drama, \u003cb\u003eHenrik Ibsen\u003c\/b\u003e shook off the stale conventions of nineteenth-century theater and made the stage play an instrument for brilliantly illuminating the dark recesses of human nature.\u003cp\u003eAfter writing historical plays and imaginative epic dramas in verse, such as \u003ci\u003ePeer Gynt\u003c\/i\u003e, Ibsen turned away from history and romanticism to focus instead on the problems of the individual and modern society. The plays of his middle period—\u003ci\u003eA Doll’s House, Ghosts, The Wild Duck,\u003c\/i\u003e and his most popular play, \u003ci\u003eHedda Gabler\u003c\/i\u003e—are masterpieces of stark psychological realism. In his final plays, including \u003ci\u003eThe Master Builder\u003c\/i\u003e, Ibsen mixed realism and symbolism to enrich his examination of our subconscious drives and urges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIbsen was criticized and denounced during his lifetime for expanding the boundaries of what is acceptable fare for the stage. Audiences were shocked when he wrote of feminist yearnings, venereal disease, and the deep emotions that underlie the sadness involved in being human. James Joyce put the criticism in perspective: “Henrik Ibsen is one of the world’s great men before whom criticism can make but feeble show. . . . When the art of a dramatist is perfect the critic is superfluous.” Ibsen has since come to be considered one of our greatest playwrights.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMartin Puchner\u003c\/b\u003e is Assistant Professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eStage Fright: Modernism, Anti-Theatricality and Drama\u003c\/i\u003e (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138243543280,"sku":"9781411431683","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781411431683_p0.jpg?v=1763721575","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781411431683","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}