Dramatic Works

Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.8

Word count: 744K words
Chapters: 75

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Dramatische werken by Henrik IbsenAuthor: Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906,Language: Dutch, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Jan 23, 2006

Editor's review

This is the Dutch-language electronic edition of Henrik Ibsen's dramatic works released by Project Gutenberg, one link in the chain of Nordic literature's spread through continental Europe. Ibsen's plays are known for carrying sharp social and personal conflict within everyday settings, with characters gradually exposing their circumstances and self-deceptions through dialogue; even reading the text alone, one can feel the stage tension. The value of the Dutch version lies not only in the content itself: it documents how Ibsen's works were translated and introduced to the Low Countries from the late nineteenth century onward, and can be used by readers studying reception history and translation history. For theatre enthusiasts, reading the script offers a chance to note stage directions and characters' entrances and exits, and to appreciate how Ibsen uses space and rhythm to drive conflict. The electronic edition is easy to search for character names and keywords, making it suitable for comparing different translations or adaptations, and also for theatre companies doing preliminary text preparation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying the dissemination of Ibsen's works and Dutch-language translation
Intermediate and advanced learners of Dutch who wish to read dramatic texts
Theatre practitioners and enthusiasts for script analysis and staging ideas
Teachers and students in comparative literature courses who need a Nordic drama translation

Not a good fit for

General readers who only want to read Ibsen's plays in Chinese or English
Non-native beginners with weak Dutch who are unwilling to look up words
Casual readers expecting novelistic narration and psychological description

Reading tips

First choose a play of moderate length to read through, then go back and mark character relationships and turning points of conflict.
While reading, imagine the stage blocking and note how stage directions affect the rhythm of scenes and the positioning of characters.
If doing translation or reception-history research, compare with an English or Chinese translation and record differences in handling.
Organize a small reading aloud, assign roles for key scenes, then discuss the subtext in the lines.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which Ibsen plays are included in this Dutch edition?

The record describes it only as a Dutch collection of Ibsen's dramatic works and does not list specific plays. Readers can check the table of contents on the Project Gutenberg page or download it to verify the contents before deciding on a reading order; it is unwise to guess from the title which plays are included.

Can I use this for Ibsen research without knowing Dutch?

It can serve as material for reception and translation studies, but should not be the sole textual basis. It is advisable to have a reliable English or Chinese translation on hand for comparison, and to use a Dutch dictionary to check keywords, so as to avoid misreading plot and character relationships due to language barriers.

Is the electronic edition suitable for a theatre company to rehearse from directly?

It can serve as a base text for preparation and character analysis, but rehearsal usually requires a paper copy that is easier to annotate or a revised performance script. The electronic edition is good for searching and comparison; if used for public performance, the edition's rights should also be confirmed and the lines proofread.

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About the author

Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 Author

Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) was a Norwegian playwright best known for his problem plays on social issues. His works often center on marriage, family, gender roles, and individual freedom, exposing the contradictions beneath respectable surfaces through tight dialogue and steadily unfolding plots. The collection holds 51 of his works, including A Doll's House, The Wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, and Rosmersholm, as well as dramatic collections and translations into Finnish and Esperanto. Written in a realistic style, these plays probe their characters' inner lives, with spare dialogue rich in subtext, and helped shape modern European drama; they are still staged worldwide. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted here.