Ibsen's A Doll's House

[pegkerr]

I was going to write a long and insightful post about Ibsen's A Doll's House, prompted by reading this article. But I'm too tired. But I will say this: in my AP English class in high school, my English teacher Mr. Hunt gave us an assignment to write a fourth act of A Doll's House: what happens to Nora next?

When Emerald House Rising was published, I contacted all my high school English teachers and sent them copies with a thank you letter. (Really, all four of them were kick-ass inspirational, and I owe them a lot, least of all a thank you letter.) And Mr. Hunt astounded me by faxing me a copy of my version of the fourth act of A Doll's House. He had liked it so much that he had kept it as a sample for students to see when he was handing out this assignment, and he had been passing it out to them for twenty years. He said he felt smug that he knew I was special as a writer even then.

So . . . if you had to write the fourth act of A Doll's House, what do you think happens to Nora next?

Just think: Ibsen fanfiction. *boggles*

Comments

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Oooh. What a great question. I would love, personally, to read your 4th act. :)

As for me, I've always believed that Nora had a very, very hard life of it after leaving, both financially and socially, and that Torval (hope I spelled that right) probably made things very difficult for her, out of his own inability to understand her and what she wanted. I always had the notion he would spread it around among their circle of friends that she was ill, and that her attempts at self-actualization would be misconstrued or misunderstood by most of her friends.

I would like to think that, eventually, things gradually improve for her due to her own belief that what she is doing is right. But as to how? I am afraid I have no idea.

[odyssea.livejournal.com]

I was in Hedda Gabler in college, and we actually had a discussion about how Thea Elvstead is the Ibsen's answer to Nora: she basically picks up, in a way, where Nora leaves off - strong enough to leave and strong enough to survive. I think that Nora does make it, because she doesn't have anything to go back to. Her success at getting the loan for Torvald sets the groundwork and provides a clue - she was able to successfully deal with the real world to make sure her husband survived, which I think shows that she would be able to deal with it to make sure she survived as well.

A thought provoking article - I think I'll send it to some of my drama history and analysis friends - there'll be lots of good discussions over this.

[magicwoman.livejournal.com]

"Hedda Gabler" is one of my favorite plays (as Isben is one of favorite playwriters). Saw a fabulous production a few years back at the Guthrie Theater.

I think your response is very interesting - that Thea was the continuation of Nora. I look forward to reading future discussion from this post.

Susan

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

I never did that. but in college we read the sound and the fury, and while I picked a different topic, I remember that one of the possible topics was to write a fourth bit, and I helped a friend with the idea for it, of the sister, years later, some place else. (I keep thinking it was Berlin, Hitler era, but I can't remember if that actually was the idea or if that was in the book)

[ciceronianus.livejournal.com]

I had that same assignment when I was at school. I can't remember exactly what I wrote (though you've inspired me to look about for it), but I do recall that the entirety of my additional scene was set on the street of the house with Nora having just left, but before the flash of hope in Torvald's mind prompts him to go after her (she's gone by the time he gets there).

Now that I think about it, I do believe what I wrote simply reiterated the fact that it really was too late.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Heh. My HS English teachers thought I was a terrible fiction writer. I doubt they're still around (professionally at least), though; they were mostly pretty old 25 years ago.

[litgirl101.livejournal.com]

Clearly, Nora went out into the world to be a kick-ass writer!
I love to hear that your h.s. English teachers were inspirational. I especially love that you reconnected with them after many years to tell them that. On behalf of English teachers everywhere, thank you for passing on the kudos that are so rare and yet so needed to keep us inspired in our jobs.

[birds-sing.livejournal.com]

We read A Doll's House my senior year as well. Instead of writing a fourth act, though, we were to write and perform, as a group, a missing scene. And it had to have at least five musical bits in it. Wow, that was fun. We wrote a scene about Nora discovering Torvald's affair (I got to be Nora). We used "Tainted Love," a portion of "Bohemian Rhapsody," and something from Fleetwood Mack, I think, though I can't remember exactly what the rest of the music was - one might have been the Imperial March from Star Wars, actually. We were pretty great, though. Very well recieved. And boy did we have a good time doing it!