Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: Then and Now
I. Purpose
This assignment will help you practice the following skills that are important for your success in this course and offer knowledge important beyond the contexts of this assignment, this course, and this college:
Analyze significant primary texts as forms of cultural and creative expression.
Explain the ways in which humanistic or artistic expression reflects the culture and values of its time and place.
Frame a comparative context to critically assess the ideas, forces, and values that shape the texts.
Describe 19th Century attitudes regarding the rights, responsibilities, and roles of women.
Articulate an informed opinion as to whether or not any of those attitudes prevail today.
Skills: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course, school, the field of drama and in professional life beyond school:
Practicing argument and literary analysis.
Evaluating the cultural merits of an important work of literature.
Researching college-level sources.
Arguing a position and supporting it with reliable sources from research.
Practicing the steps of composing an essay.
Exploring themes of marriage/partnership and money.
Knowledge: This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the following important content knowledge in this discipline:
The birth of modern drama.
The elements of dramatic realism.
Ibsen’s impact on drama from the 19th century to the present .
II. Task
Research the impact of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House on 19th century European culture and argue (in a 3–4-page essay, using 5-7 sources) whether or not the play is still relevant today.
Step 1: Use NSCC’s library research databases to investigate both the reaction to A Doll’s House when it premiered in Europe in 1879 and the critical reception to the play today.
Step 2: Research the traditional roles of men and women in 19th century marriage.
Step 3: Identify the reasons why you believe the play is/is not relevant today.
Step 4: Defend your position using research and examples from the text of the play. Make sure you’ve read the handout on developing a thesis statement for a literary analysis.
III. Criteria for Success
A successful essay will:
Explain the initial critical reception to A Doll’s House, given the traditional roles of men and women in 19th century middle-class century marriage,
Describe the current popular opinion of the play.
Argue whether or not the play is still relevant.
Support its position on the play’s relevance with evidence from the text and sources gathered from research.
Employ 5-7 college-level sources over 3- 4 pages.
Use correct MLA 9th ed. format for in-text citations and a list of Works Cited.
Use academic English and be carefully proofread/spell-checked.
