@ananth:
What a dellight to have a western classics drama loving member here. Welcome sir.
Re ‘a doll’s house’, we can see how prophetic 130 years later, our societies have changed per ibsen’s prophecy.
It is difficult for many to imagine, that the western world was as class driven and in some ways caste driven, with strictures on morality, that we in india, might be surprised. Personally, I think, it is the two wars, the 1st and 2nd world war, that were raison d’etre for most of the changes that has been brought about and flourished till the end of the 20th century.
The first war, brought home, the horrors of mass killings in the trenches, and the concept of women populating the factories. The second war only multiplied the horrors and devastation, not only in Europe, but in asia as well.
The post war world that I grew up in, was the most optimistic period of human development, I think.
Europe, leading the way for a class less society – with a benevolent state funded housing, health, free university education which provided upward mobility to erstwhile working classes, and above all to make up for the human losses suffered in the 2nd world war, massive migrations from asia and Africa, thus laying the seed for today’s tensions.
To confess, I saw ibsen’s rosmersholm, live, at the shaw festival, Niagara on the lake. Notl is a small postcard pretty town, near the usa border, which has an elaborate drama program every year, dedicated to george bernar shaw, but also other dramatist. I came out of seeing rosmersholm very disturbed and upset.
Since then, I stick with watching ibsen, only on t.v. certain authors, I am unable to face the live interface. So strong are their messages.
Ananth, your suggestion re ‘a doll’s house’, while a welcome suggestion, I suspect, may not go well with the conservative crowd here. Let us wait and watch.
