o 



70 Norway and the Norwegians 



Her husband leaves her to her first love. But 

 she changes her mind, and goes back to her 

 husband. 

 Samfundcts Stdtter (The Pillars of Society). The 

 Pillars of Society are persons who, for their own 

 interests, but professedly for the good of the 

 community (Samfuud), are busy in promoting 

 certain industrial schemes, shipbuilding, rail- 

 ways, etc. They live in dread of the local 

 press, and of any exposure of the misdoings of 

 their youth ; though, in fact, such exposure 

 need imply no unfitness for their present posi- 

 tion ; and they are even ready to commit crimes 

 simply to avoid the scandal. The chief char- 

 acter is a less criminal Bulstrode. 



Vildandm (The Wild Duck). This is the one of 

 Ibsen's plays perhaps the least suited to the 

 seneral reader. It is concerned with the com- 

 bination of the two forces spoken of above, 

 sexual relations, and the unequal severity with 

 which the sins of the two sexes are dealt with. 



Rosmersliolm. This was written at the time of the 

 political crisis of 1884 (spoken of in Chapter 

 XIII.), and it represents the bitterness of poli- 

 tical feeling at the time. 



Gcnganere (Ghosts). A tragic, and it must be said 

 repulsive, picture of the inheritance of disease by 

 the son of a dissipated father. 



Hcdda Gablcr. The typical girl of the period made 



tragic through her utter self-absorption. 

 The first thing which strikes us in reviewing 

 bsen's work as a whole is — in no offensive sense be 



