Ghosts | Ghosts and the Cherry Orchard: The Theater of Modern Realism
In his discussion of Ghosts, Fergusson detects elements of three conflicting types of drama in the work: a formulaic ‘‘well-made’’ thriller, a realist ‘‘thesis play’’ about a specific social question, and a traditional tragedy.
The Plot of Ghosts: Thesis, Thriller, and Tragedy
Ghosts is not Ibsen’s best play, but it serves my purpose, which is to study the foundations of modern realism, just because of its imperfections. Its power, and the poetry of some of its effects, are evident; yet a contemporary audience may be bored with its old-fashioned iconoclasm and offended by the clatter of its too-obviously well-made plot. On the surface it is a drame à thèse [thesis play], of the kind [Eugène] Brieux was to develop to its logical conclusion twenty...
[The entire page is 5311 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Ghosts at eNotes.
