A Doll's House: Context (OCR A Level English Literature)

Context

Context should inform, but should never dominate, your reading of the text. Any comments on context must consider the significance and influence of the contexts in which the text was written and received. When exploring context for A Doll’s House, you should consider primarily the literary context, and then include any other relevant contexts as appropriate to the question. Each of the topics below link directly to the key themes and ideas in the play:

• Literary context

• Social context

• Historical context

Literary context

When considering a play’s literary context, it is important to explore the form and genre it is written in, as well as anything the play might do that defies the expectations of a particular genre. A Doll’s House can be thought of as a realist and a naturalist drama. The sections below will explore each of these literary contexts in relation to the play in more detail.

Realism

• Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is considered the father of modern realism

• A Doll’s House can be considered a realist drama as the play explores psychological turmoil:

  • The play predominantly deals with the internal lives of characters and the motives behind their actions

  • Characters’ motives are exemplified through their interactions

• A realist play is typically dialogue-driven with a plot that is secondary to character interaction:

  • A Doll’s House takes place over the course of the Christmas holiday, during which visitors arrive at the Helmers’ house

  • The only action is a party, which take place off-stage

• Realist plays often include a protagonist who defies social convention in some way:

  • Certainly, Nora defies convention by leaving her marriage in the resolution of the play

• Realist dramas revolve around a protagonist dealing with conflicts between their own weaknesses and a form of societal injustice:

  • Nora’s dilemma is presented vividly, via paranoid mutterings, a crazed dance and half-formed thoughts of suicide

  • Ibsen ensures audiences are aware that the reasons for her despair stem from patriarchal limitations and hypocrisies within a bourgeoisie society 

• Realist dramas gained popularity in the 19th century due to their depiction of ordinary lives:

  • Nora and Torvald Helmer exemplify a middle-class family of the time

  • Characters typically represent average citizens rather than the exaggerated and fantastical heroes of Greek drama

  • Characters are often middle-class:

The play includes aspects of naturalism, which is a heightened form of realism:

• Naturalism is typically known for stage settings and props that are ordinary and domestic in nature:

  • This contrasts with Greek drama, which generally portrayed outdoor settings

  • Ibsen’s stage directions call for the set to be a comfortable middle-class home

  • The action takes place in one room, highlighting the oppressive atmosphere

  • External pressures are brought in from the outside world in the form of guests

• Prosaic dialogue is used in place of verse:

  • This is to represent everyday speech

  • Torvald’s pet names exemplify the vernacular of a husband in a traditional marriage

• Naturalist realism explores ideas within determinism, a philosophy influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution:

  • Ibsen explores the concept of adaptability into society through each character in A Doll’s House 

• An example of naturalist drama can be found in Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, written in 1888:

  • The play explores the philosophy of Darwinism, pitting its characters against each other within the confined setting of a kitchen

• A Doll’s House conforms to the conventions of naturalism in that its characters are presented as shaped by circumstances outside of their control:

  • They are controlled by external pressures applied by their social and economic environment

• The play’s naturalist and determinist influences are present in Ibsen’s depiction of characters struggling to find meaning in a life without religion:

  • Torvald accuses Nora of having “no religion” in that she ignores her duty

  • This raises questions about religious values and duty within social constructs 

Social context

A play’s social context can be thought of as the social and political environment in which it was written, and the social and political environment in which it is understood. Ibsen’s influences include the rise of sociology and scientific discoveries, such as the theory of evolution. Both of these aspects of social context are explored in more detail below.

Darwinism and the rise of Self

• The play is set during a Norwegian festival, translated as Yule:

  • The season marks a turning point: the death of the old year and the birth of a new one

  • Nora’s new life begins on Boxing Day

  • The play ends as she closes the door behind her on the “doll’s house”

• Ibsen chooses to use pagan names for his main characters:

  • Her character represents humility, honesty and sacrifice

  • Torvald and Nora are named after Greek gods

  • Nevertheless, Kristine’s name has associations with Christianity:

• A Doll’s House reflects current debates at the time related to individualism and destiny:

  • Revolving around Nora’s forgery years before, Ibsen explores the notion of fate 

  • Nora’s transformation symbolises a new life awakened by two unexpected visits

• Darwinism, a theory of evolution, challenged religious teachings about creationism:

  • In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

  • His research suggested that species survive by adapting themselves to existing conditions

• The influence of Darwinism in A Doll’s House is evident in the plot:

  • She defies her husband and takes on work at night

  • Nora’s survival, as well as the survival of other characters like Kristine Linde, Anne Marie and Nils Krogstad, depend on resourcefulness and adaptability

  • Nora’s restricted autonomy forces her to adapt to her environment:

The New Woman

• The play, A Doll’s House, was written at a time during a surge of political and individual emancipation which spread across Europe and the West

• This began the concept of the “New Woman”, first coined in 1894:

  • The term connotes to an independent woman, often outside the constraints of marriage

• In this way, the play became significant as a work that sought to empower women:

  • Mrs Linde is an example of the New Woman

  • As a single woman she has agency over her own security

  • Though this makes her bitter, she is self-assured and (reasonably) autonomous

• Ibsen’s play is considered modern drama as it challenges traditional institutions and standards:

  • Its controversial depiction of marriage and hypocrisies within patriarchal systems focus on ideas related to the concept of the New Woman

• In a European society enriched by industrialisation, single females were offered more opportunities to find work:

  • In Norway, education was made accessible to females in 1876

  • Women like Mrs Linde became increasingly common

• However, females were restricted in the labour force as they earned less than men and were offered mainly menial jobs

• Bourgeoisie society expected wives to refrain from work:

  • In this way, Nora defies social conventions, although she suffers under the secrecy of her unlawful act

• A husband’s social status was enhanced if his wife was obedient, subservient and under his control:

  • Torvald Helmer seems to enjoy complaining about the burden Nora places on him

  • He says she forgets everything he teaches her and spends all his money

• The play’s concern with parenthood is significant in terms of the New Woman:

  • Torvald suggests that children have no place around a

Historical context

While background knowledge of the historical context in which a text was written and received is useful, any reference to historical context should be made judiciously and linked carefully to the themes in the play and the focus of the exam question. Below you will find some comments about historical context relevant to the key themes and ideas in the play.

• Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway in 1828

• Ibsen’s popularity grew despite his plays being considered scandalous and inappropriate

• Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House at a time when society was dominated by strict Victorian social codes

• Although Norway gained independence from Britain in 1814, much of the Victorian influence on the middle class remained:

  • The importance of a flawless appearance is exemplified in the play through Nora’s preoccupation with ensuring the house is perfect for her husband

  • The title alludes to Victorian family roles: children who are not seen or heard, an obedient and cheerful wife and a responsible and capable husband

• Most of Europe applied the Napoleonic Code, which prevented women from engaging in financial transactions:

  • Many women chose not to marry because of these laws and the growing suffrage movement 

• The rise of industry created a socially mobile European society:

  • Torvald and Nora’s relief when he is promoted, and their belief this will provide them safety and security, illustrates such pressures

  • Torvald is most concerned with ensuring he never accrues any debt as he believes this is immoral and disgraceful

  • Nevertheless, in an increasingly capitalist society, the bourgeoisie, as the emergent middle class, found their new wealth brought pressures.