The Ibsenite in the Theatre, 1892-1898

Abstract

Part one, “The Dramatist: Widowers’ Houses to Candida” discusses Shaw’s early “Ibsenite” plays, which horrified even supporters of the “new drama” like William Archer. Arguing that Shaw was right to insist that Widowers’ Houses was not indebted to Ibsen, Templeton analyzes the two dramatists’ very different dramaturgies. She then examines The Philanderer as a “new comedy,” analyzes Mrs. Warren’s Profession as a Shavian pendant to Ibsen’s Ghosts, and offers a close reading of Candida that rebuts the ubiquitous notions that Shaw’s play constitutes a sexual reversal of A Doll’s House and an Ibsenian discussion drama. Part two, “The Dramatic Critic: Our Theatres in the Nineties,” examines in detail Ibsen’s crucial importance in Shaw’s campaign against the London stage, including its Shakespeare worship, and presents Shaw’s scintillating reviews of Ibsen productions.