Ibsen\u27s Peer Gynt: Explication and Reception

This thesis examines the content and reception of Ibsen\u27s Peer Gynt. Chapter I begins with a summary of Ibsen\u27s life and influences, placing Ibsen and his plays into a historical context. Chapter II is a detailed explication of .Peer Gynt, which illustrates the correlation between Ibsen\u27s biography and Peer\u27s life, the extensive use of Nordic folklore and the philosophy of Kierkegaard, Goethe, and Hegel. These issues and ideas are examined in order to create a theory of Ibsen\u27s intended message to the public. In chapter III the immediate reception of Peer Gynt in Scandinavia is discussed, as well as the extended reception of Peer Gynt in Germany. This demonstrates the difference in the critics\u27 reception, in relation to their time period, culture, and translation. The nationalistic German Dietrich Eckart is an extreme example of how a trusted translator of Peer Gynt produced a falsified translation of the dramatic poem, which he used to promote an ideal specific to his time period and culture, thus illustrating how a falsified translation can affect the interpretation and criticism of a text. The thesis concludes by demonstrating how important translation is as a factor in the critical reception of a text