Category Archives: Ibsen (Henrik)

“Enemy of the People,” Badge of Honor

By Robin Bates | Published: February 27, 2017

Donald Trump has been attack the media as “the enemy of the people,” bringing to mind Heinrik Ibsen’s 1882 play. The play is about a truth-telling scientist but the parallels are still very apt: stand up for truth, regardless of the consequences.

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The Abortion Debate & Doll’s House

By Robin Bates | Published: September 21, 2015

Our society’s impasse over abortion is like the impasse in Ibsen’s “Doll’s House” between Thorvald and Nora: he insists on moral absolutes, she resents being infantilized.

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SCOTUS Traps Women in Doll’s House

By Robin Bates | Published: July 3, 2014

The Supreme Court, with its Hobby Lobby decision, is reminiscent of patronizing Torvald Helmer in Ibsen’s “Doll’s House.”

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Lit’s 10 Strongest Female Characters

By Robin Bates | Published: September 9, 2013

Who are literature’s ten strongest female characters? Here’s my list.

Also posted in Alcott (Louisa May), Austen (Jane), Bronte (Charlotte), Chaucer (Geoffrey), Defoe (Daniel), Hawthorne (Nathaniel), James (Henry), Shakespeare (William), Sophocles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Being Right on Climate Is Not Enough

By Robin Bates | Published: June 27, 2013

Ibsen’s “Enemy of the People” helps us sort through some of the politics of climate change.

Posted in Ibsen (Henrik) | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

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