Scandinavian State and Culture
At the turn of the 19th century, the Nordic countries experienced some major political changes that broke apart alliances and altered culture in Norway. The Napoleonic Wars resulted in Sweden's loss of Finland to Russia, which caused Denmark to shed an alliance with Norway, which was then attempted to be controlled by the Swedish King, which was fought off by the Norwegian Parliament. This long chain of events ultimately kept Norway dominated by Danish culture. The time after these political shifts saw an influx of literature and novels, and translational economics were at a high in Nordic countries. [2] This economic growth ironically brought more poverty. The growing population could not be supported which removed major groups from engaging in politics. Suffrage was directly tied to wealth, status, and gender which neglected the working class, peasants, and women. However, with Christian religious freedom approved, those isolated from politics kept themselves educated through Bible Readings. [3]
An 1872 painting of Swedish troops attacking Leipzig on October 19, 1813
Norweigan Theater
The growth of popular novels during the beginning of the 19th century was primarily enjoyed by the bourgeois society. Books were found either in private libraries of those who could afford such luxuries or in reading societies which also belonged to the upper class. [2] Before Ibsen's Catiline, there had not been another published play in Norway since Wergeland's The Venetian in 1843 which was not very successful. Experimentation with theatrical writing was very much in its earliest stages in Norway and had been dominated by Danish traditions and language. [2, 6] Ibsen joined theatrical and literary societies, namely, the theaters of Bergen and Christiania which were fairly new. Ibsen introduced using the Norwegian language on stage which helped make theater more accessible for audiences, but it was a high society event. He also introduced settings that took place in the home and were realistic to bourgeois society at the time. [2] There was a strong religious presence in Norway at the time, so many of Ibsen's controversial plays such as Ghosts were banned. However, an early production debuted at Le Théâtre Libre, and the play was eventually allowed in Norway. Ibsen was also a strong advocate for women's rights which he depicted on stage when Nora leaves her husband and children in A Doll's House. He even went as far as to make a speech at the Banquet of the Norwegian League for Women's Rights in which he denies any attempt at propaganda but reports an attempt to describe humanity truthfully. He also wrote many letters and gave speeches in support of groups such as the Workingmen of Trondhjem and Student Unions. [1, 2, 5, 6]
Franz Hanfstaengl's portrait of Ibsen in his later years.