ВЕДЕКИНД VS ИБСЕН: ОПЫТ КОМПАРАТИВНОГО АНАЛИЗА

Abstract

The author studies the influence of Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) on Frank Wedekind’s (1864–1918) dramatic work. The analysis involves Wedekind’s diary entries, as well as two essays (“Dramatic Art” and “The Writer Ibsen and the Builder Solness”) devoted to Ibsen’s work, evaluation of his artistic methods, techniques and role in the history of German theater. A comparative analysis of several dramatic works by both authors (plays “Love’s Comedy”, “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen and Wedekind’s play “The Awakening of the Spring”) is carried out. Analyzing the dramatic works of both writers, the author demonstrates the transformation of Ibsen’s concepts and images in Wedekind’s work. Using the results of the analysis the author formulates the basic ideas of Wedekind’s philosophic and creative conception. The features of the author’s interpretation of the problem of family and marriage, female emancipation and personal freedom in Wedekind’s plays and their differences from Ibsen’s interpretations are revealed. On the basis of the analysis, the specificity of the author’s concept of Wedekind is determined, reflecting the main provisions of gender discourse characteristic for Western European literature at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries.