Peer Gynt (1867)

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

The annotated Penguin paperback edition, though not exhaustive has enough notes to indicate clearly that Ibsen was using satire against the conservative Norvegian and Swedish societies, and Norvegian nationalism in particular, with several references to the (damming) non intervention when Denmark was invaded - of course I woulnd't have been able to tell, and even with the notes I remained pretty much in the dark "thanks" to my total and utter ignorance of Norwegian history.

In addition, there were various references to changes in the structure of the verse for dramatic effect, but of course that is completely lost in the (non rhyming) translation. As far as translation goes, I found the freely available Adelaide University ebook version perhpas more poetic though more criptic for me as a non-native speaker than the Penguin version (transalted by Peter Watts). As prose, I found it very flat, and at various points it felt very much like reading [b:The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights|93101|The Arabian Nights Tales from a Thousand and One Nights |Richard Francis Burton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320518022s/93101.jpg|859375].

In short, I cannot say I liked it.

On the positive side, one of the passages that struck me most is the answer of the Button Moulder to Peer's question on what it means to be oneself, to which the Button Moulder replies "Being one's self means slaying one's self ... Above everything else it's observing the Master's intentions in all things"; and beside this, there is a running theme on Christianity to which Peer pays only lipservice until (maybe) the very last moment.

(edited version of my own post in the MobilerRead Literary Book Club discussion) ( )

Music made me read this play. Have you ever heard these songs?

* In the Hall of the Mountain King
* Morning Mood

They were written by Grieg, along with many other songs as the incidental music for Ibsen’s play. It’s a great experience to read the words that inspired those famous melodies.

Aside from the music, the play is brilliant on its own. It’s the story of a wholly self-centered anti-hero who is not good enough for heaven, nor bad enough for hell. (Ironically, Peer’s flaw—for all his selfishness—is not being himself!) Aside from the underlying Pelagianism, the scenes at the end with the Button-Molder are incredibly poignant. Listen to the Button-Molder:

But, my friend, that precisely is your offense.
You aren’t a sinner in the larger sense;
That’s why you’re let off the fiery griddle
And go, like the rest, in the casting ladle.

I scanned in my own copy of the book cover, the Signet Classic edition from 1964, because I love the painting. The Amazon link points to an in-stock version of the same translation. ( )

12/07-- The play that got me into theater--specifically, Trinity Rep's 1998 production of the play. I went to see it because I loved all things Norwegian and came away with so much more to love. I read it again because I am considering a sort of tribute/remake. I plowed through it in a way I wasn't able to do the last time I read it, which was before college, before all the theater classes. And reading the intro gave me a better view of the ending--not ideal, but better. The energy of Peer in the first few acts is still all I aspire to maintain. The years have not changed that.

This edition was to accompany the 1923 Theatre Guild production and includes photos from that production