The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-06
BJORNSEN AND lBSEN.
Mr.. Believes Fourth Monday Talk on
Modern Literature

If Emerson's Judgment be true, began
Mr. Bellows in his fourth talk on modern
literature, that ''books are for nothing
but to inspire" then the dramas of Ibsen
can not successfully meet that test. For
instead of inspiring, quickening the
mind, they too often overwhelm it with
weight of horror and gloom. If, how
ever, we are to accept Aristotle's defini-
ton of tragedy as something which is to
purify the soul through pity and ter
ror," then it may be that Ibsen's plays
may take rank as great literature, with.
for instance, some of the novels of Bal
FAC as revelations of the bad or danger
Gus side of human life.
The beautiful stories of Hans Chris
tian Andersen give the sweeter and more
wholesome aspect of Scandinavian
thought and feeling, while like Plato's
lover, ''they are not without philoso-
ply" The charming satire of the story
of 1.-THE Emperor's New Clothes finds a
subtler meaning in the lurid light of Ib-
sens scornful arraignment of the rotten
ness of human society (which, indeed,
must be pretty bad in Norway, as the
poet calls his countrymen "not two mil
lions of human beings, but two millions
of dogs and cats'') and the hollowness
of all existing conventionalities.
A far more humane and serener
spirit is Bjornsen; younger than Ibsen,
but famous long before the author of the
''Prose Dramas" through his charming
stories of Arne, The Fisher Maiden and
The Happy Boy. From these novels ex-
tracts were read to show especially the
charm of the writer's description of ma
ture, his happy power of portraying
youths and maidens under the spell of
Gloves young DREAM and his poetic
gift, which seems directly descended
from Andersen himself. He is even not
without quiet humor, as was shown by
the account of the boys in one of his
stories preparing for the confirmation
examination.
s'Sigurd Slembe'' is profound 'dra-
ma of reconciliation" with something of
the same thought. e., forgiveness of
wrongs, reconciliation with life, with
self and the universe-that makes some
of Shakespeare's latest plays, like 1.-THE
Tempest and "The Winters Tale,' SO
beautiful and so full of high spiritual
teaching. The hero really reaches his
true greatness only when he has re-
nounced the hope of achieving the
mighty deeds he had at first planned.
Two or three scenes were read to illus
trate this idea and also to present Bjorn-
sens ideas of love ana death.
A far different spirits revealed in Ibsen.
He himself says 1.-The passion Of his soul
is scorn," and there is unquestionably a
certain scornfulness in his treatment Of
human beings: at least he seems to de-
light in showing us the hideous immor-
atty lurking under seeming fairness, as
in the Pillars of Society, Ghosts and
the Dolls House. "Hidda Gabler'' is
the study of passionate and exasperat-
ed woman who. at last, after having
wrecked tine life of her former lover and
forced him to suicide, finally can do no
better than kill herself The whole at
mosphere of the play is poisonous,
but there is no denying
the fatal power - like that of
some beautiful tiger ready to spring up
on us-that fingers about the actions of
this half-fiendish creature.
"Ghosts,' which has recently been
performed in New York: is almost too
terrible, in it's study Of insanity caused
nv the sure working of hereditary law,
for such portrayal, offending as it does
the Greek rule of temperance and fitting
restraint; but in its awful picture of the
Young man who suffers the most dread
ful fate conceivable for ''the sins of his
fathers there is, for those who will
heed it, most tremendous lesson. "The
Dolls House, has for it's motif the same
thought that animates the now much
taIked-of novel 1.-THE Heavenly Twins"
viz. the right of woman to lead her
own life. to have her individuality re
spected. to be treated as a woman and
not as doll, Helmer is largely respon-
sihle for the moral downfall of
Nora and it is really the beginning of a
new life in the woman when she decides
HAT she must leave her husband, only
that she AMI he too may reach higher
nIane of trath and nobler conception of
marriage.
Mr.. Bellowss next lecture will be upon
George Eliot and the Realists. "