The Great Question Mark

Henrik Ibsen(1828-1906) is one of the most famous Dramatists in Norway.Ibsen in the East,especially in Japan and China,has been enormously popular and had a profound impact. Ibsen was first introduced to Japan,and since then he has been widely received in China with the efforts of translation,acting and research by a group of young Chinese who studied in Japan in the early twentieth century.In the past one hundred years,there were two main stages of the Ibsen studies in China:Ibsenism and Ibsenization.Ibsen studies in the early twentieth century served the purpose of meeting the needs of national liberation movements and social changes in China.But China's Ibsen scholars pay more attention to the aesthetic construction in Ibsen's works after the reform and opening up.In the new century,we expound Ibsen' s "social problem drama" and base on the theoretical system of Ibsenization that was built up by senior scholars.By returning to Ibsen's dramatic work,we try to analyze the meaning of characters and the "great question mark" in Ibsen's dramas.The main body of the thesis and research methods is as follows:First,we analyze the reasons of Ibsen's creation with the approaches of biography and sociology.Through the analysis of the Norwegian national identity,social environment and status of literature,we try to find out the inherent relations between the creation of Ibsen's "social problem drama" of and Norway's realistic demand,the change of Ibsen's thought the mainstream of Nordic drama from the perspective of comparative literature.Second,we try to dredge and collect the problems of Ibsen's "social problem drama",with an approach of ontology and theory of drama.These questions include conflicts of personal desires and social conscience,the spirit of freedom and economic independence,indulgence and salvation,the realistic necessity and pursuit of truth and so on.Finally,we analyze the important thoughts in Ibsen's dramas and his solution to these problems,via cultural studies.As a playwright,Ibsen raised social issues in his plays,but he confused us in coping with these issues.The discussion about whether or not a playwright should find a prescription to social evils is still controversial.The conclusion consists of three aspects:Firstly,Ibsen has an acute sense of "problem awareness".With his Deep concern and sharp observation of the question of real society, Ibsen reflected and criticized the social issues.Secondly,the characters in Ibsen's dramas had unique "awareness of self-reflection".Through self-reflection,the characters in the dramas have achieved self-affirmation,self-venting and self-rescue.Thirdly,by describing ordinary people's living with the drawbacks of the various contradictions,Ibsen put forward his own reform program.It can be enlightened for the whole community and each of the society through the improvement of legal system,inspiration and religious enlightenment.