The New Woman Flashcards
where did the term ‘New Woman’ originate from?
the term New Woman was first used by the writer Sarah Grand in 1894
although it is strongly associated with Ibsen and his portrayal of Nora and Christine
what is the New Woman?
the New Woman was typically middle-class, intellectual, rebellious, politically active and independent
what is the context behind the New Woman? how did the New Woman come about?
the 1880s and 1890s offered new professional and social opportunities for middle-class women, especially the type of women attending Ibsen’s plays
Oxford and Cambridge had new women colleges, there were women-only clubs in London, women attended matinees unchaperoned and talk about women’s suffrage was growing
how can the New Woman be seen in ADH?
Nora, by the end, wants to become a New Woman and achieve the independence that Mona Claird talked about
even in Act 1, she desires economic independence — “it was great fun… sitting there working and earning money”
Nora is regarded as one of the great female roles in a great feminist play, even if this is not what Ibsen intended
although Ibsen claimed that he “must decline the honour of consciously working for the cause of women… my task has been to portray human beings”
feminism may be overstressed in the interpretation of this play as he was more of a humanist, not a feminist
how was the New Woman often caricatured?
the New Woman was often caricatured as unnaturally masculine — this demonstrated a demonisation of women who resist the norm and a belittling of female resistance
Punch magazine included cartoons of the New Woman as manly, bearded, wearing masculine clothes and being ugly
the New Woman was often caricatured as masculine and unfashionable by the Conservative press, who objected to the mobility and political activity of these ‘new women’ and viewed Ibsen as an appalling moral influence
examples of the New Woman being caricatured, ridiculed or criticised
Hugh Suttfield
Clement Scott
Max Nordau
Hugh Suttfield
in 1891, Hugh Suttfield called the female audience for Ghosts “the unwomanly women, the unsexed females, and the whole army of unprepossessing cranks in petticoats”
he also claimed that “the woman of the new Ibsenite neuropathic school is not only mad, but does her best to drive others mad too”
this could link to Christine’s influence on Nora’s desire for independence and the influence that the character of Nora had on many women who watched ADH
Max Nordau
Max Nordau accused Ibsen of “personal perversity” and said that “the idiocy of Nora’s highflown leavetaking [had] become the gospel for the hysterical of both sexes”
this demonstrates the pathologisation of female rebellion
it also shows how influential and contaminating the play was perceived to be
Clement Scott
in 1889, Clement Scott’s review of ADH reflects the Conservative view of marriage in the period
he said that “Nora is Torvald’s baby wife, a restless, logical, fractious and babyish little wife”
this echoes Torvald’s own words to describe Nora — “my poor, helpless, bewildered little creature”
