Comments on: An Enemy of the People http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/ Reflections of a working writer and reader Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:06:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bill Yamm http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-112207 Bill Yamm Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:15:03 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=4376#comment-112207 As a young man, Ibsen bought Peer Gynt from a starving poet and set himself up as a pretender to being a playwright. Then, in Germany, he was killed in a bar fight, and a group of young German writers wrote his plays for a while as a joke, eventually hiring an out-of-work actor to impersonate him. My book will decode all of the jokes the playwrights wrote into the plays in code, though anyone can tell Peer Gynt was written by a different author than the one who wrote Hedda Gabler. Further stylistic analysis, date comparisons and research will be provided. See the upcoming TV special. We have established that more than one writer wrote Ibsen's plays, and will reveal our data more completely in the book. However, as can be seen clearly from the style of language Ibsen used, one of the writers (called "Ibsen 4" in the study) is clearly speaks danish fluently. And, we believe there is a case that Ibsen 4 was the dramaturg for the group, engineering the plots and mechanics of the plays. To reveal one exciting finding of the study, it is clear that the cabal of playwrights who actually wrote so-called Ibsen's works were women. certainly, any reasonable person will not find it odd that a woman in that oppressed day and age would both write "Hedda Gabler" and be unable to publish it because of the repression of her gender. <strong>jb says</strong>: Interesting conspiracy theory you have there, Bill . . . As a young man, Ibsen bought Peer Gynt from a starving poet and set himself up as a pretender to being a playwright. Then, in Germany, he was killed in a bar fight, and a group of young German writers wrote his plays for a while as a joke, eventually hiring an out-of-work actor to impersonate him. My book will decode all of the jokes the playwrights wrote into the plays in code, though anyone can tell Peer Gynt was written by a different author than the one who wrote Hedda Gabler. Further stylistic analysis, date comparisons and research will be provided. See the upcoming TV special.

We have established that more than one writer wrote Ibsen’s plays, and will reveal our data more completely in the book. However, as can be seen clearly from the style of language Ibsen used, one of the writers (called “Ibsen 4″ in the study) is clearly speaks danish fluently. And, we believe there is a case that Ibsen 4 was the dramaturg for the group, engineering the plots and mechanics of the plays. To reveal one exciting finding of the study, it is clear that the cabal of playwrights who actually wrote so-called Ibsen’s works were women. certainly, any reasonable person will not find it odd that a woman in that oppressed day and age would both write “Hedda Gabler” and be unable to publish it because of the repression of her gender.

jb says: Interesting conspiracy theory you have there, Bill . . .

]]> By: Dick http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-112116 Dick Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:23:07 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=4376#comment-112116 I really hope this production travels down here at some point. A decent production of 'An Enemy...' has so much to say to a contemporary audience. Proof positive that Brecht's contention that naturalistic drama ('the theatre of illusion', as he called it) has nothing to tell us about the world in which we live because any issues addressed will be neutralised by character and emotion is nonsense. <strong>jb says</strong>: You can understand Brecht's point, though. It must be possible to be wrong while, at the same time, pointing at a truth. I really hope this production travels down here at some point. A decent production of ‘An Enemy…’ has so much to say to a contemporary audience. Proof positive that Brecht’s contention that naturalistic drama (‘the theatre of illusion’, as he called it) has nothing to tell us about the world in which we live because any issues addressed will be neutralised by character and emotion is nonsense.

jb says: You can understand Brecht’s point, though. It must be possible to be wrong while, at the same time, pointing at a truth.

]]> By: john baker http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-112073 john baker Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:59:04 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=4376#comment-112073 One other thing I thought was interesting but forgot to mention in the review was that <em>Jaws</em>, the 1975 Steven Spielberg film, was based on An Enemy of the People. The great white shark represents the polluted Spa water and the beach of Amity and the small community around it are Ibsen's townsfolk. In both cases the people of the town are financially dependent on tourists who visit solely for the water. But something in the water is killing people. One man wants to do something about it, but the bureaucrats try to keep it quiet. One other thing I thought was interesting but forgot to mention in the review was that Jaws, the 1975 Steven Spielberg film, was based on An Enemy of the People. The great white shark represents the polluted Spa water and the beach of Amity and the small community around it are Ibsen’s townsfolk.
In both cases the people of the town are financially dependent on tourists who visit solely for the water. But something in the water is killing people. One man wants to do something about it, but the bureaucrats try to keep it quiet.

]]> By: Rachel Fox http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-111957 Rachel Fox Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:25:05 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=4376#comment-111957 'In community?' <strong>jb says</strong>: I tried to write about it a couple of times: http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/living-in-community-writing-alone-i/ and http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/living-in-community-writing-alone-ii/ ‘In community?’

jb says: I tried to write about it a couple of times:
http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/living-in-community-writing-alone-i/
and
http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/living-in-community-writing-alone-ii/

]]> By: Rachel Fox http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/an-enemy-of-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-111946 Rachel Fox Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:22:04 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=4376#comment-111946 Have you ever written a play, John? x jb says: Hi Rachel. Yes, I tried my hand a couple of times at a tv play, but didn't manage to get anyone to take it up. When I lived in community, many years ago I used to write plays which were produced locally. I often think I should try again, especially after seeing badly written and produced plays. Had the thought only last week after seeing <a href="http://www.outofjoint.co.uk/prods/andersensenglish.html" rel="nofollow">Andersen's English</a> at the Leeds Playhouse. Have you ever written a play, John?
x

jb says: Hi Rachel. Yes, I tried my hand a couple of times at a tv play, but didn’t manage to get anyone to take it up. When I lived in community, many years ago I used to write plays which were produced locally. I often think I should try again, especially after seeing badly written and produced plays. Had the thought only last week after seeing Andersen’s English at the Leeds Playhouse.

]]>