From Brain Text to the Final Draft ：On Ibsen’s Ethical Choices in <i>Pillars of Society</i>

Su, Hui; Xiong, Hui

doi:2020.10.1.12

The Journal of Japanese Language Literature Studies > Volume 10(1); 2020 > Article

Essays-The Words of Border Crossings

Border Crossings: The Journal of Japanese-Language Literature Studies 2020;10(1): 12-26.
doi: https://doi.org/10.22628/bcjjl.2020.10.1.12

From Brain Text to the Final Draft ：On Ibsen’s Ethical Choices in Pillars of Society

Hui Su¹, Hui Xiong²

¹Professor, Central China Normal University
²Associate Professor, Jiangxi Normal University

From Brain Text to the Final Draft ―― On Ibsen’s Ethical Choices in Pillars of Society

苏晖¹, 熊卉²

¹華中師範大学文学院教授
²江西師範大学外国語学院副教授、華中師範大学博士候補者

Correspondence Hui Su ,Email: suhuichina@163.com
Hui Xiong ,Email: elainexiong0116@sina.com

Published online: 30 June 2020.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the four drafts of Henrik Ibsen’s play Pillars of Society as a manifestation of his brain text and his ethical choices, two key terms in Ethical Literary Criticism. By discussing the revisions in each draft, the paper investigates Ibsen’s ethical choices through the process of “decoding” his brain text via the written text. The dynamic interconnection between ethical choice and brain text is also embodied in his characters’ development, for example in Karsten Bernick’s inner conflict between his rational and irrational will. The purpose of this paper is to identify Ibsen’s ethical concerns evidenced in each revision, including the relationship between the individual and society, the concept of the ethical public, and the status of women in their relationship with men. The paper posits that in discussing these issues, Ibsen emphasizes the importance of the individual pursuit of freedom, reveals the ugly side of society and affirms the role of women, which is congruous with the moral teaching of the play.

Keywords: Henrik Ibsen, Pillars of Society, Brain Text, Ethical Choices

キ―ワ―ド: ヘンリック·イプセン, 社会の柱, ブレーン·テキスト, 倫理的選択