Mythic Patterns in Ibsen's Last Plays by Orley I. Holtan (review)

1972 BOOK REVIEWS 215 a ki,nship, with the vagrants he had so often dramatized, and his use of the word "Cha~gli~g" as a descriptive epithet for, and salutation to, Molly identifies to some extent the qualities that deepened his affectipn. The book must ultimately be judged not as literature or even theatrical history, but as a document of the heart. HAROLD OREL The University of Kansas MYTHIC PATTERNS IN IBSEN'S LAST PLAYS, by Orley I. Holtan. Minneapolis : The University of Minnesota Press, 1970. 184 pages. Notes, Bibliography and Index. $7.95. Compared to some other recent works on Ibsen, Mr. Holtan's book is short, but it is very good in its entirety. He writes easily and he manages sophisticated ideas with clarity and competence. The language never deviates from its elevated level, and the reader's engagement in the book's contents never flags. This is one of the most interesting and rewarding discussions of Ibsen that has been published during the past decade. The author cites numerous critics, but it is refreshing to meet a writer who is his "own man," While Mr. Holtan makes frequent use of criticism, he is nearly always elevated above its tyranny. An excellent example of this is in the introductory remarks to The Master Builder~ pp. 97-99. Mr. Holtan is everywhere eventempered and scrupulously fair in his difference with critics. but in his discussion of When We Dead Awaken I detect a note of impatience, at long last, toward those critics who insist that the last plays of Ibsen are largely autobiographical: "This is undoubtedly true, but the critic must not allow himself to be so blinded by autobiographical details that he fails to see that those stages parallel the life of every man," (p. 161) Occasionally Mr. Holtan feels it necessary to quote authority for commonplaces. In his discussion of When We Dead Awaken, for example, he contrasts Ulfheim and Maja with Rubek and Irene, a contrast that any reader, without prodding, would note: "They, Maja and Ulfheim, are, as Valency points out, the precise opposites of Irene and Rubek and counterbalance them." (p. 174) This sort of thing, doesn't have to be documented, and certainly the above is no discovery of Professor Valency. In his discussions, at various stages throughout his work, of myth and literature, tragedy~ and the dilemma of modem man, Mr. Holtan draws upon earlier and contemporary critics, whom he quotes or paraphrases, but the reade,r has the feeling that he has made this knowledge his own. While the titles of other works come to mInd, Mr. Holtan has selected works that serve well his purpose in these areas. I feel, however, that his bibliography on more recent Ibsen criticism is somewhat deficient. I refer especially to Henning Sehmsdorf's discussion of the troll symbol in The Master Builder (Edda), but here one must be cautious because Mr. Holtan relies largely upon his own interpretations of the plays. If Mr. Holtan has read this far, he will probably say to himself: "I'm in," He is, but I want to raise a few questions. I can clarify my differences with Mr. Holtan by indicating that while he divides Ibsen's production according to the "mythic" pattern, I divide it according to its ideological contents. I, therefore, have no difficulty with Emperor and Galilean1 while Mr. Holtan does. My three terminal plays are Emperor and Galilean, Rosmersholm , and When We Dead Awaken; Holtan's aren't. My view is that Ibsen 216 MODERN DRAMA September remained an idealist throughout (even during the period of his realistic and natur· alistic plays). Mr. Holtan confirms this view toward the end of his discussion, but he "goofs" in his concluding remarks on Rosmersholm. (p. 62) Mr. Holtan may disagree with me on this, but, a bit ironically. his two best discussions are on The Lady from the Sea and Little Eyol/. We both agree that among the last plays these are the least rewarding as drama. The two chapters are well constructed..-the organization is excellent. The only problem comes to· ward the end of the discussion of Little Eyol/, understandably enough. Mr. Holtan...