Ibsen's Forsaken Merman

Critics have conceded that Ibsen used folk themes in his earlier, inferior plays, but no major book has dealt with the fact that even in his later work, he made extensive use of folklore. In this work, cultural anthropologist Per Schelde Jacobsen and literary critic Barbara Fass Leavy present a study of the late plays that offers both a fascinating look at Ibsen's subtle use of folk narratives and an illuminating discussion of the folklore itself. The authors examine the Danish magic ballads, the seal maiden stories, and Norwegian tales dealing with various kinds of fairy folk. They reveal how Ibsen used folk motifs, showing his remarkable sensitivity to how deep and far-reaching the folklore was in exploring human emotion and expression. "Ibsen's Forsaken Merman" includes a translation of Ibsen's essay "On the Fold Ballad and Its Significance for the Literary Arts" and excerpts from his diary notes from a trip to the far north of Norway to collect folk ballads.