Literature Lessons: The Best Pieces of Literature to Study

Ghosts // Henrik Ibsen

When your studies are limited to a particular era – in this case, the Victorian – studying texts can become a little tedious. I stumbled across Ghosts due to a teacher’s recommendation of the Norwegian dramatist, Henrik Ibsen, whilst studying AS Level English Literature. When it was first released, riots broke out in the theatres – and it’s easy to see why! Oozing with scandal, quotation finding became the opposite of a chore. Ghosts was not what I expected, however it remains one of my favourite plays even two years after originally studying it.

Ghosts centres around the Alvings, a broken family that has many sordid secrets – the majority of which are revealed through the course of this riveting play. Their home is haunted by the family’s dark past. It is only when Oswald Alving (the family heir) returns home due to his ill health that these ‘ghosts’ are revealed. The play is simply gripping and often I found myself lost in the story rather than simply studying it. I had an overwhelming need to admire this gripping drama for much more than its literary prowess.

Considering when the drama was written, the taboo subjects it tackled, such as sexual diseases and assisted suicide, were still uncharted territory within the literary world. These themes prove that Ibsen was a forward thinking dramatist well ahead of his time, making studying this play a breath of fresh air compared to other works from this period. However, nothing is explicitly spelled out; it is all cleverly implied through stories and symbolism.

Having been lucky enough to see this play thanks to theatres now streaming to cinemas nationwide, I appreciate its literal beauty, visual composition and its captivating narrative as well. My admiration of this compelling drama has only blossomed, influencing my tastes in literature today.

Words by Melissa Churchill

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