Summary
Summary Context revision for A Dolls House and The Merchants Tale
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context comparisons in the two novels
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THEME A Doll’s House (context) The Merchant’s Tale (context)Power or status Society in 19th century Norway has a flatter Nobles have the power in society. January is a
structure. The idea of nobility does not exist. knight that abuses his power by manipulating
Still a male dominated society. authorities.
Torvald and Krogstad are men who abuse January is an example of Senex Amans, it
their power. should be inappropriate for him to be with
Society then was still defined by class. someone as young as May.
Reputation is more important in this society Chaucer would have come across privileged
than anything else’. people abusing their power and experienced
Rank’s condition of Syphilis was hidden from different levels of hierarchy like both the
everyone except Nora because people would mercantile middle class and upper-class.
not want to associate with this type of
condition.
Wealth Wealth has corrupted the perception of Peasant’s revolt caused by socio-economic
money in ADH. issues related to the Black Death and there
Torvald represents the population of middle- was also a period of high taxation during the
class workers obsessed with working till hundred-year war going on in France.
exhaustion, believing this was the more The mercantile industry was what lead to
respectable thing to do. financial crisis too.
Torvald is rational with finance compared to Italy has been consumed by greed- January at
Nora, as in this time women did not have the the centre of this idea.
same level of financial literacy as men. He On the other hand, economic growth was
believes being in debt and taking out loans is positive and flourishing in the Middle Ages
not respectable. In some ways this is still a because of expansion in textiles agricultural
thought we have in modern society. production.
Money becomes a larger obsession in their Chaucers upbringing from merchants
marriage, breaking their relationship up in the influenced the work of MT and the merchant
end. whose voice is in the tale may be his
Jobs are more important to the middle class. representation of a stereotypical merchant,
Their purpose in life is to work. Ibsen’s writing someone greedy, values money over other
from the supernatural in the Romance genre things, would go on a pilgrimage across the
into realism discovers what it means to be country for personal gain?
human.
Religion Ibsen was an atheist at a time of the changing Chaucer was a religious Christian. He
status of church. He was influenced by works disowned all secular texts. And he was aware
of Søren Kierkegaard (existential of the corruption in following religion too.
philosopher). The character Nora explores the Religious figures are apostrophised in The
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