As I was completing “Punishment” by Rabindranath Tagore, I realized there was a similarity in the style of writing compared to that of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”. The style of writing seemed very detailed which stands out in the era of Literary Realism in the sense that the characters are not “flat” and are described in great detail giving each one a backstory. The description in each character can bring a sense of better understanding to the reader to understand the person and also their actions that play a role in the story. For example, in Ibsen’s story, we see how the main 4 characters were described greatly giving us an imaginary idea of how they look like, how they might dress, and how they might act. Similarly, in Tagore’s short story we see the description of the characters including the sisters in law which also gives us the sense that they do indeed contrast in many senses as they have different attributes. Because these pieces of writings are from the 19th century we can see that great addition of details in the story as a complementary way of adding more complex and flawed scenes that will intensify the reader by engaging and intriguing which is something we see in both Tagore’s “Punishment” and Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”.
Yessenia, I like that you have focussed on style in your response. You are right that in both texts the authors fill us in a little on the characters’ histories, and this helps us understand their behavior. It is also true that both writers seem to suggest a connection between a character’s physical appearance and his/her psychological make-up.