Hedda Gabler: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1890, 27,073 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1890, 27,073 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
27,073 words. Modern plays often runs 15,000 to 30,000 words, so this is in the usual range today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 27,073 words across four acts, the play is short for modern drama. It is tightly constructed with minimal exposition or subplot. The length suits the focused psychological intensity and single-location setting.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1890, 27,073 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
Each act ends with a cliffhanger or revelation. Act 1 ends with Lovborg's return. Act 2 ends with Lovborg leaving for the party. Act 3 ends with Brack's blackmail threat. Act 4 ends with Hedda's suicide. Each break leaves questions unresolved.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: Sarah Kane's psychological dramas, Caryl Churchill's power plays, Lucy Kirkwood's intimate character studies. Works exploring female agency and social constraint in confined spaces.
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Shelved for readers interested in classic drama, psychological realism, feminist literature, and Ibsen. Appeals to theatre students, literary scholars, and readers of character-driven tragedy.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: suicide, psychological manipulation, blackmail, references to infidelity and sexual scandal, death offstage. Themes of female powerlessness and desperation.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
A brilliant woman trapped in marriage and society manipulates those around her to gain power, only to discover that true control is impossible. When blackmail strips away her last option, she chooses death over submission.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
I want for once in my life to have power to mould a human destiny. (Ch 2, para 1005)
At last a deed worth doing! (Ch 4, para 316)
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is a character name, typical of Ibsen's plays. It is direct and simple, naming the protagonist without flourish. This style is common in realistic drama and differs from romantic or symbolic titles.
Ask Hedda Gabler a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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