impulse to the whole modern movement which has given Germany a new
dramatic literature; and the leaders of the movement, whether
authors or critics, were one and all ardent disciples of Ibsen, who
regarded _Gespenster_ as his typical masterpiece. In Germany, then,
the play certainly did, in Ibsen's own words, "move some boundary-posts."
The Prussian censorship presently withdrew its veto, and on,
November 27, 1894, the two leading literary theatres of Berlin, the
Deutsches Theater and the Lessing Theater, gave simultaneous
performances of the tragedy. Everywhere in Germany and Austria it
is now freely performed; but it is naturally one of the least
popular of Ibsen's plays.

It was with _Les Revenants_ that Ibsen made his first appearance on
the French stage. The play was produced by the Theatre Libre (at
the Theatre des Menus-Plaisirs) on May 29, 1890. Here, again, it
became the watchword of the new school of authors and critics, and
aroused a good deal of opposition among the old school. But the
most hostile French criticisms were moderation itself compared with
the torrents of abuse which were poured upon _Ghosts_ by the
journalists of London when, on March 13, 1891, the Independent
Theatre, under the direction of Mr. J. T. Grein, gave a private
performance of the play at the Royalty Theatre, Soho. I have
elsewhere [Note: See "The Mausoleum of Ibsen," _Fortnightly
Review_, August 1893. See also Mr. Bernard Shaw's _Quintessence of
Ibsenism_, p. 89, and my introduction to Ghosts in the single-volume
edition.] placed upon record some of the amazing feats of
vituperation achieved of the critics, and will not here recall
them. It is sufficient to say that if the play had been a tenth
part as nauseous as the epithets hurled at it and its author, the
Censor's veto would have been amply justified. That veto is still