full title Miss Julie
author August Strindberg
type of work Drama
genre Naturalistic tragedy
language Swedish
time and place written France, late 1880s
date of first publication 1888; initially banned in Sweden; published in Copenhagen in 1889
publisher Seligmanns forlag (Stockholm)
narrator None
climax Julie and Jean have sex
protagonists Julie, Jean
antagonist Julie, Jean
setting (time) Midsummer Eve, 1880s
setting (place) Sweden, the Count's manor house
falling action The unmasking of Jean and fall of Julie
tense Present
foreshadowing Miss Julie is described as white as a "ghost," yearns for death, and hypnotically surrenders to Jean; Serena is decapitated; Jean sharpens his razor
tone Tragic
themes The degenerate woman; class and gender conflict
motifs Idealization and degradation; hypnotism; animal doubles; the pantomime and ballet
symbols The signs of the Count's authority: the ringing bell, the boots, Jean's livery, the speaking tube
