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home from its privileged association with domestic ideals and the testing of the “house” as a modern alternative.” (85). Indeed, the distinction between the home and the house is an important one. The house is stripped of its elevated position as a secure space and instead occupies a more liminal position, prone to change and invasion. This differs from Tagore’s text which has no apparent engagement with capitalist affairs at the outset. Instead, Bimala’s household is initially unmarred by the influence of external forces “It transcended all debates, or doubts, or calculations: it was pure music.” (18). However, it would presumptuous to suggest that this state of bliss is indefinite as the looming presence of the outside world is certainly visible within Bimala’s narrative “What do I want with the outside world?” (23). Such allusions are important as they highlight the threat of what lurks beyond the safety of the household. In this sense, Berman’s vision of modernity as “a maelstrom of perpetual disintegration” (15) does not coalesce neatly with how it is presented in Ibsen and Tagore’s texts. This is because a maelstrom is indicative of a vortex, consuming the matter that surrounds it. It is not subtle, it is antagonistic. Yet, in both pieces it is more akin to an infection, spreading outwards and contaminating all that it touches. It is not an aggressive force, like a maelstrom, as much as it is an inevitable process of change.