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18 - Literatures of the North

from Part III - Restoration to Revolution (1815–1850)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2024

Patrick Vincent
Affiliation:
Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Summary

Chapter Eighteen introduces us to Scandinavian Romanticism, which helped Denmark, Sweden, and Norway imagine themselves as independent nations by drawing on Old Norse and medieval sources, contributing to a shared sense of identity. The chapter explores its origins in Mallet and eighteenth-century antiquarianism, drawing parallels with Ossian and Percy, and discussing Ewald’s Rolf Krage. It then looks at some of the defining features of Scandinavian ballads, including the figures of elf and shield maiden. Sweden’s loss of Finland led to an ‘Old Scandinavian’ turn in which the Viking became a common topos, as we discover in works by Tegnér and Wergeland. It also led to calls for a new mythology, answered among others by Ewald, Grundtvig, and Oehlenschläger. Other writers include the young Ibsen, who began his career with plays about Norse mythology, and Erik Gustaf Geiger whose stories idealise Nordic liberty. Fairy tales were also an important Romantic genre. Möller discusses the motif of the Isle of Felicity in works by Almqvist and Atterbom before turning to the characteristic features of Andersen’s tales. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of Scandinavian Romantic fiction, including male-authored historical romances but also domestic novels written by women that look towards realism.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Literatures of the North
  • Edited by Patrick Vincent, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
  • Book: The Cambridge History of European Romantic Literature
  • Online publication: 10 January 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683906.019
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  • Literatures of the North
  • Edited by Patrick Vincent, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
  • Book: The Cambridge History of European Romantic Literature
  • Online publication: 10 January 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683906.019
Available formats
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  • Literatures of the North
  • Edited by Patrick Vincent, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
  • Book: The Cambridge History of European Romantic Literature
  • Online publication: 10 January 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683906.019
Available formats
×