A Glimpse of Danish Literature [Part 3]

In the last three decades of the 19th century, modern Danish literature and all modern Nordic literature came into being due to the role of literary critic G. Brandes.

Modern literature period (1)

Modern literature was born:

Literary critic G. Brandes.

In the last three decades of the 19th century, modern Danish literature and all modern Nordic literature came into being due to the role of literary critic G. Brandes (1842-1927).

He criticized outdated, frivolous, and unrealistic romanticism. Influenced by Hegel's philosophy (Germany), Sainte-Beuve's objective criticism school (France) and Taine's literary realism (France), he followed realism and naturalism, demanding that literature must be close to reality, scientific, progressive, and against reactionary politics .

The year 1871 was pivotal for all of Northern European literature: Brandes's lectures at the University of Copenhagen on Political Currents in 19th-Century European Literature opened a breakthrough into the Romantic citadel.

Later, Brandes's thinking gradually leaned towards the aristocratic radicalism of German philosopher Nietzsche.

JP Jacobsen (1847-1885) popularized Darwin's ideas. He wrote atheistic, anti-Christian novels (he later changed his mind). His works have a tragic tone, heavy with hopelessness and helplessness.

H. Bang (1837-1912) wrote novels, short stories, criticism, and impressionist poetry. His novel The Hopeless Generation exposed decadent bourgeois morality, written according to genetic theory, and was prosecuted in court. He sympathized with those who lived quietly and struggled hopelessly, and used a naturalistic writing style that led to pessimism.

H. Drachman (1846-1908) wavered between the two radical bourgeois and conservative tendencies. His collection of poems expressed his sympathy for the Paris Commune. But later he broke off relations with the radical Brandes group, wrote novels and wrote romantic, passionate poetry.

The realistic novel of H. Pontoppidan (1857-1943, Nobel Prize 1917), prepared for the modern novel. An excellent representative of Danish critical realism literature, he delved into social psychology. He contrasted modern man marked by economic , technical, social developments with traditional man deeply rooted in the land. The novel Per so do proves that in capitalist society, diligence and talent are ineffective, to succeed one must rely on money, power and cruelty; the main characters all find a way out by shunning society or doing good deeds with their property.

Reacting against pessimistic naturalism, some young writers sought a new ideal, an interior, lyrical, symbolic or mystical neo-romantic aesthetic such as J. Jorgensen, H. Rode, L. Holstein, S. Clausen, G. Wied and Vigo Stuckenberg.

By the early 19th century, from 1890 to World War I, Nordic literature was quite complex, but also within the general trend of European literature at that time: young poets reacted to the dominance of symbolism and neo-romanticism of the 90s of the 19th century. Although the symbolist tradition still exists today, in Scandinavia they opposed the absolute “I”, opening new horizons (industrial themes, big cities, language experiments). Psychological realism was expressed in novels and theater, addressing socialist issues. Local literature and literature written by peasants and workers themselves also developed.

In Denmark, a wave of materialist, neo-realist literature, tinged with socialism, emerged. The most prominent figure was JV Jensen (1873-1950). Influenced by the English poet Kipling, who praised civilizing imperialism, he created action-oriented, practical characters, praising the age of technology and the industrial revolution. He wrote poems, novels, and short stories praising his homeland Jutland, describing the life of peasants in the late 19th century. He received the Nobel Prize in 1944.

J.V. Jensen represents a local literary trend that includes many writers from southern Jutland. Notable among them is the novelist J. Knudsen (1858-1915). Jensen sought the way of the future in modern technology and superior people, while Knudsen found it in the Christian faith. Following a naturalistic tendency, he depicted souls to raise the question of good and evil. His important work is The False Pastor.

Another trend of literature at that time was the literature that inspired social struggle. M. Andersen - Nexoe (1869-1954) was the first prestigious writer representing the Danish workers' movement, introducing new material, placing the proletariat at the center of his work.

The novel Pelé, the World- famous Conqueror (praising class enlightenment, solidarity among the exploited, reflecting the belief in social justice). After the Russian October Revolution, he joined the Danish Communist Party and wrote the novel Ditte, His Daughter (praising the kindness of proletarian women). At the age of 82, he moved to the German Democratic Republic and lived there until his death.

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