A History of Norwegian Literature

Edited by Harald S. Naess

Published by the University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln & London, in cooperation with The American- Scandinavian Foundation Contents

General Editor's Preface /ix Preface /xi Introduction /xiii Map of Norway /xviii

1. Old Norwegian Literature James E. Knirk Older Runes and Germanic Tradition /i The Viking Age (800-1066) Ij The Early Middle Ages (1030-1150) /20 The High Middle Ages (1150-1370) Ixj

2. Oral Tradition, Humanism, and the Baroque Kathleen Stokker The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: Oral Tradition /$<) The Sixteenth Century: Reformation and Humanism /43 The Seventeenth Century: Development of Vernacular Poetry I48 3. Holberg and the Age of Enlightenment HaraldNaess Eighteenth-Century Norway / 5 3 Ludvig Holberg /$? From Holberg to Tullin /71 Det Norske Selskab Ij6

4. Norwegian Literature 1800—1860 Harold Naess The Eidsvoll Generation ISz The Cultural Debate of the 18 3 os /8 3 Johan Sebastian Welhaven /86 Henrik Arnold Wergeland /8 8 The National Breakthrough /$$ Aasen and Vinje and the Development of Nynorsk A?9 Beginnings of the Norwegian Novel: Hansen and Collett /102

5. Norwegian Literature 1860-1910 James McFarlane A Profile of the Age i860—1910 /107 Henrik Ibsen /113 Bjomstjerne Bjornson /130 Realism and Naturalism /140 From the Eighties to the New Century /161 Knut Hamsun /184 Hans Kinck /194

6. Norwegian Literature 1910-19 50 William Mishler The Historical and Social Context /200

VI Prose Writers of the Early Twentieth Century /203 The Epic Novelists: Undset, Duun, Uppdal, Falkberget /210 In Search of Norway's Soul /226 Two Modern Masters: Vesaas and Sandel /237 Three Public Poets: Wildenvey, Bull, 0verland Nordahl Grieg and Other Socialist Writers The Radical Freudians: Hoel and Krog Christian Psychological Novelists: Fangen and Christiansen /25s City and Wilderness /261 Confronting the Beast Within: Aksel Sandemose /263 Other Poets with Roots in the National /266 Four Modernist Poets: Reiss-Andersen, Boyson, Gill, Jacobsen

7. Norwegian Literature since 1950 Jan I. Sjavik Prose Fiction 1950—1965 A2.78 Lyric Poetry 1950—1965 /2

8. Norwegian Children's Literature MargaretHay ford O'Leary Early History ^35 The Golden Age (1890-1914) /33s Between the Wars /341 After World War II /34Z The 1970s and 1980s 7345

VII 9. Norwegian Women Writers Faith Ingwersen Norwegian Women Writers /•$ 49

Bibliography ^73 The Contributors /391 Index 7393

VIII