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Microsoft Word Viewer Indholdsfortegnelse 1. INDLEDNING................................................................................................................................................... 2 2. ARISTOKRATIBEGREBET........................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 POLITISK -SOCIALT ARISTOKRATI ...................................................................................................................7 2.1.1 Et politisk system................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Et slægtsforhold .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.3 En elite i samfundet............................................................................................................................. 10 2.2 MORALSK -FILOSOFISK ARISTOKRATI ........................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 En livsindstilling ................................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 SAMMENFATNING ........................................................................................................................................ 17 3. KAREN BLIXEN ............................................................................................................................................ 20 3.1 KAREN BLIXEN OG FAMILIEN ......................................................................................................................20 3.1.1 Den fædrene side................................................................................................................................. 20 3.1.2 Den mødrene side ............................................................................................................................... 22 3.1.3 Karen Blixen mellem det aristokratiske og det borgerlige.................................................................. 22 3.2 KAREN BLIXENS EMANCIPATIONSHISTORIE ................................................................................................. 24 3.2.1 Breve fra Afrika................................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.2 Flugten til Afrika................................................................................................................................. 25 3.2.3 Friheden som kvindelig emigrant........................................................................................................ 26 3.2.4 Kvindesag............................................................................................................................................ 27 3.2.5 At udrette noget som sig selv............................................................................................................... 28 3.3 SAMMENFATNING ........................................................................................................................................ 30 4. KAREN BLIXENS TALER OG ESSAYS .................................................................................................... 33 4.1 SLÆGTENS BETYDNING I DET GAMLE ÆGTESKAB ......................................................................................... 33 4.2 DET MODERNE ÆGTESKAB OG ARISTOKRATI ............................................................................................... 34 4.3 OM IDEALERNES FALD ................................................................................................................................. 35 4.4 DE IMPLICITTE LOVE I ET HIERARKISK FORHOLD ......................................................................................... 39 4.5 ANERKENDELSE OG MIMETISK BEGÆR ......................................................................................................... 40 4.6 BLIXEN OG DEN EMANCIPEREDE KVINDE ..................................................................................................... 43 4.7 SAMMENFATNING ........................................................................................................................................ 45 5. DEN AFRIKANSKE FARM.......................................................................................................................... 47 5.1 GENREDISKUSSION ...................................................................................................................................... 48 5.2 EN TEMATISK LÆSNING AF DEN AFRIKANSKE FARM .................................................................................... 54 5.2.1 Mottoet................................................................................................................................................ 54 5.2.2 Den aristokratiske natur ..................................................................................................................... 57 5.2.3 Det politiske ”aristokrati”.................................................................................................................. 58 5.2.4 De aristokratiske afrikanere ............................................................................................................... 62 5.2.5 Feudaltid............................................................................................................................................. 65 5.2.6 Kobberslange...................................................................................................................................... 68 5.2.7 Mayflower-aristokratiet ...................................................................................................................... 69 5.2.8 Farah .................................................................................................................................................. 71 5.2.9 Blixens aristokratiske identiteter ........................................................................................................ 74 5.2.10 Afsked med Afrika ............................................................................................................................. 79 5.3 SAMMENFATNING ........................................................................................................................................ 84 6. ARISTOKRATI SOM TEMA I BLIXENS FORTÆLLINGER ................................................................88 6.1 ’E N HISTORIE OM EN PERLE ’ .......................................................................................................................88 6.1.1 Sammenfatning.................................................................................................................................... 94 6.2 ’D E STANDHAFTIGE SLAVEEJERE ’ ...............................................................................................................94 6.2.1 Sammenfatning.................................................................................................................................... 98 6.3 ’E N HERREGAARDSHISTORIE ’......................................................................................................................99 6.3.1 Sammenfatning.................................................................................................................................. 104 7. KONKLUSION OG PERSPEKTIVERING............................................................................................... 105 LITTERATURLISTE....................................................................................................................................... 110 BILAG................................................................................................................................................................ 117 1. Indledning ”Jeg ville aldrig kunne skrive en fortælling, hvor æresbegrebet ikke optrådte.” Karen Blixen, 1959. 1 Et ideal om ære gennemstrømmer hele Karen Blixens forfatterskab. Måske er det nærværelsen af dette ideal, som har fået mange skribenter og læsere til at kalde hende for aristokratisk eller aristokrat – benævnelser, der sjældent er blevet uddybet. Aristokratitemaet i Blixens forfatterskab er kun blevet underkastet én større analyse. I sin bog Babette og det aristokratiske univers (1998) fremfører Frantz Leander Hansen, at Karen Blixens livsholdning kvalificerer hende som aristokrat og aristokratisk kunstner; det sidste fordi hendes aristokratiske livsholdning er grundlæggende i forfatterskabet (s. 10). Ifølge Leander Hansen overtog hun livsholdningen fra sin far og den fædrene side af familien, der havde et aristokratisk sindelag og var i slægtsskab med adelige i modsætning til den mødrene side, der var præget af en borgerlig livsholdning (s. 161 f.). Ifølge Leander Hansen kan Blixens aristokratiske livsholdning praktiseres af alle uanset klassetilhørsforhold, og den er modstillet en borgerlig livsholdning (s. 10). Sidstnævnte fremstår som indskrænket, begrænsende, moraliserende og som et udtryk for en manglende evne til at give sig livet i vold. Den aristokratiske livsholdning giver derimod mennesket optimale livsbetingelser. Den gør mennesket i stand til at leve ”tilværelsens evige indretning ud” og vinde sin skæbne (s. 10 og 197). Han forbinder endvidere det aristokratiske med det uforfalskede, ødselhed, frygtløshed (dvs. kærlighed til
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