Pioneering Ibsen's Dramas Agents, Markets and Reception 1852-1893 Magnus Qvistgaard Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Florence, 30 June 2015 European University Institute Department of History and Civilization Pioneering Ibsen’s Dramas Agents, Markets and Reception 1852­1893 Magnus Qvistgaard Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Examining Board Prof. Pavel Kolář, (EUI/ Supervisor) Prof. Ann Thomson (EUI) Prof. Tore Rem (University of Oslo) Prof. Ann Steiner(Lund University) © Magnus Qvistgaard, 2015 No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Abstract This thesis investigates the dissemination of the plays of the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen to Denmark, Germany and Britain. The investigation covers the time from when Ibsen’s dramas were first attempted to be introduced to the time when they broke through in each of the three countries spanning the period 1852-1893. In this way, the thesis offers both a synchronic and diachronic view of the process. The thesis’ approach builds on theories of cultural transfer and investigates the agents that carried out the transfer, the cultural markets through which the plays were disseminated and finally how they were integrated into local culture. Through the three case studies, the thesis offers a transnational scope on the transfer of Ibsen’s drama as well as incorporating a plurality of perspectives to show how the transfer was contested and negotiated locally. The cultural markets, such as local and transnational book and theatrical markets, are investigated to show how structural conditions influenced the transfer, and contemporary notions of nation and national literature are explored to place the transfer in an ideational context. Thus, the investigation of the transfer of Ibsen’s plays offers a prism for the study of cultural markets, agency in the field of culture and the circulation of Scandinavian cultural products in the latter half of the nineteenth century. iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have assisted me in writing my thesis. I would like to thank Pavel Kolar and Tore Rem, who supervised the thesis, for their careful attention and, not least, the encouragement that they have given throughout the writing process. Thanks are also due to Philipp Ther, who initially introduced me to the approach of cultural transfer and who greatly helped me outline the project, and Giulia Calvi who supervised the thesis through its first year. I am also indebted to the academic as well as administrative staff of the Centre of Ibsen Studies at Oslo University for their support, and to Jens-Morten Hanssen, who, in connection with his great work on the Ibsen Repertoire Database, has been very helpful. I would also like to thank my friends and colleagues at the European University Institute for providing a very diverse and stimulating environment for academic work, which I know has greatly benefitted the outlook of the thesis. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Hanne Østhus, who has housed me on many trips to Norway, and Katherine Meier for correcting the language of the thesis. Last but not least, I would like to thank Helle Strandgaard Jensen for her unfailing support for which I am profoundly grateful. v Notes on the text Translations All translations of texts into English of the Scandinavian languages are mine unless otherwise noted. In my translations, I have chosen to adhere closely to the original in terms of the structure and the length of sentences in order to show the complex, even wordy, style of the time. Henrik Ibsen’s correspondence As Ibsen’s correspondence has been made available through numerous publications, I only give the date and the recipient when referencing the letters. For my work, I have relied on the online archive based on Henrik Ibsens Skrifter (2005-2010) at: http://www.ibsen.uio.no/brev.xhtml. In the case of the letters of Ibsen’s Danish publisher, Frederik V. Hegel, I follow the same format albeit Hegel’s letters remain largely unpublished and only available in the form of Hegel’s draft letters in the manuscript collection of the Danish Royal Library. Abbreviations DBL: Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, eletronic resource: http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon. HIS: Henrik Ibsens Skrifter (2005-2010) NBL: Norsk Biografisk Leksikon, electronic resource: https://nbl.snl.no NDB/ADB: Deutsche Biographie, electronic resource: http://www.deutsche- biographie.de/search ODNB: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, electronic resource: www.oxforddnb.com vi Contents Introduction: Ibsen research as transfer history .................................................................. 1 Previous research .................................................................................................................... 3 Provincial Ibsen ...................................................................................................................... 9 The World Republic of Letters ............................................................................................. 12 Transfer history as an approach to the diffusion of Ibsen’s dramas ......................................... 20 Transfer and comparison ...................................................................................................... 20 Investigating the transfer of Ibsen’s plays ............................................................................ 22 The objects of transfer .......................................................................................................... 23 The agents of transfer ........................................................................................................... 24 Markets of cultural goods ..................................................................................................... 25 Notions of centre and periphery, nation, and national literature .......................................... 27 Scope, sources, and transcending national fields of research .............................................. 28 Transfer history as a transnational and interdisciplinary approach ...................................... 32 Part One: Ibsen and Denmark .............................................................................................. 35 Chapter 1: Norwegian authors and Danish cultural hegemony ................................................ 36 Setting the stage: Ibsen’s first visit to Denmark .................................................................. 36 Norwegian literature in Denmark before Ibsen .................................................................... 37 Norwegian authors in Denmark ........................................................................................... 39 Ibsen and the Norwegian publishers .................................................................................... 43 The path to Gyldendal .......................................................................................................... 44 Gyldendal: Norwegian authors’ gateway to Danish readers ................................................ 46 Chapter 2: Positioning in the cultural field .............................................................................. 52 Placing Brand in the field of literature: a historiographical problem .................................. 53 Norwegian authors: filling the void of Danish literature? .................................................... 54 Ibsen and the critics: finding literary patronage ................................................................... 57 Clemens Petersen ................................................................................................................. 58 Chapter 3: Ibsen and Danish theatre ........................................................................................ 69 Preconditions and the developments in the theatrical market of Copenhagen ..................... 70 Ibsen’s plays in the theatres of Copenhagen ........................................................................ 72 Ibsen and the Royal Theatre ................................................................................................. 74 vii Ibsen’s dramas: between rejection and acceptance .............................................................. 75 Ibsen’s breakthrough: The League of Youth ......................................................................... 78 Censorship and the Norwegian language ............................................................................. 80 Between book and theatre .................................................................................................... 82 Between publishing and theatre ........................................................................................... 87 Chapter 4: The scandalous play Ghosts ................................................................................... 89 Ibsen: Ghosts, a calculated risk ............................................................................................ 90 The scandal: Ghosts in reviews ............................................................................................ 92 Ghosts’ path to the stage – the story of a touring company ................................................