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502

(1900) [MARC]
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set to work to create for the young Norwegian actors an original
Norwegian repertoire. Hitherto the luxuriant Danish literature
had ruled the theatres, and what had been written on Norwegian
soil for the stage, had been imitation. At last the saga style
opened the ears of both poets to a true Norwegian ring in the speech,
and the saga subjects filled their inward vision with forms whose
essence was headstrong passion and bold exploit.

In the autumn of 1857 and the spring of 1858, Bjørnson
published his two dramas, «Mellem slagene» (Between the Battles) and
«Halte-Hulda» (Lame Hulda) and Ibsen his tragedy, «Hærmændene
paa Helgeland» (The Vikings at Helgeland). And the victory
was won for the Norwegian language on the Norwegian stage,
all the more certainly from the fact that a number of clever
young actors were standing ready to give theatrical life to
Norwegian plays. Among the chief of these were Johannes Brun
and his wife Louise, Sigvard Gundersen and his wife Laura,
Frøken [[** sic! ikke Miss]] Sofie Parelius, Fru [[** sic]] Lucie Wolf, and Andreas Isachsen.

Before we follow the two victorious young poets farther, it
should be mentioned that simultaneously with their completion of
the work begun by Asbjørnsen and Welhaven in the direction of
the Norwegianising of the written language descended from the
Danish, the country language, descended from the Old Norwegian,
received its own literary form. After having laid the foundation
of a scientific study of it, Ivar Aasen set to work to write it;
and his poetry, like his prose, called forth wonder at its classic
ring. In the autumn of 1858, another peasant-poet began to write
in this «dialect». This was Aasmund Vinje (died 1870), a
fellow-student [[** sjk]] of Ibsen and Bjørnson, a born lyric poet of Heine’s type,
and a brilliantly intellectual and versatile conversationalist. In his
weekly paper, «Dølen», he threw himself into a whirling controversy
about everything with everybody, investing his thoughts in the
unpolished expressions and unconstrained tone of the dialect.

During the 40 years since Ibsen and Bjørnson, through the
saga style, had begun to feel their power as dramatists, they have
both continued with unflagging vigour to write for the stage.
They still, for the time being, took their subject and formed their
style from the sagas. Bjørnsons lyric trilogy «Sigurd Slembe»
(1862), and Ibsens character-tragedy, «Kongsemnerne» (The
Pretenders) (1863), are the principal works of this dramatic
renaissance.

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