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iv. education and . mental culture.
History of Literature.
The history of literature in Sweden is, as in other countries, a comparatively
young branch of learning, and its development has passed through much the
same stages as in other countries.
It began as a branch of philological bibliography. The oldest Swedish work
on the subject is J. Schefferus’ (1621 — 79) "Svecia Litterata’’ (Swedish
Literature), 1680, a list of books excellent for its time, and this was followed by a
number of other bibliographies some of which still exist in manuscript. During
this first period people were almost exclusively interested in the history of
learning, and it was very common for a person to treat the literature of a particular
town or province. Most of these works, however, are merely chaotic collections
of notices, destitute alike of any historical or esthetic value.
Under the influence of the French eloges a new start, introduced by 0. von
Dalin (1708—63), was made in the 18th century. Learned notices fell into
contempt, and the chief stress was laid on an eloquent presentation, which
culminated in bombastic and empty panegyric.
With the advent of the Neo-Rom antic school the history of literature in
Sweden assumed, as elsewhere, a learned shape. The Neo-Romanticists were more
erudite, and held broader views than the old academicians, and they were, for
that reason, undeniably better fitted to do justice to past ages. But at the
beginning of that century all learning was dependent on philosophy, and, in
consequence of this, the history of literature now became a branch of philosophy,
after having previously been philological. The history of literature and art were
now merely considered as applied esthetics. This tendency was introduced by
the pioneering work of L. Hammarskiöld (1785—1827), Swedish Literature
(1818), which, however, is now old-fashioned. On the other hand, a work
which has still a scientific value, is the clever and delightful Swedish Seers
and Bards (1841—55) by P. D. A. Atterbom (1790 —1855), a chronological series
of portraits of Swedish poets, delineated with a psychological delicacy and noble
breadth of view that reminds one of Sainte-Beuve. To this school still belongs
in part O. Ljunggren (1823—1905), from whose hand we possess a fine esthetic
examination of Bellman’s poetry, but he has also laid the foundations of a
broader and more comprehensive method in his history of the Swedish drama
up to 1665, and in an extensive and scholarly history of Swedish poetry
from the death of Gustavus III down to the twenties.
He thus formed a link of transition to a new tendency which manifested
itself among later historians of literature, partly under the influence of Taine
and Brandes. For them literary history is no longer esthetic or philological,
but a branch of history, and the history of Swedish literature is conceived by
them as the history of Swedish culture, so far as this falls within the domain
of literature. The chief weight is therefore laid on showing how literature itself
reflects the humour of the people, the period itself, and the peculiar
individuality of an author. This view is held more particularly by the disciples of C.
E-Nyblom (1832—1907) among whom is noticeable H. Schück (born 1855) Professor
in Uppsala, E. Warburg (born 1852), Professor at the Private University of
Stockholm and O. Levertin (1862—1906) låte Professor there. Besides other
works of profound learning Schück has published the first volume of an
extensive History of Swedish Literature, and has, together with Warburg, written
the first volume of a less comprehensive sketch of the same subject down to
the most recent times. Warburg has enriched scientific literature with several
interesting monographs, and Levertin wrote, among other works, a series of poet-
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