From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Modern Breakthrough
Modern Breakthrough
The Modern Breakthrough (Danish: Det Moderne Gennem- In the 1890s, the movement was in part replaced by
brud) is the normal name of the strong movement of nat- Symbolism, originating in many of the authors’ interest
uralism and debating literature of Scandinavia near the in subjects of a religious or spiritual nature. But the re-
end of the 19th century which replaced romanticism. alism in the Modern Breakthrough has influenced later
The Modern Breakthrough is used about the period authors such as Selma Lagerlöf, Johannes V. Jensen and
1870-1890 about literature in Scandinavia, which in this Martin Andersen Nexø in the following years
period had a breakthrough in the rest of Europe. (1900-1920), which some call the popular breakthrough
Although some of the authors had already begun to write (Danish: "Det Folkelige Gennembrud"), because the au-
before him, the Danish theorist Georg Brandes is often thors in this period write about the lower rungs of soci-
considered to be the "wire-puller" behind the movement. ety, e.g. Martin Andersen Nexø’s Pelle the Conqueror, fil-
His lectures at Copenhagen University starting 1871 and matized in 1987.
his work Main Currents in 19th Century Literature (Danish: The cultural radical movement of the 1920-1940 is
Hovedstrømninger i det 19de Aarhundredes Litteratur), mark often characterized as the continuation of the Modern
the beginning of the period. Breakthrough, or the Modern Breakthrough as the begin-
ning of Cultural Radicalism.
Characteristics
The authors during the Modern Breakthrough revolted
Authors in the Modern Break-
against old traditions, especially the literary period of ro- through
manticism, characterized by increased international out-
look, a freer view on sexuality and religion, along with in- Among famous authors in the Modern Breakthrough are:
terest in scientific breakthroughs such as Darwinism. In • Denmark:
short, one can speak of literature with increased focus on • Georg Brandes
realism. • J.P. Jacobsen (partly)
Another important aspect is the serious treatment of • Henrik Pontoppidan
the conflict between the sexes, especially with female au- • Karl Gjellerup
thors gaining an influence, which previously was almost • Holger Drachmann
unheard-of. • Herman Bang
• Sophus Schandorph
• Johan Skjoldborg
Course of events • Norway:
The very beginning of The Modern Breakthrough is usu- • Henrik Ibsen (partly)
ally attributed Georg Brandes, who already in 1869 trans- • Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
lated the controversial essay The Subjection of Women by • Alexander Kielland
John Stuart Mill into Danish. In the following years, Bran- • Jonas Lie
des lectured at Copenhagen University and after that in • Arne Garborg
most of Europe with criticism of romanticism. He also • Hans Jæger
wrote books and articles on the subject, and especially • Amalie Skram
Main Currents in 19th Century Literature, which was pub- • Sweden:
lished in several volumes from 1872 important as a theo- • August Strindberg (partly)
retical basis for the literature of the time. • Ellen Key
A number of the other authors of the period had in- • Viktor Rydberg (partly)
ternational contacts, and many of them lived abroad in • Victoria Benedictsson
shorter periods. In this way, there were small colonies
of Scandinavian artists in cities such as Paris, Berlin and Literature
Rome, and some of the artists published literature direct-
ly in foreign languages. In any case, their works were • Sørensen (ed.), Jørgen (1974). Fronter 1870-1890 - en
translated much faster than previously, and the move- tekstmontage. Copenhagen: Gyldendal. ISBN
ment thus had its breakthrough. 87-00-41601-0.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Modern Breakthrough
• Stangerup, Hakon (1946). Kulturkampen 1-2.
Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
External links
• Hertel, Hans (2004). Det stadig moderne gennembrud : • Det Kongelige Biblioteks webudstilling Georg
Georg Brandes og hans tid, set fra det 21. århundrede. Brandes’ "Skrivebord"
Copenhagen: Gyldendal. ISBN 87-03-00576-3.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modern_Breakthrough&oldid=453875769"
Categories:
• Danish literature
• Modernism
• Norwegian literature
• Swedish literature
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