Scandinavian country, Literature of Scandinavian.

3.  Scandinavian literature consist of those writing in
the North Germanic group of the Germanic
Languages, the modern form of which include
Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish and
Faeroes.
 Reading Scandinavian Literature is exploring the
imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguish
by the intention of other authors and excellence of
their execution. Their literary works can be
classified according to a variety of systems,
including language, national origin, historical period,
genre and subject matter.

4. GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 Geographically, the
Scandinavian peninsula
include Norway and
Sweden portion of
Northern Finland. The
mountain extend the
Atlantic on the western,
or Norwegian side of the
peninsula but end in
slopes that lead the Baltic
on the Swedish side.

5. GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 The Danish peninsula
and island belong to the
northern European plain.
The languages and
ethnographic, political
and cultural development
of the people, however
are so closely related as
to be historically
inseparable.

6.  After the introduction of Christianity to Denmark
about 1000, Latin begun to supplant runes.
 Historia Danica- One of the best example of
Medieval Danish Literature in Latin
 19th Century – Golden age of Danish Literature.
Outstanding writer were AdamOchlenschlager,
Frederick Paludan-Muller, and Johan Ludvig Heiberg,
Hans Christian Andersen’s (first and greatest
contributor to world literature)
DANISH (DENMARK)

7.  20th Century
 Pre-war period- Danish literature was enriched by the
contribution of Nobel Prize winner Johannes V. Jensen, who
wrote epic historical novels. Another literature figure was
Isak Dinesen who produced intriguing and original short
stories. On the eve of World War II the clergyman and writer
Kaj Munk wrote dramas that portrayed the conflict between
human and Christian ideals.
 Post-war period-Established literary paths were broadened
by writer such as Klaus Riofbjerg and humorist Lief Panduro,
each of whom captured that foibles of an increasingly
affluent and urban society. An explosion of women’s
literature occurred after 1970, represented by the works of
Elsa Gress, Susanne Brogger, Ulla Dahlerup and Dea Trier
Morch.
DANISH LITERATURE

8. Hans Christian Andersen’s
(first and greatest contributor to world literature)

9. NORWEGIAN LITERATURE
 Norwegian literature is literature composed in Norway or
by Norwegian people. The history of Norwegian literature
starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the
9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason
and Eyvindr Skáldaspillir. The arrival of Christianity around
the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European
medieval learning, hagiography and history writing. Merged
with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence this was to
flower into an active period of literature production in the
late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that
period include Historia Norwegie, Thidreks saga and
Konungs skuggsjá.

10.  The period from the 14th century up to the 19th is
considered a dark age in the nation's literature though
Norwegian-born writers such as Peder Claussøn Friis and
Ludvig Holberg contributed to the common literature of
Denmark-Norway. With the advent of nationalism and the
struggle for independence in the early 19th century a new
period of national literature emerged. The dramatist Henrik
Wergeland was the most influential author of the period
while the later works of Henrik Ibsen were to earn Norway
a place in Western European literature. In the 20th century
notable Norwegian writers include the two Nobel Prize
winning authors Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset.
NORWEGIAN LITERATURE

11.  The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök
Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800
AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity
around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages,
during which monastic writers preferred to use
Latin. Therefore there are only a few texts in the
Old Swedish from that period. Swedish literature
only flourished when the Swedish language was
standardized in the 16th century, a standardization
largely due to the full translation of the Bible into
Swedish in 1541. This translation is the so-called
Gustav Vasa Bible.
SWEDISH LITERATURE

12.  The period in Swedish history between 1630 and 1718 is known as
the Swedish Empire. It partly corresponds to an independent
literary period. The literature of the Swedish Empire era is regarded
as the beginning of the Swedish literary tradition.
 Renaissance literature is considered to have been written between
1658 and 1732. It was in 1658 that Georg Stiernhielm published his
Herculus, the first hexametrical poem in the Swedish language.
 When Sweden became a great power, a stronger middle class
culture arose. Unlike the age of the Reformation, education was no
longer solely a matter of ecclesiastical studies such as theology.
During this era, there was a wealth of influences from the leading
countries of the time, namely Germany, France, Holland and Italy. It
was symptomatic that the man who came to be known as Sweden's
first poet, Georg Stiernhielm, was more acquainted with Ancient
philosophy than with Christian teachings.
SWEDISH LITERATURE

13.  Gothicismus also gained in strength. During the Swedish Empire
period, it developed into a literary paradigm, the purpose of which
was to foster the idea that Sweden was a natural great power.
 Georg Stiernhielm (17th century), who was the first to write
classical poetry in Swedish; Johan Henric Kellgren (18th century),
the first to write fluent Swedish prose; Carl Michael Bellman (late
18th century), the first writer of burlesque ballads; and August
Strindberg (late 19th century), a socio-realistic writer and playwright
who won worldwide fame.
 The early 20th century continued to produce notable authors, such
as Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel laureate 1909) and Pär Lagerkvist (Nobel
laureate 1951). Between 1949 and 1959, Vilhelm Moberg wrote the
four-book series The Emigrants (Swedish: Utvandrarna), often
considered one of the best literary works from Sweden.
SWEDISH LITERATURE

15. The Rök
Runestone,
the start of
Swedish
literature