History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North/Part 3/Chapter 4

by Frederik Winkel Horn

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CHAPTER IV.

THE DALIN AGE (1740-80).

The invasion of French elements. Dalin and his importance. Madame Nordenflycht and her influence. Creutz. Gyllenborg. Mörk. Wallenberg. Linné. Lagerbring. Botin. Höpken. Tessin. Ihre.

THE foreign influence, which in the preceding period had asserted itself in the poetical literature of Sweden, had come chiefly from Germany. But already in the second half of the seventeenth century French taste began to be introduced, and in Sweden, as in the rest of Europe, the extensive French literature was spread in a manner that effectually obstructed all independent development. This tendency reached its climax when Louise Ulrika, the sister of Frederik the Great, and as great a lover of French as her brother, became Queen of Sweden. Some attention was, indeed, paid to English literature, but this could not counterbalance the French, as it was itself strongly influenced by the latter. Thus it came to pass that the Swedish poetry of this period was nothing but an imitation of French models, with a painfully strict observation of the formality of the pusedo-classical school. People were unable to raise themselves to the importance of poetry as a free art. To the poets as well as to the public, poetry was partly merely a pleasant pastime and partly a means of promoting the common good, inasmuch as matters of practical utility were treated in verse. In other words, a rhetorical, rhymed prose took the place of poetry, and an exaggerated stress was laid on the form. This also had its advantage, for the poets who succeeded Stjernhjelm had gradually lost appreciation of the purity of the language and of the true art of versification. In this respect the Dalin period marks a decided progress, and is a transition to the golden age of Swedish poetry.

Olof von Dalin (1708-63) was the most prominent figure of this period, which was the "age of enlightenment" in Sweden. He began his comprehensive and influential activity with the publication of the periodical, "Den svenska Argus" (1733-34), which, like the English "Spectator," discussed the questions of the day. The bright and vivid style of the periodical and its marked moral tendency were received with so great public favor that the estates of the realm decreed a national reward to the author, who hitherto had appeared anonymously. After Dalin had made himself known, he was made court poet to the queen, a circumstance which by no means proved favorable to the further development of his talent, for he was henceforth limited to a definite direction, and was compelled more frequently than was desirable to fritter his powers away in the composition of incidental festive poems. Dalin's chief merit consists in skilful treatment of the form, combined with a delicate and striking wit; but his poems never make the impression of having sprung from high aspiration. It has justly been said of him that "his genius possessed more suppleness than strength, and that he was rather an elegant imitator than a creative poetical talent." His serious poems are very dry, and this is particularly true of his festive poems and of his allegorical epic poem, "Svenska Friheten," which was so highly appreciated by his contemporaries. The latter certainly contains a few beautiful passages, but it may, on the whole, be more aptly characterized as a poetical pamphlet in rhetorical verses. His tragedy, "Brynhilda," is of but little value as a drama, while the comedy, "Den Afundsjuke," an imitation of Holberg, is very enjoyable. He is at his best whenever he departs most widely from that very tendency to the absolute supremacy of which he contributed so much, and when he either gives loose reins to his native, sound and somewhat satirical wit, as in his humorous prose allegory, "Sagan om Hasten" (the story of the horse), or when, as in the case of many of his songs, he adopts the simple style of the popular ballad. These by far surpass all his other productions, by which he became famous, and on which his historical importance is based. During the last years of his life, when the political revolutions had for a time banished him from the court, he worked assiduously on his "Svea rikes Historia," which he had begun at an early age, but which he did not carry further than to the reign of Carl IX. The style is attractive, but it shows a want of investigation of original sources, and a lack of criticism.^[1]

This was the period of the foundation of societies of scholars and poets, and Sweden established several of them, copying French models. Of these the "Vitterhets-Akademien," or society of the fine arts, founded in 1753 by Queen Louise Ulrika under the auspices of Dalin, has attained the greatest celebrity. On the death of the Queen it ceased to exist, but was reorganized on an enlarged plan by Gustav III in 1786, and called "Kongliga Vitterhets-Historie—och Antiquitets-Akademien," and as such it still exists. Other societies of poets were the "Utile Dulci," with its sub-branches "Apollinis Sacra" in Upsala and "Aurora" in Åbo, and the "Tankebygger-Ordenen" (the order of thought builders). Among the founders of the last is Fru Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718-63), whose name ranked high in the literature of that period. She had received a very thorough education, but her sound common sense and her clear mind kept her aloof from pedantry. Her sentimentality, her romantic longing, her correct idea of the true nature of poetry make her a very marked character in the Swedish literature of her time, which was so completely imbued with pseudo- classicism. This particularly applies to the collection of elegiac poems "Den sörjande Turturdufvan" (the mourning turtle dove), which she composed when in her twenty-fourth year she had lost her husband. These poems and the report of the romantic manner in which in poetic solitude she continued to mourn the loss of her husband, soon made her name widely known. She met the most eminent writers of elegant literature in her day, and wrote with great industry. In her later works the original freshness and tenderness of her earlier poems gradually disappeared, and at length to her own satisfaction and that of her admirers she adopted the prevailing artificial style and thus received the surname "the Swedish Urania." From 1744-50 she edited the poetic annual "Quinligt Tankespel af en Herdinna i Norden" (The plays of thought of a shepherdess in the North). Of her other works we may mention "Tankar om Skaldekonstens Nytta" (thoughts on the utility of poetry) and "Det frelste Svea" (the saved Sweden). In literature she forms together with Dalin a characteristic transition from the Stjernhjelm to the succeeding Gustavian period. But while Dalin was intent on seeking a form for Swedish poetry which should combine certain older and homely elements, such as they had appeared in Frese, Lucidor and the other lyric poets, with the new and foreign elements, Fru Nordenflycht belonged in the beginning of her literary activity decidedly to the former, and later to the latter of these tendencies. By her own example, and through the circle of authors by whom she was surrounded and with whom she maintained an intellectual communion, she contributed much toward giving the French element the supremacy in the development of Swedish literature.^[2]

To this circle belonged the counts Creutz and Gyllenborg, "the dioskuri of the sky of Swedish poetry." The Finlander Gustav Philip Creutz (1731-85) gained his reputation chiefly by the poem "Atis och Camilla," the best poetical production of this period. In this excellent idyl there prevails a pure, gentle sentiment, combined with a wonderfully graphic fancy, and in form the poem is exceedingly fine. His shorter poems also "Sommarquäde" (summer song), etc., are the fruits of genuine poetic talent. Gustav Frederik Gyllenborg (1731-1808) confined himself more closely to the accepted rules of poetry, and hence his compositions are cold and dry; only in unguarded moments his talent now and then unconsciously breaks through the rigid form. On account of the didactic element of which he was especially fond, he exercised a marked influence on the literature of his epoch, but he was himself unable to keep pace with its progress. His great heroic poem "Tåget öfver Bält," an imitation of Voltaire's Henriade, describing the celebrated march of Charles X across the ice from Jutland to Zealand, is so rigid and so full of allegories that even on its first appearance it was received with considerable indifference. His fables and lyric poems are better, though they are all injured by a moralizing tendency, and the same may be said of his didactic poem "Årstiderna" (the seasons). His efforts in the dramatic field were not successful, nor could success be expected from the manner in which his talent had been developed.^[3]

Olof Bergklint (1733-1805) had, through his acquaintance with the poetry then flourishing in Germany, gained a more correct knowledge of the nature of the poetic art, and sought to promote it in Sweden by the foundation of the society "Vitterlek" (belles lettres). His poems give evidence of a correct taste, but the latter is manifested in a manner too weak and indistinct to give it any decided influence on literature. Deserving of mention are the ode "Öfver motgång" (on adversity) and the elegy "Den blinde. Anders Odel (1718-73) has very skilfully imitated the style of the popular ballad in his song about Malcolm Sinclair.

In Jacob Henrik Mörk (1714-63) Sweden obtained in this period her first novelist. The whole literary life of Sweden had developed in such a way that although he was a contemporary of Richardson, Fielding and Smollet, still this author took his models from France. Both his great novels, "Adalrik och Göthilda" and "Thecla," which were exceedingly popular in their day, are discursive, have a tendency to teach moral lessons, and are upon the whole unsuitable for the taste of our time, but they contain many really fine passages and are so perfect in style that they must be remembered among the best prose works of this epoch. The choice of subject in these novels is also a matter of interest, for they have nothing in common with the topics which absorbed the attention of literary men in that time and they may be considered as a sort of precursors of the romantic school. "Adalrik och Göthilda" is a national heroic novel, while "Thecla," which is by far the better one of the two, is based on a mediæval legend, and is completely on romantic ground. Jacob Wallenberg (1746-68) is a decided contrast to the half pietistic and didactic Mörk. His novel "Min Son på Galejen" (my son on the galley), the description of a sea voyage which the author had made to the East Indies as a chaplain in the navy, abounds in rollicking humor, and on account of its graphic descriptions and grand outlines it still remains a favorite book in Sweden. On the other hand his great drama "Susanna," which is written wholly in the French style, has been utterly forgotten.^[4]

In the field of science this period produced many great men who not only by their researches promoted the interests of science, but who also by their activity were of vast importance to the Swedish nation. The greatest of all is Karl von Linné (1707-78), who already in his twenty-fourth year established the celebrated sexual system, whereby the chaos of the botanical world was reduced to order, and a fruitful scientific study of it was made possible. The results of his investigations, which made his name famous throughout Europe and gave him the title of "the king of botanists," were chiefly recorded in Latin. But a number of short dissertations, among which are several addresses delivered before the Academy of Sciences, of which he was one of the founders in 1739 and its first president, are all written in Swedish and show that he was a thorough master of his native tongue, though his style is rather natural and spontaneous than acquired by study. His works show a versatility and an interest in all that is worth knowing, a clearness and splendor of style, which make the perusal of them a great enjoyment. One of the most excellent of his dissertations is "Om märkvärdigheter uti insekterna" (on peculiarities of insects). The zoölogist Karl de Geer (died 1778) acquired a great reputation by a work written in French on insects. The physicist Olof Bergmann (1735-84) distinguished himself by his "Fysisk beskrifning öfver jordklotet" (physical description of the globe), which was translated into several languages. Wilhelm Scheele (1742-86) was a very eminent chemist.^[5]

Among the historians, Sven Lagerbring (1707-87) is distinguished for thoroughness and research, though he is not equal to Dalin in point of style. His great work, "Svea Rikes Historia," though carried down only to the year 1457, is still a valuable work of reference, and his survey of Swedish history down to 1772 was translated into French, and was for a long time the main source of Swedish history throughout Europe. An equally conscientious investigator, and at the same time the master of an excellent style, was Anders af Botin (1724-90), who, in his "Utkast till svenska folkets historia," which was not completed, also paid considerable attention to Sweden's internal history. Olof Celsius (1716-94), a relative of the great scientist, Celsius, wrote in a noble and attractive style a history of Gustav I and Erich XIV, and also the beginning of an ecclesiastical history. Anders Johan von Höpken (1712-89) was called "the Swedish Tacitus," on account of his condensed, pithy style. Among his best works are a few memoirs, particularly one that was written in commemoration of Karl Gustav Tessin (1695-1770), a man who rendered great services to the arts and sciences. Tessin, to whom Sweden is largely indebted for her many excellent collections of art, was himself an eminent writer, and produced many works of note. As tutor to Prince Gustav (subsequently Gustav III), he wrote his celebrated "En gammal mans bref till en ung Prins"^[6] (Letters from an old man to a young prince).^[7]

The Swedish language was made the subject of a thorough and scientific treatment, and to the excellent linguists of this period belongs the credit that the French influence, which was so powerful both in art and literature, was unable to affect the language. The Swedish tongue continued to progress in purity and beauty. The greatest of these linguists, Johan Ihre (1707-80), published a number of works on Swedish, Old Norse, Mæso-Gothic, etc., and an excellent "Glossarium Sviogothicum," which still retains its value undiminished. Sven Hof (1703-86) made a scientific study of the Swedish dialects. The above-named Botin wrote a celebrated essay on "Svenska Språket i tal och skrift;" and Abraham Sahlstedt (1716-76) compiled a Swedish dictionary (1773), and wrote a Swedish grammar.^[8]

1. Olof von Dalins samlade Vitterhets arbeten, I-VI, 1767. A selection of his works was published by E. W. Lindblad in 1872. Svea rikes Historia. I-IV. Stockholm, 1746-62.
2. G. Göthe: Historisk öfversigt af de vittra samfunden i Sverige före svenska Akademiens Stiftelse, Stockholm, 1875. The literary society, "Tankebygger-Ordenen," of which Fru Nordenflycht was the centre, published in 1773 a collection of poems called "Våra forsök," of which a second edition appeared in 1759, called "Vitterhetsarbeten." Fru Nordenflycht: Tankar om Skaldekonstens nytta, 1744. Den sörjande Turturdufvan, 1743. Det frelste Svea, 1747. Quinligt Tankespel, 1745-50. Andliga skaldeqväden, 1758.
3. Creutz och Gyllenborgs Vitterhetsarbeten, Stockholm, 1795. Creutz Helsingfors, 1862.
4. Olof Bergklints vittra arbeten, edited by P. A. Sondén, Stockholm, 1837. Jacob Henrik Mörk: Adalrik och Gothilda, 1742-45. Thecla eller den bepröfvade trones dygd, 1749-58. Jacob Wallenbergs samlede vitterhets arbeten, edited by Hanselli, Upsala, 1855.
5. Carl V. Linné's Svenska Arbeten, edited by A. Aehrling, 1878. Systema naturæ, 1735. Flora suesica, 1745. Philosophia botanica, 1741. Species plantarum, 1755. Carl v. Linné's Lefnadsminnen tecknade af honom sjelf, edited by A. Ahnfelt, Stockholm, 1877. Compare J. W. Carus Geschichte der Zoologie, München, 1872. Carl de Geer Memoirs pour servir a l'histoire des insectes, 1752-78. Carl Vilhelm Scheeles sämmtliche physicalische und chemisische Werke, Berlin, Opuscula physica et chemica. I-II, Leipzig, 1788-89.
6. The translator of this book (R. B. A.) possesses a manuscript copy of "En gammal mans bref till en ung Prins" in Tessin's own handwriting.
7. Sven Lagerbring: Svea Rikes Historia, I-IV, 1769-83. Anders af Botin: Utkast till svenska folkets historia. I-IV, 1757-64. Olof Celsius: Gustav I, Historia, I-II, 1746-53. Konung Erich XIV, Historia, 1774.
8. Johan Ihre: Glossarium Sveogothicum, I-II, 1769. Anders af Botin: Svenska språket i tal och skrift, 1775. Abraham Sahlstedt: Svensk ordbok, 1757. Försök till en svensk Grammatica, 1757.