Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Nye Fortellinger: Absalons Haar [New Tales: Absalom’s Hair]

Kathy Rees (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Susan Brantly, University of Wisconsin
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.5: Norwegian Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London), Anja Tröger (University of Edinburgh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1894

Places

Norway (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novella

Resources

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Bjørnson’s novella uses the geographical setting and family history of

The Heritage of the Kurts

(1884) and introduces into it the figure of Kirsten Ravn. The Ravn family first appeared in Bjørnson’s work in the play

The New System

(1879), and, in both works, it is represented as a family that holds religiously together, uniting against all newcomers. As with

The Heritage of the Kurts,

Bjørnson explores ideas of heredity, and the conscious attempts by mothers to expunge paternal traits in their sons. There are many parallels between the mother-son relationship in

The Heritage of the Kurts

and

Absolom’s Hair

: both widows strive to control their sons’ lives by self-sacrificial acts, which at times are experienced by the youths as maddening interference.

Bjørnson was clearly

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1174 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Nye Fortellinger: Absalons Haar". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 October 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35837, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Nye Fortellinger: Absalons Haar [New Tales: Absalom’s Hair]

Dates

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Resources

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