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The Nordic Turn in German Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2013

Gauti Kristmannsson
Affiliation:
University of Iceland
Eleoma Joshua
Affiliation:
Edinburgh University
Robert Vilain
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London
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Summary

THE NORDIC TURN in many European literatures in the latter part of the eighteenth century may, as opposed to the stereotypical notion of Northern Europeans, be described as chaotic. If it is accepted that there was a Nordic turn at all, the question arises, of what kind? Was it Scandinavian, Celtic, Pan-German, nationalist, provincial, was it structural, system-based or discursive, was it indeed new? Perhaps a brief passage from a contemporary scholar helps throw some light on the problem:

Lustig wäre es doch, wenn ein in Europa herumreisender Kineser, unter andern vermeintlichen Schätzen der Europäischen Litteratur, die er auf dem Trödel oder bei sogenannten Antiquariern pfundweise einkaufte, eine Gradus ad parnassum, ein Aerarium poëticum, ein Pantheon mythicum, eine Prosodie, Syrachs Sittenbüchlein, und ein Blatt aus Hübners genealogischen Tabellen, erwischte; und diese sechs Stücke kämen nachher zufälliger Weise in einen Kasten zusammen; und nach Jahrhunderten fände sie ein anderer Kineser; und glaubte, sie wären alle Ein Werk, und übersetzte sie unter einem allgemeinen Titel; und meinte, der unterste deutsche Herzog auf dem genealogischen Blatte sei der Verfasser dieser Schriften; und glaubte also auch daraus die Zeit ihrer Verfertigung bestimmen zu können; und machte die ganze Sammlung als ein System von der alten Europäischen Religion, Sittenlehre, Dichtkunst, und wer weis von was noch mer, bekannt!

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Edinburgh German Yearbook 1
Cultural Exchange in German Literature
, pp. 63 - 72
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2007

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