''Lady Inger'' (original title: ''Fru Inger til Østeraad'') is an 1854 play by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

,''Lady Inger. Historical drama in five acts'' had its premiere at The Norwegian Theatre in Bergen 2 January 1855, and was first published as a serial in the weekly magazine ''Illustreret Nyhedsblad'' No. 22–34, 1857. The publisher Hans Jacob Jensen also subsequently published the drama as a special edition in approximately 250 copies the same year. inspired by the life of Inger, Lady of Austraat. The play, the third work of the Norwegian's career, reflects the birth of

Romantic Nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

in the Norway of that period, and had a strongly anti-

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

sentiment. It centers on the Scandinavia of 1510–1540 as the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...

collapsed, the impacts of the Reformation were becoming evident in Norway, and a last desperate struggle was being mounted to maintain Norwegian independence. Its initial sentiments were so strongly anti-Danish that Ibsen ultimately toned them down. Norwegian literature was virtually nonexistent during the period of the Scandinavian Union and the subsequent Dano-Norwegian union (1387—1814) — Ibsen characterized that period as "Four Hundred Years of Darkness." Ibsen was a major participant in a flood of nationalistic romanticism that followed the "Four Hundred Years of Darkness" and is recognized as one of the ''great four'' contributors of this period (the others being Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Alexander Kielland, and Jonas Lie). A unity of purpose pervades the whole period, recreation of a national culture based on the almost forgotten past. Subsequent research has shown the play ''Fru Inger til Østeraad'' deviates rather liberally from the actual historical events, and should be understood in its context as a statement of nationalism.

References

1854 plays Plays by Henrik Ibsen {{1850s-play-stub

See also

References