Strindberg's reception in Stockholm 20-10-1884

''Getting Married'' ( sv, Giftas) is a collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by the Swedish writer

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

. The first volume was first published on 27 September 1884 and contained twelve stories depicting "twenty marriages of every variety," some of which present women in an

egalitarian Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

light. The volume also contained a long

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...

, in which, in addition to his support for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, Strindberg offered criticisms of the campaign (such as its

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

bias), as well as of

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 ...

's 1879 play ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

'' (the collection contains a story entitled "A Doll's House"). Strindberg finished a second volume of stories, dealing in part with "all the less common forms of 'marriage'" such as "

pederasty Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and anc ...

and

lesbianism A lesbian is a homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with fema ...

," in the summer of 1885. After a delay caused by the unwillingness of printers and distributors to handle such a controversial volume, it was published in October 1886. While the first two stories are as sympathetic to women as some of those in the first volume, many border on

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...

. Its preface blamed women for religious persecution, war, and all of history's other misfortunes. Both volumes were written at a time when Strindberg was still married to

Siri von Essen Sigrid "Siri" Sofia Matilda Elisabet von Essen (17 August 1850 – 21 April 1912) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish noblewoman and actress. Her acting career spanned about 15 years, during which time she appeared in a number of plays that the Sw ...

, though the publication of the second volume had a disastrous effect on their marriage.

Court case

One week after the publication of the first volume of ''Getting Married'', Strindberg was prosecuted for "

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

against God or mockery of God's word or sacrament," the maximum penalty for which was two years penal labour. In "The Reward of Virtue" story, he criticised "the impudent deception practised with Högstedt's Piccadon ... and Lettström's wafers ... which the parson passed off as the body and blood of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

of Nazareth, the rabble-rouser who was executed over 1,800 years ago." Two groups "led by influential members of the upper classes, supported by the right-wing press" probably instigated the prosecution; at the time, most people in Stockholm thought that Queen Sophia was behind it. Strindberg returned to Sweden to face the charges, arriving on 20 October 1884 to a rapturous welcome. At a special performance of his ''Lucky Peter's Journey'' at the New Theatre that evening, he was crowned with a laurel wreath. He was acquitted of the charges on 17 November the same year.Meyer (1985, 140).

References

Sources

* Lagercrantz, Olof. 1984. ''August Strindberg''. Trans. Anselm Hollo. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. . * Meyer, Michael. 1985. ''Strindberg: A Biography''. Oxford Lives ser. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987. . * Robinson, Michael, ed. 2009. ''The Cambridge Companion to August Strindberg.'' Cambridge Companions to Literature ser. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. . * Sandbach, Mary, trans. 1972. ''Getting Married Parts I and II.'' By August Strindberg. London: Victor Gollancz. . * Schleussner, Ellie, trans. 1917. ''Married''. By August Strindberg. New York: Boni and Liveright
Available online

External links

''Married'' - Public domain English-language translation (does not include the Prefaces)

Giftas, digital edition
in Swedish. Made available by

Project Runeberg Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...

{{August Strindberg 1884 short stories 1886 short stories Blasphemy Swedish literature Novels by August Strindberg

Court case

See also

References

Sources

External links