The Nordic sexual morality debate (Danish: ''sædelighedsfejden'', Swedish: ''sedlighetsdebatten'', Norwegian: ''sedelighetsdebatten'') was the name for a cultural movement and public debate in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

in the 1880s, where sexuality and sexual morals were discussed in newspapers, magazines, books and theatrical plays. The topic was criticism of the contemporary sexual

double standard A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...

s, in which it was socially acceptable for men to have premarital sexual experience, while women were expected to be virgins, and the contemporary view on prostitution, which was sanctioned as a "necessary evil" because of this double standard, an issue that had been raised by

Svenska Federationen Svenska Federationen (Swedish Federation), was the Swedish branch of the British Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts. It was established in 1878 with the purpose to repeal the so-called reglementation system, w ...

in 1878. The debate was divided in two sides: the moderate one, where

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

was the most known representative, wished to solve this double standard by demanding that men also be virgins on their wedding night, as women were. The radical one, where

Edvard Brandes Carl Edvard Cohen Brandes (21 October 1847, in Copenhagen – 20 December 1931, in Copenhagen) was a Danish politician, critic and author, and the younger brother of Georg Brandes and Ernst Brandes. He had a Ph.D. in eastern philology. Biograp ...

and

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

were the most known representatives, demanded that women be free to enjoy a sexual life prior to marriage, as men were. ''Getting Married'' by

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 ...

and the legal court case that surrounded it was one of the perhaps most known incidents during the debate. It also caused a debate within the literary world whether literature should touch these questions at all. Other well-known works in the debate are

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 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 ...

'' (''Et Dukkehjem''), the novel ''Money'' (''Pengar'') by Viktoria Benedictsson, and the novel ''Pyrhussegrar'' by

Stella Kleve Ingrid Mathilda Kruse Malling (Jan 20, 1864 – Mar 21, 1942), known as Mathilda Malling, and even better known by her early pen name, Stella Kleve, was a Swedish novelist born January 20, 1864, on her family's farm, in North Mellby Parish, Krist ...

References

* Franka Gebert, Den stora nordiska sedlighetsdebatten, Riksteatern, 2008. PDF. * ''

Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 19 ...

''
"Sedlighetsdebatten"
{{Subscription 1880s in Denmark 1880s in Norway 1880s in Sweden Cultural history of Denmark Cultural history of Norway Cultural history of Sweden Debates about social issues Morality Scandals in Denmark Scandals in Norway Scandals in Sweden Sexual ethics Social commentary Social ethics Social history of Denmark Social history of Norway Social history of Sweden

See also

References