The Early Novels and Narratives by Johannes Jørgensen

An Attempt at a Rehabilitation

Abstract

With its point of departure in the frequently unfairly – and partly extremely critical – mentioning of Johannes Jørgensen’s so-called youthful novels and his other short texts – if there is a mentioning at all – the present article attempts at presenting a re-examination of these works. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to include a number of later, undeservedly ignored prose works in this re-examination. These texts, Den yderste Dag (1897), Vor Frue af Danmark (1900), Eva (1901) and Græs (1904), will be grouped together with his youthful works before and after 1900. Furthermore, the popular perception of Jørgensen’s static character delineation and almost monomaniac complex of themes which ignores a strong dynamic element in these works, will be relativized and the refined structuring of the narrative as well as the linguistic and stylistic accomplishments will be highlighted.