Omkring Danmarks Digtekunst

Resumé

F.J. Billeskov Jansen published the first three volumes of his history of Danish poetry, Danmarks Digtekunst, in 1944, 1947, and 1958 respectively; a planned fourth volume never saw the light of day. The work was composed in order to follow the history of literary genres, toning down elements of intellectual history, biography, and psychology. The article describes the genesis and development of this project in the light of BJ’s teaching of Danish literature at the University of Copenhagen, as welle as his changes in standpoint with regard to human nature and research, which were obviously too radical to form the basis of a homogeneous work and therefore made it difficult for him to complete his project.