Per og Pelle

Om to eksistentialer

Resumé

Abstract
In this article, Knud Wenzel analyzes the main characters of two great Danish novels of development, Lykke-Per (A Fortunate Man) by Henrik Pontoppidan and Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror) by Martin Andersen Nexø with particular reference to their personal and erotic development by focusing on their relationships to a number of women. In Per´s case the development goes towards “identity”, which in this context means a feeling of being an authentic “I” separated from the surroundings, a feeling of “I am me”. As for Pelle, his development takes a different direction, as it results in a feeling of being a part of something bigger than the individual, a feeling of “I am us”. This Wenzel calls “individuality”. Both novels are seen as forming a contrast to the early 19th century Danish tradition of “bildungsliterature”, starting with Adam Oehlenschlæger´s Aladdin (1805).