De Dødes Rige som politisk samtidsroman

– med særlig vægt på Enslev-skikkelsen

Resumé

Abstract
The article analyzes De Dødes Rige (The Realm of the Dead) as a political contemporary novel depicting power struggles, vanity, and moral decay in Danish politics after the constitutional shift of 1901. Pontoppidan portrays a political culture marked by personal intrigue and deep disappointment with the development of parliamentarism. The character Enslev stands at the center as a complex leaderboth visionary and embittered-but the article argues that he is only partly inspired by Viggo Hørup. By comparing the novel’s fictional political universe with historical realities, the text shows how Pontoppidan constructs a credible yet composite political framework. The article highlights the sharp character portraits and the critical depiction of political life as the reason why De Dødes Rige can be considered the strongest political novel in Danish literature.