“In darkness they grope”: Ancient Remains and Romanticism in Denmark"

TY - JOUR

T1 - “In darkness they grope”: Ancient Remains and Romanticism in Denmark"

AU - Jensen-Rix, Robert William

PY - 2015/7/4

Y1 - 2015/7/4

N2 - This article explores the fraught dynamics between literary romanticism and antiquarianism in nineteenth-century Denmark. It explores the tensions between two national-romantic projects: the desire for collecting ancient objects and imaginatively transcending these same objects. Focusing on the early works of the Danish poet Adam Oehlenschläger - especially his famous poem "The Golden Horns" [Guldhornene] - the article casts new light on the appropriation of Nordic prehistory at a significant historical juncture. As part of this investigation, the early development of the Danish museum dedicated to the exhibition of Nordic antiquities is reconsidered. To gain a further perspective on the period, the article concludes with a discussion of the theologian N.F.S. Grundtvig, who straddled the line between romantic idealism and antiquarian research.

AB - This article explores the fraught dynamics between literary romanticism and antiquarianism in nineteenth-century Denmark. It explores the tensions between two national-romantic projects: the desire for collecting ancient objects and imaginatively transcending these same objects. Focusing on the early works of the Danish poet Adam Oehlenschläger - especially his famous poem "The Golden Horns" [Guldhornene] - the article casts new light on the appropriation of Nordic prehistory at a significant historical juncture. As part of this investigation, the early development of the Danish museum dedicated to the exhibition of Nordic antiquities is reconsidered. To gain a further perspective on the period, the article concludes with a discussion of the theologian N.F.S. Grundtvig, who straddled the line between romantic idealism and antiquarian research.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - Romanticism

KW - Antiquarianism

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1050-9585

VL - 26

SP - 435

EP - 451

JO - European Romantic Review

JF - European Romantic Review

IS - 4

ER -