Framing A National Narrative: The Legend Collections of Peter Christen Asbjornsen

When Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885) published his collection of folktales, which became a classic of Norway’s romanticism period, his accomplishment went far beyond the folklorist’s goal of documenting fascinating stories from various regions of his country. His Norske huldreeventyr og folkesagn was not only a work of literature but also a codification of certain assumptions for the readers of its time. It reflected cultural and intellectual currents in microcosm and helped to create a worldview that is still relevant in Norway today. In this long overdue analysis of Asbjørnsen’s collection, Marte Hvam Hult establishes him as a major force in the development of Norwegian national identity and argues that his work should assume a more prominent place in the Norwegian literary canon.Asbjørnsen is best known as Jørgen Moe’s collaborator on the famous collection of folktales, Norske folkeeventyr, which sparked debate about how the Norwegian language should appear in print. In Norske huldreeventyr og folkesagn, Asbjørnsen blended a literary perspective with that of a folklorist to create a remarkable synthesis of the real and the imagined. Studying this collection from a literary point of view, Hult considers such themes as the appropriation of a harsh natural environment and human interaction with both the ethnic and supernatural Other. She discusses how Asbjørnsen helped to establish the modern Norwegian novel and how his depiction of plurality can help Norwegians forge a more cosmopolitan national identity. Read more