Folk songs/tales 

Queen Dagmar lays sick in Ribe(Dronning Dagmar ligger udi Ribe syg). 12th century(some however believe it to be written in th 14th century). Queen Dagmar, wife of Valdemar Sejr, was seen as a God fearing and pious woman. This folk tale is about her death as she’s giving birth to her second son.

The power of the harp(Harpens kraft).15th century. Vilmunds bride is afraid of crossing the bridge, blidebro, before their wedding, as her two sisters fell into the water crossing it. Vilmund assures her nothing will happen, but when the day comes, her horse slips and she fall into the water. Ramund. 16th century. Folk song of swedish origin, about the quick witted and strong Ramund. Despite supposedly stems from the 16th century, it has got some references to nordic mythology such as when Ramund kills seven jætter/jötunn. It’s a very cliche story about a man who ends up taking the princess and half the kingdom.

Rationalism

Jeppe on the mountain(Jeppe paa Bierget). 1722. Ludwig Holberg. The baron decided to play a prank on the drunk peasant, Jeppe. Erasmus Montanus. 1747. Ludwig Holberg. Rasmus goes to Copenhagen to get a formal education. When he returns, to his hometown, he insists on being called the latinized version of his name; Erasmus Montanus. His beliefs about the earth being round tests his relationship with his fiancee, Lisbeth and the other villagers.

The romantic era

Guldhornene. 1802. Adam Oehlenschläger. The poem which kicked off the romantic era in Danish litterature. The tinderbox(Fyrtøjet). 1835. H. C. Andersen. A witch asks a soldier, to help her get back her magic tinderbox. He ends up keeping the tinderbox. The little mermaid(Den lille havfrue). 1837. H. C. Andersen. You all know this one. The ugly duckling(Den grimme ælling). 1843. H. C. Andersen. A swan thinks he’s an ugly duck. You all know thi sone as well probably. The nightingale(Nattergalen). 1843. H. C. Andersen. The Emperor of China adores the nightingales song, but wants it to sing for him all the time, so he acquires a mechanic one to take its place. The Little match-seller(Den lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne). 1845. H. C. Andersen. A young poor orphan sells matches on Christmas Eve. Very bitter sweet story tbh. The Shadow(Skyggen). 1847. H. C. Andersen. Haven’t read thi sone yet, but i’ve heard that it’s a must read, and it really does sound like it. Enten – Eller. 1843. Søren Kierkegaard. Philosophy, yadayada, existentialism.

The Modern Breakthrough

Lucky Per(Lykke Per). 1898. Henrik Pontoppidan. Per leaves his protestant family, to study engineering. His enthusiasm and creative ideas aren’t received well by most. This is a fave. Eagle’s flight(Ørneflugt). 1899. Henrik Pontoppidan. The ugly duckling, but make it sad and with an eagle. The last ball gown(Den sidste Balkjole). 1887. Herman Bang. For a gay writer, Herman Bang surely did write a lot about women. This one is about a woman who sews her own ball gown, and realises that she has grown old. Tine. 1889. Herman Bang. War, sex and suicide, need i say more. Ved Vejen. 1898. Herman Bang. Katinka craves the love and passion, her husband Bai isn’t abel to give her. She finds this in the neighbour, Huus. When he leaves the country, Katinka falls sick.

Neo-realismen

The Fall of The King(Kongens fald). 1901. Johannes. V. Jensen. Mikkel Thøgersen meets King Christian II by accident. They end up following each other through war and peace.

The post-war era

The Patridge(Agerhønen). 1947. Martin A. Hansen. Different short stories by Martin A. Hansen. All very good reads. Some harder to get through than others. The Liar(Løgneren). 1950. Martin A. Hansen. Johannes Vig lives on the island Sandø. He’s a bit confused about everything and has a slight alcohol problem. The ethical demand(Den etiske fordring). 1956. K. E. Løgstrup. Existential theology.

Modernism

Zappa. 1977. Bjarne Reuter. Coming of age story about a group of young boys.

The boys from St. Petri(Drengene fra Sankt Petri). 1991. Bjarne Reuter. Inspired by the actions of the Churchill club during the German occupation of Denmark.

Postmodernism og minimalism