Ludvig Holberg Biography

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Dictionary of Literary Biography on Ludvig Holberg

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Scandinavian literature, with a few exceptions, was almost a century behind the developments abroad. That within a few decades this literature was on par with other European literatures resulted solely from the efforts of one person, Ludvig Holberg, the most important man of letters in eighteenth-century Denmark and Norway. He is often referred to as the "Molière of the North," even though he was as productive as a satirist, historian, and essayist as he was as a playwright. As a true child of the Age of Enlightenment, Holberg advocated tolerance and moderation, but he also transgressed its parameters. He introduced several classical genres but violated their rules, pointing ahead to twentieth-century absurdist drama. He generally supported the status quo of absolute monarchy but sometimes criticized its deficiencies quite openly--in particular when he saw a chance to address the outdated educational system. He also emerged as a modern advocate of women's rights--in fact, as the first Scandinavian feminist.

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