Measuring Modernity: Literary and Social Change in Scandinavia 1870-1900

MeMo aims to investigate the mental reflections of societal change in literature. In the latter part of the 19th century Scandinavian societies underwent profound structural changes, encompassing numerous, interlocking areas: demography, infrastructure, morals, culture, etc. Scandinavian literature represented a cultural reflection of these transformations. We aim to explore this so-called “Modern Breakthrough” in Scandinavian literature and to foster new understandings of the dynamics of literary and social change. How did this breakthrough of new ways of thinking and writing actually unfold? Who were the actors? And to what extent did the new relate to literature at large?