Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Laboremus

Kathy Rees (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.5: Norwegian Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London), Anja Tröger (University of Edinburgh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1901

Places

Norway (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

This is one of Bjørnson’s urban social dramas, focusing on issues of truth and fidelity in human relationships.

Act 1

The play is set in a first-class German hotel. The wealthy Mr Wisby is waiting for his wife on the morning after their wedding. Lydia, a beautiful and talented pianist, enters, and tenderly they discuss the spontaneity of their decision to marry. Lydia observes: “You, dearest, didn’t go around asking other people about me. You came straight from your big place to ask me: ‘Will you be my wife?’ That’s the way it should be” (230). They resolve to “let nothing old ever come between [them]” (231) and to “keep all outsiders at a distance&…

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1018 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Laboremus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 June 2017 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=36245, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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