Brandes' magnum opus 'Main Currents' had worldwide repercussions
In 1871, the Danish critic and literary scholar Georg Brandes began a series of lectures which were published in book form in six volumes from 1872 onwards for 18 years. The work covered the history of literature in three large European cultural nations, Germany, Great Britain and France, and when comparing that to the Danish literary scene, Brandes left no doubt that in his opinion, Danish culture and intellectual life were lagging behind.
The lectures and publications were considered controversial and caused a stir in Denmark, and at the same time, they heralded the period which Brandes named 'The Modern Breakthrough'. It was a breakaway from norms and tradition-bound morality, and Brandes was an advocate of free thought – a freedom which led to a critical attitude towards institutions, such as church and marriage.
Not many figures from the 1800s still cause so much difference of opinion as Georg Brandes does
Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard, Professor of Literature from 兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 University, has carried out research into Georg Brandes' magnum opus and its importance.
?Brandes wanted to show how underdeveloped and distant from reality Danish literature was during the same period. In his opinion, Danish literature did not relate to the contemporary world or contribute to the public debate. His ambition was to awake Danish authors, but because of all the stir that 'Main Currents' brought about in Denmark, the importance of Brandes in other countries may have been overlooked,? says Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard.
One of the few voices remaining from the 1800s
The thoughts of Georg Brandes still come up in the public debate.
Members of the Danish Parliament, such as Morten Messerschmidt from the Danish People's Party and Sofie Carsten Nielsen from the Danish Social-Liberal Party are just recent examples of persons who have used Georg Brandes and his ideas in different contexts.
In a feature article on kristeligt-dagblad.dk in the summer of 2019, Morten Messerschmidt took a critical view of Georg Brandes by using him as an example to comment on current trends in society which the politician considers unfortunate, whereas Sofie Carsten Nielsen et al. have published a pamphlet on social-liberal values in the autumn of 2018, in which they make links from Brandes and his thoughts to current social-liberal policy.
?Not many figures from the 1800s still cause so much difference of opinion as Georg Brandes does. He has had a significant impact on cultural radicalism, which saw several great periods in the 20th century, and he has been a scapegoat of various national conservative figures and movements,? says Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard.
One of the reasons why Brandes is still relevant is that his criticism of Danish culture in 'Main Currents' heralded a new departure.
?He has had major influence on Danish self-understanding. Fierce debate followed in the wake of 'Main Currents' and some were insulted by his criticism of Danish culture, but at the same time, many authors were really inspired by his lectures and he became a standard bearer for a new direction within literature. It is still a phenomenon that creates supporters and opponents,? Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard explains.
The professor believes that the current use of Georg Brandes and his views might tend be characterised by ideas of what he stood for rather than what he actually wrote.
?Therefore, this version of 'Main currents' is important as it provides a reliable textual basis for discussion. In that version, you can read yourself what he actually wrote,? he concludes.
Drawing: Julius Lange / Det Kongelige Bibliotek (The photo has been cropped)
For the past three years, he has been head of the research project 'Digital Currents', the aim of which has been to prepare a brand new and unique digital version which makes it possible to read the original version of Brandes' text, just as you are able to follow the development of the text through the different versions published. Scientific introductions situate each text in new theoretical and historical contexts. The project is supported by a Semper Ardens grant from the Carlsberg Foundation, and the purpose has been to explore 'Main Currents' as a major contribution to the formulation of a modern European identity and as a pioneer work within comparative and internationally oriented literature research.
Only few have had that reach
'Main Currents' has been translated into ten different languages, and already in the contemporary time of Georg Brandes, the work was translated into other languages than just German, English and French, as the books were also published in Russian, Japanese and Yiddish, to mention a few.
One of the reasons why the work had that reach was that Georg Brandes managed to create a large network abroad, just as he took up residence in Germany himself.
?The entire work 'Main Currents' has a European outlook. Brandes believes that ideas and feelings move across borders. That countries influence each other and that the cultures of the countries influence each other. This is in contrast to the strong nationalism of the 1800s and also to the strong methodical nationalism seen in literary research where researchers preferred to study the literatures of the individual countries separately,? says Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard and adds:
?This way, 'Main Currents' provides a cultural reflection on the first wave of globalisation – and suggestion for how it can be used by humanists.?
Therefore, 'Main Currents' is about more than literature. It became a comment on intellectual life and prevailing ideas of freedom, peace and modernity where Brandes argued for opening up Europe. That became part of the formulation of a European identity.
?It became his open sesame, initially to the European scene, but later to a truly global scene where Brandes was an exemplary intellectual because he joined the dialogue on big questions, and he was interviewed frequently, particularly about World War I on which he had strong views. Brandes did not take side, and he believed that all belligerent countries were abettors of the cruelty which he considered World War I to be an expression of,? says the Professor of Literature.
'The good European'
The famous author and Nobel laureate Thomas Mann labelled Georg Brandes' magnum opus 'Main Currents in 19th Century Literature' 'a bible for young European intellectuals' while the influential German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called Brandes 'the good European'.
First, Georg Brandes became known in Europe, but later his authorship was spread out to other parts of the world.
?So, in this way he is a humanist whose messages have had a very far reach and have made a significant impact. Some people even learned Danish to read his works in the original language and that does not happen to many Danish authors,? says Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard.
Links to Nordic crime novels on the German market
In addition to his role in formulating a European identity, Georg Brandes also influenced a cultural development Germany, the repercussions of which can still be seen today.
?At the same time as he pointed out that nothing happened in Nordic literature, he also started a wave that became a separate Nordic contribution to world literature. Nordic literature came to represent a special cultural modernity. It is hard to overvalue what it has meant to the subsequent response to Nordic literature in Germany. One of the reasons why Nordic crime novels are such a strong brand in the German market today is definitely Brandes efforts to promote Nordic literature back in the 1870s and 1880s,? Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard concludes.
Digital Currents
For the very first time, a digital, scientific version of Georg Brandes' magnum opus 'Main Currents in Main Currents in 19th Century Literature' has been created.
The basis of the digital version, which can be found on georgbrandes.dk, is the first version which was published in print, and which in Georg Brandes' own lifetime alone was published in five different versions.
The digital version makes it possible to track the change that Brandes made between the various versions because the team has compiled the various versions. For example, Georg Brandes tried to moderate his language along the way.
"There are some important passages in the first version of the work that he leaves out in later versions because they were too offensive, Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard explains.
Lasse Horne Kj?ldgaard and the other members of the research team behind the new digital version of 'Main Currents' have commented on the texts. In addition, georgbrandes.dk also contains different tools to facilitate the reading of the original text. For example, the text has been linked to online dictionaries, and indices of people, works and places occurring in the text have been compiled. georgbrandes.dk also has digital versions of those of the volumes that were published in German, English and French.
Photo: Frederik Riise / Det Kongelige Bibliotek (The photo has been cropped)