Volume 41, Issue 2

When we talk about literature as a practice we think of it as more than a mere collection of literary texts. Texts become literature first when we do something with them: when we read them, silently or aloud, when we recite them, sing them, play them. Analysing literature as a practice, however, leads to methodological questions: How do we analyse a singular event, a literary performance? Which material is available? These questions can be especially troublesome when historical performances are concerned. This article conducts an exemplary analysis of one of the favourite recital pieces in Swedish 19 th century literature, Esaias Tegnér's Romance “Axel” (1822). Its aim is both to prove the practical value of a theoretical approach and to deliver insight into a popular literary practice around an almost forgotten ‘classic’ in Swedish literary history.

In 1934 Torsten Fogelqvist, a prominent member of the Swedish Academy and a well-known journalist and intellectual, visits Nazi Germany. He writes about his visit to the Third Reich in 17 articles published in the Stockholm daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter . The author, highly critical of the Hitler regime, scrutinizes several aspects of the nazified German society such as the attempts to re-educate the German citizen in accordance with the ideology of the new regime, the hero cult in the Nazi movement, and the relationship between the German state and the churches. In order to further an understanding of political and social developments in Germany Fogelqvist uses a specific strategy. He “translates” them into an imaginary Swedish context. This paper compares his views with those of other Swedish visitors.

Dance games, like the medieval chain dances, are an important part of the Faroese folk dance tradition. This genre comprises many kinds of dances, all of which are danced to sung ballads, but which differ in form from the chain dance. The physical isolation of the Faroese has meant that many of the islanders do not feel part of the European dance tradition. However, some elements of European dance trends travelled to the islands and developed into special dance forms – the so-called dance games. They were very popular in the past and part of the regular repertoire at dance evenings, but, sadly, they receive very little attention today. While the Faroese dances are regularly danced in dance associations, most of the games have already been, or are in danger of being, forgotten. Many Faroese are not even aware of the significant role that these dances played in the old peasant community. This article hopes to raise Faroese awareness of the dance games, and to give the games a new, more significant place in the islands' culture. As the Faroese rediscover the unique cultural heritage they have in the dance games, they will, like the chain dance, come to play an important role in their national conscience.