Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Over ævne, Første Stykke [Beyond Human Power]

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This play is a study of the function of the miraculous in Christian faith. In a letter to his wife Karoline from America, dated February 1881, Bjørnson observed that next to

The King

,the play that he was then writing,

Over ævne, Første Stykke

[

Beyond Human Power

] “was the work most in harmony with my being and my development” (Haugen 210).

The play is very short, comprising only two acts. There are some abrupt atmospheric shifts, changing from spiritual ecstasy to a comic exposé of religious prejudice, culminating in an unexpected catastrophe.

The play is very short, comprising only two acts. There are some abrupt atmospheric shifts, changing from spiritual ecstasy to a comic exposé of religious prejudice, culminating in an unexpected catastrophe.

Act 1

Act 1

The scene is laid in

706 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Over ævne, Første Stykke". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35815, accessed 19 March 2024.]

35815 Over ævne, Første Stykke 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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