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 13 October 2024.]