Leonarda Falk is a woman of business and property, an exemplary employer, and a devoted surrogate-mother to her adopted niece, Ågåt. However, the local Bishop and his congregation are wary of her because “she was both married and divorced abroad” (the implication is that this had taken place in America) and, since returning to Norway eight years earlier, “she has never once been to church” (66). We learn that a few months earlier, when attending a concert in the town, she was publicly denounced as “a woman of doubtful reputation” (52) by the Bishop’s nephew, Hagbart Tallhaug, a fanatical theologian.
When the play opens, Ågåt is away at a neighbouring watering-place, and Leonarda is receiving one General Rosen, famous for having won honours and rank in the American war,
543 words
Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Leonarda: Skuespil I fire Hnadlinger". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35918, accessed 18 April 2024.]
