Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Laboremus

Kathy Rees (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.5: Norwegian Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London), Anja Tröger (University of Edinburgh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1901

Places

Norway (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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This is one of Bjørnson’s urban social dramas, focusing on issues of truth and fidelity in human relationships.

Act 1

The play is set in a first-class German hotel. The wealthy Mr Wisby is waiting for his wife on the morning after their wedding. Lydia, a beautiful and talented pianist, enters, and tenderly they discuss the spontaneity of their decision to marry. Lydia observes: “You, dearest, didn’t go around asking other people about me. You came straight from your big place to ask me: ‘Will you be my wife?’ That’s the way it should be” (230). They resolve to “let nothing old ever come between [them]” (231) and to “keep all outsiders at a distance” (232). However, their affectionate exchanges grow tense when Wisby admits that during the night, he was troubled by

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1018 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Laboremus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 June 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=36245, accessed 26 April 2024.]

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