Ludvig Holberg

Written as the second part of an assignment in MO5032 Material Bibliography at St Andrews, this short essay explores the early print history of Holberg's novel. I emphasise the Latin 1741 edition as the principal one, comparing it with the German and French edition, as well as later editions published by Mengels and Pelt.

The assignment received a mark of Clear Distinction.

(PhD project description).
The overall focus of this project is the early modern origins of the female intellectual identity (FII) in Denmark from the period 1650-1800. Using new methods from feminist history of philosophy together with contemporary concepts from gender studies, the project (1) investigates Birgitte Thott’s (1610-1662) philosophical position and identity as a woman philosopher, (2) offers a critical analysis of the text corpus on learned women (i.e. “Lærde Fruentimmer”) from a gender sensitive perspective, in order to (3) deepen our understanding of how women’s place in the intellectual world was established, justified and how it developed through the early modern era. The concrete research outcome will be a philosophical book on Birgitte Thott, with representative selections from Thott’s unpublished work ‘En Tractat om Vejen til et lyksaligt Liv’ (On the Way to a Happy Life) and a discussion of how a female intellectual identity was constructed in the early modern period (17th-18th century).

“A tale of giants, siege, escape, / And ominous incantations / Of witchcraft, war and virgin rape / In various locations.” In his comedy “Ulysses von Ithacia” (1724), Holberg does not only present a mix of stories from ancient and Norse mythology as well as from the Bible, but also a mix of various theatre traditions. In this play the harlequin Chilian accompanies his master Ulysses, a noble knight, on his epic adventures, amongst them the attempted rescue of the chaste maiden Helen from the clutches of Paris, son of Priapus, king of Troy, or an encounter with the witch Dido, queen of Kajaani in Finland. This talk will focus on how Holberg combines elements of the ancient “fabula palliata”, the early modern “commedia dell’arte”, and the “Haupt- und Staatsaktionen” to reflect on contemporary (trans-)national theatrical practices.

Beine, Julia Jennifer: Ludvig Holberg’s “Ulysses von Ithacia’ eller En tysk komedie”: A Rainbow of Transnational Drama. Transnational Drama. Huygens Institute, Amsterdam, and Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, 25.06.2021.

17 Simona Anselmi, Self-translators' teloi 37 Bruno Berni, «Pura pedanteria e annotazioni inutili». Holberg traduttore di Holberg 55 Alessandra D'Atena, «Nil pensar -apauco precar» / «Gar nichts denken -beinah beten». Studio della poesia Paz / Friede di Stefan George 81 Rossana Sebellin, L'autotraduzione teatrale (e il suo paratesto) nella poetica di Samuel Beckett 95 Lucia Salvato, Scelte linguistiche e strategie comunicative nell'au-

A utopia is, from a certain standpoint, a theoretical model. Like real political structures , utopian States cannot ignore the territorial boundaries separating them from neighbours, since borders contribute to a better defining of identity and alterity. Numerous examples from real history prove that, as a rule, the occupied geographic area is directly proportional to the power of a state. However, in the case of utopias, mapping and defending boundaries is rather a question of ideological identity than a question of economic or political power. In an utopian state, the boundary separates not just two models of state organization, but rather two worlds, one of which is well organized, prosperous and happy, while the other is a world of contrasts and deficiencies, if not an anarchic one. Does the geographic border always overlap the ideological border? Is geographical border a guarantee for the integrity of a State? Does the expanding of boundaries involve an export of ideology? In this article, I will try to provide answers to these questions and I will underscore certain characteristics and functions of State borders, as they can be pinpointed in the utopian writings mentioned in the References.

This article discusses the works of the first two lecturers on natural law in Copenhagen, Henrik Weghorst and Christian Reitzer. Contrary to the existing scholarship which characterises their works as derivative of either Grotius or Pufendorf, the article argues that the character and significance of these works can only be grasped when understood in light of the local intellectual traditions on which they built. Seen against this background, it becomes clear that Weghorst and Reitzer developed significantly different theories of natural law, disagreeing on such fundamental issues as the definition of law, the moral good, and the role of sociality in natural law. Following a tradition of Christian natural law in Kiel, Weghorst developed a theory of natural law fundamentally critical of the secularising theories of Grotius and Pufendorf, while Reitzer followed Pufendorf and his disciple Christian Thomasius in Halle. The article concludes by indicating how Weghorst's and Reitzer's works established the framework for discussions of natural law in the first decades of the eighteenth century, suggesting the need for further research into the significance of natural law for the early enlightenment in Denmark-Norway.

Ludvig Holberg: Metamorphosis eller Forvandlinger (1726), edited with an introduction by Niels Grotum Sørensen with commentary by Niels W. Bruun and Niels Grotum Sørensen.
http://holbergsskrifter.dk/holberg-public/view?docId=metamorphosis/Metamorphosis.page

La présente réflexion sur les sources du Brigadier de Fonvizin s’inscrit dans une problématique beaucoup plus vaste, à l’étude de laquelle cet article vise à contribuer. Il s’agit de s’interroger sur les rapports entre les genres dramatiques et non dramatiques dans la littérature russe du XVIIIe siècle. Le cas de Fonvizin présente un intérêt évident pour au moins deux raisons. Premièrement, même s’il est connu avant tout comme dramaturge, ses débuts littéraires se composent entre autres de quelques satires, si bien que les premiers critiques le qualifient de « Boileau russe ». Comme l’on verra, d’ailleurs, la problématique de ses comédies se fait parfois l’écho des sujets de ses satires. Deuxièmement, les nombreuses études consacrées à l’écrivain constatent l’existence de liens entre ses comédies et les ouvrages périodiques moralisants de l’époque (comme, notamment, Truten’, Pustomelâ, etc.). Cela s’explique en général de la façon suivante : c’est la vie même qui livre les caractères figurants dans la dramaturgie, Fonvizin n’a plus qu’à les peindre. Sans entrer en polémique sur les aspects mimétiques de la dramaturgie du XVIIIe siècle, cette communication mettra davantage en relief la technique littéraire de Fonvizin dans la comédie du Brigadier, tout en explorant le contexte littéraire dans lequel apparaissent les oeuvres du « сатиры смелого властелина » (A. Puškin).

I dette temanummers indledende artikel argumenterer Hanne Sanders for at sekularisering i 1700-tallet kan ses som en moderniseringsproces, hvor gudsforholdet i stigende grad opfattes som en individuel tro snarere end et givent kulturelt og vidensmæssigt forhold. Sanders understreger, at sekulariseringen er en vigtig proces i sig selv og ikke blot en enstrenget vej fra fortid til nutid. Erik Pontoppidans søslanger og 1700-tallets øvrige perspektiver på naturen repræsenterer i høj grad en sekulariseringsproces. Den naturvidenskabelige revolution skubber naturen ind imellem Gud og menneske som et særligt erkendelsesniveau. Det afføder en række fundamentale spørgsmål om Guds eksistens i naturen, og forestillinger om verden som skabt, hvilket gør 1700-tallets sekularisering til en vigtig proces i sig selv.
Men det er også en moderniseringsproces frem mod i dag. Man kan sige, at når Pontoppidan og naturhistorikere som Carl von Linne inspireres af fysiko­teologien til at søge rationelt efter en guddommelig plan med naturen, er de på en måde med til at undergrave selv samme teori. For hvad med det der ikke passer ind i det store system? Og hvad sker der i et rationalt opbygget system om naturens indretning, når man fjerner Gud fra ligningen? Så er det, der står tilbage, en moderne, sekulariseret teori om naturens indretning. Teologi er blevet til økologi.
I følge den amerikanske geograf, Clarence Glacken ledte 1700-tallets sekularisering af klimateorierne frem mod 1800-tallets mere omfattende teorier om naturens orden hos Lamarck, der revolutionerede arvelighedslæren og Darwin, der kombinerede den med forestillingen om de stærkeste individers overlevelse (Glacken 1967, 620). Dermed er ikke bare Gud, men også oral og etik,  Holberg vægtede så højt, taget ud af ligningen om menneskets sammenhæng med de fysiske omgivelser. Synet på naturen er atomiseret, og de helhedsbetragtninger om verdens skabelse, der var en vigtig drivkraft bag igangsættelsen af projekter som udgivelsen af Den Danske Atlas, eller Carl von Linnés ensartning af dyrearternes klassifikation, er ikke en mulighed længere.