LITERATURE, CON TINKXTAI.. IX 1873. 



II. ndrik Conscience, the fertile novelist, 

 continues to charm the Flemish public. In 

 this branoli of literature, we mast not omit 

 the latest works of Mistress Conrtmans, and of 

 Alb. Van den A belle. Van der Cruyssen, D<>dd, 

 Jan Boucherjj, and V. de Veen. It must be 

 owned, however, that no nminnco of trans- 

 oendant merit lias appeared in 1873. 



The firm of Brockhaus, of Leipsic, have be- 

 gan to publish a " Nederlandsche Bibliotheek," 

 M a continuation of the principal literary col- 

 lections of Europe, which have been already 

 issued by this house. This enterprise is placed 

 11:1 1 -r the intelligent direction of the, philologist 

 Ileremans, professor at the University of 

 Ghent, and of the poet Emannel Iliel. The 

 two oldest and most important annuals, the 

 "Jaarhoekje" ("Annual of Poetry and 

 Prose "), edited for the last forty years by the 

 venerable poet lions, and the " Studenton- 

 Almnniik " (" Almanac for Flemish and Dutch 

 Students"), which is edited by the students 

 of the University of Ghent, have this year both 

 thoroughly kept up their old reputation. 



In the domain of literary history, there is 

 an important Essay by Max Rooses, upon the 

 Niebelungen and the song of the Eddo. The 

 book called " Do Ziiid-nederlandsche schrijvers 

 van het tijdstip dor fronsche overheersching," 

 by J. O. Djvigne, is a very curious picture of 

 Flemish literature during the period of the 

 union of Belgium with Franco (1794-1814). 



The " Willems-Fonds," of Ghent, has this 

 year is-mod an excellent Annual (" Jaarboek "), 

 and has begun to publish the select works of 

 Jan Frans Willems, the founder of the society, 

 who is justly considered ta the father of the 

 Flemish movement. He was the first who in- 

 augurated a courageous protest against the 

 violent fancy of the Flemings for the French 

 language after 1830; he wns then a learned 

 man and had distinguished himself in liter- 

 ature ; his writings throw a new light upon the 

 intellectual movement in Flanders at the period 

 of the erection of Belgium into a kingdom. 



Several Flemish works of great importance 

 in an historical point of view have appeared 

 in H73. Ferd. van der Haeghen, the learned 

 librarian of the University of Ghent, has 

 printed tho second volume of the unpublished 

 chronicle of Marcus von Vacrnewijck, " Van 

 die boroerlicko tijdon in die Nodorlanden, 

 1580-1568." Tho author of it was contem- 

 porary with tho religious troubles of the six- 

 teenth century in Flanders, nnd ho belonged to 

 the Catholic party. In this chronicle h 

 lates the effect produced by the excesses of tho 

 Iconoclasts, and traces a startling picture of 

 the severities of the Catholic reaction. IIU 

 impartiality, his frank simplicity, nnd hi* 

 'ity, render his chronicle an invaluable 

 uont. Another publication, scarcely loss 

 important, is the first volume of tho financial 

 Mounts of the city of Ghent during tho ad- 

 mininlration of Jacques ran Arteveldo, "Ro- 

 kmingen der stad Gent. Tijdvak ran Jacob 



van Arteveldo, 1336-1349." This edition is pub- 

 lished under the auspices of the old Literary 

 Society of Ghent devoted to Ncthcrland His- 

 tory and Literature, which is named " Detaal 

 is gansch het volk" ("The Speech is the 

 People "). This publication is directed by 

 four eminently learned men, 1*. A. Lentz, 

 Nap. de Puuw, Max Rooses, and Julius Vuyl- 

 steke. The last-named author has written a 

 little work on this occasion, which is much 

 thought of by those specially interested in tho 

 subject: it is called "Eunigo bijzonderli 

 over de Artevelden in de 14 eeuw " (" Some 

 Unpublished Details about the Artcveldes in 

 the Fourteenth Century "). Tho author dis- 

 plays learning and independence of thonght. 



DENMARK. The books to bo mentioned are 

 not numerous. Public attention has been oc- 

 cupied by the warfare carried on with aston- 

 ishing hatred in pamphlets and papers be- 

 tween the tw*o parties, tho peasants and tho 

 "national-liberals." Tho sn.-ialists, too, have 

 caused a good deal of writing, and HO has the 

 Grundtvig Church party, especial excitement 

 being occasioned by a forgery, a falsified text 

 of Luther's catechism. I need not dwell on all 

 this Foreigners wanting information should 

 consult a recent important Gorman publica- 

 tion, by A. Strodtraann, " Intellectual Life in 

 Denmark : Art, Literature, Politics, Journal- 

 ism; '73," which is, in spite of some mistakes, 

 and hyperbolical praise of works of literature 

 and art, the most instructive and interesting 

 work by any foreigner on Danish affairs. In 

 the predominating " northern," " Scandina- 

 vian, " national " tendencies, a partial change 

 seems taking place. A reaction appears to be 

 already sotting in against tho present Norwe- 

 gian school of poetry, which was first brought 

 in vogue (though really little adapted to Dan- 

 ish taste) by Copenhagen critics (Cl. Peterson, 

 etc.), and which had previously been unpopu- 

 lar even in Norway. The spell has been bro- 

 ken by Bjornson himself, who has exasperated 

 the Copenhagen public by telling it unpala- 

 table political truths ; and Ibsen's last work, 

 "Emperor and Galilawn," although eagerly 

 bought, and of a piece with others of his, cer- 

 tainly is road with general feelings of disap- 

 pointment. 



Poetry can this year boost of only one nota- 

 ble production a lyrical drama, by a very 

 young poet, of German extraction, E. v. der 

 Ki-cke, licrtran de Born," excelling in pol- 

 ished elegance and theatrical effect, and not 

 devoid of genuine poetic force, although the 

 number of noble and chivalrous traits is per- 

 haps a little unmeasured. In novels, ortho- 

 doxy is gaining ground, but cannot avoid 

 snobbishness. II. F. Ewald (best known 

 through the respectable but heavy "histori- 

 cal " novel, "The Scottish Lady of Thjele"). 

 has issued a story, " Agatha," which is a sol- 

 emn warning to all the young ladies <>t" Den- 

 mark acainst marrying any freethinker, en- 

 forced by the sad story of Agatha, 



