CHAPTEE XV 



NOKSE LITERATURE 



The Saga literature, of which we have ah'eacly spoken 

 fully, and given so many examples of in the course of 

 the historical chapters in this volume, is not in the 

 proper sense a literature of Norway, but of Iceland. 

 "When this Saga literature comes to an end there 

 follows the true medireval period of Norse history, 

 during which the country was, as we have seen, a prey 

 to civil war, and when there was no room for literature 

 to flourish. We saw a sort of last echo of the old Saga 

 literature in the account of Hakon's expedition to 

 Scotland, and in the verses which were composed as 

 a record of it. After this period comes the time of 

 union between Norway and Denmark. The latter 

 country was much ahead of Norway in point of culture; 

 and therefore throughout all the period of union it 

 impressed its character on the writings of the Norse- 

 men of the epoch. All the Norsemen who wished to 

 educate themselves had to go to the University of 

 Copenhagen, and to imbibe there the culture of Den- 

 mark. 



It was only after the creation of a native University 

 at Christiania (1811), and the severance of the connec- 

 tion with Donmnrk, which followed almost immediately 



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