Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke

The drama Palnatoke by Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) tells the story of an alliance of Vikings who lay the foundation stones of the Danish state. The author of the article analyses the image of Iceland and Icelanders in the drama. The article argues that the friendly, peace-loving Icelandic protag...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Anežka Matěnová
Format: Article
Language:ces
Published: Karolinum Press 2025-07-01
Series:Acta Universitatis Carolinae: Philologica
Online Access:http://www.karolinum.cz/doi/10.14712/24646830.2025.5
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849319849003581440
author Anežka Matěnová
author_facet Anežka Matěnová
author_sort Anežka Matěnová
collection DOAJ
description The drama Palnatoke by Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) tells the story of an alliance of Vikings who lay the foundation stones of the Danish state. The author of the article analyses the image of Iceland and Icelanders in the drama. The article argues that the friendly, peace-loving Icelandic protagonist who travels around the world stands for Scandinavianism, a movement promoting political and cultural cooperation of the Nordic countries. In addition, the character shows some features of the Beautiful as opposed to the Danish Sublime – he is partly feminised. As a result, he looks up to the Danes. Iceland and Denmark are not on an equal footing; Denmark’s attitude to Iceland is colonial and paternalistic. On the one hand, Iceland is praised for its literature and knowledge and Icelanders for their pure hearts. On the other hand, the Icelander is depicted as inferior and in a primitivistic way.
format Article
id doaj-art-4cc8e9ea04074b1eae7ae09aadc62504
institution Kabale University
issn 0567-8269
2464-6830
language ces
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Karolinum Press
record_format Article
series Acta Universitatis Carolinae: Philologica
spelling doaj-art-4cc8e9ea04074b1eae7ae09aadc625042025-08-20T03:50:17ZcesKarolinum PressActa Universitatis Carolinae: Philologica0567-82692464-68302025-07-01202518710410.14712/24646830.2025.5Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama PalnatokeAnežka MatěnováThe drama Palnatoke by Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) tells the story of an alliance of Vikings who lay the foundation stones of the Danish state. The author of the article analyses the image of Iceland and Icelanders in the drama. The article argues that the friendly, peace-loving Icelandic protagonist who travels around the world stands for Scandinavianism, a movement promoting political and cultural cooperation of the Nordic countries. In addition, the character shows some features of the Beautiful as opposed to the Danish Sublime – he is partly feminised. As a result, he looks up to the Danes. Iceland and Denmark are not on an equal footing; Denmark’s attitude to Iceland is colonial and paternalistic. On the one hand, Iceland is praised for its literature and knowledge and Icelanders for their pure hearts. On the other hand, the Icelander is depicted as inferior and in a primitivistic way.http://www.karolinum.cz/doi/10.14712/24646830.2025.5
spellingShingle Anežka Matěnová
Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
Acta Universitatis Carolinae: Philologica
title Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
title_full Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
title_fullStr Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
title_full_unstemmed Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
title_short Denmark’s Little Brother: The Image of Iceland in Adam Oehlenschläger’s Drama Palnatoke
title_sort denmark s little brother the image of iceland in adam oehlenschlager s drama palnatoke
url http://www.karolinum.cz/doi/10.14712/24646830.2025.5
work_keys_str_mv AT anezkamatenova denmarkslittlebrothertheimageoficelandinadamoehlenschlagersdramapalnatoke