Often designated The Moliere of the North and The Father of Scandinavian Theatre, Ludvig Holberg through the continued popularity of his comedies has dominated the Danish National Theatre for more than two hundred years. Of Norwegian birth, Holberg is claimed by Norway as their own great comic genius. Both the Danish and the Norwegian National Theatres are fronted by statues of Holberg overlooking their entrances.This book presents the first introduction to and analysis of Holberg s thirty-three comedies in English and is the first book in any language to explain why they continue to be the most popular comedies in Scandinavia. After introducing Holberg and discussing how and why he could write such lively works, Argetsinger divides the plays into six general types: comedies of character, comedies of intrigue, comedies of special public occasions, topical comedies, philosophical comedies, and satires of dramatic forms, and provides a fully developed example of each type. He then examines those details that make the scripts comic and stageworthy.The essential elements of Holberg s comedy are those of all successful comedy writers: comic situations, business, character, and dialogue."
- ISBN10 0809310589
- ISBN13 9780809310586
- Publish Date 1 June 1983
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 24 June 2009
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Southern Illinois University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 175
- Language English