The New Kingdom: Sketches from the Era of Assassinations and Jubilee Celebrations

Strindberg, August, 1849-1912Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8

Word count: 230K words
Chapters: 23

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Det Nya Riket: Skildringar från attentatens och jubelfesternas tidevarvAuthor: Strindberg, August, 1849-1912,Language: Swedish, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Nov 21, 2009

Editor's review

Det Nya Riket (The New Kingdom) is a work of social criticism by the Swedish author August Strindberg, subtitled "Depictions from the Age of Assassinations and Jubilees" and written in Swedish. The book observes and comments on the political turmoil, public celebrations, and acts of violence in late nineteenth-century Swedish society, with a strongly polemical and satirical tone. Strindberg examines the state system, the climate of public opinion, and the spirit of the age with a sharp eye; the text is both social criticism and an important record of his intellectual transition. Its value lies in offering a writer's diagnosis of the era, through which readers can grasp the tensions in Swedish public life and intellectual circles at the time. In style, argument and narrative are interwoven, and the language is direct and aggressive, requiring some historical background knowledge. It is best understood within the context of modern Swedish political history and Strindberg's oeuvre, rather than read in isolation as pure literature. For readers studying Nordic literature, the history of social thought, or Strindberg himself, this is a text of documentary significance.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the development of Strindberg's thought and writing
Scholars of modern Nordic social history and political commentary
Learners with Swedish reading ability who wish to read the original text
Readers interested in the polemical style of social criticism

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping to read Strindberg's representative novels or plays
Those without a background in modern Swedish history who expect light reading

Reading tips

First learn about the political events and public opinion in late nineteenth-century Sweden, then read the main text.
Read alongside Strindberg's works from the same period to observe changes in his stance and style.
Read section by section, noting the targets of polemic and the core arguments to avoid confusion.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or social commentary?

It is closer to social criticism and a depiction of the era than to a fictional novel. The book offers commentary and satire on assassinations, public celebrations, and the political atmosphere, with a strongly polemical character. It should be read as a critical text, with attention to its stance and rhetoric rather than to a complete plot narrative.

What background knowledge is needed to understand it?

It is advisable first to learn about the political situation, social movements, and public opinion in late nineteenth-century Sweden, and to be broadly familiar with Strindberg's intellectual leanings during this period. Without this background, the many comments on contemporary people and events will be hard to grasp, and the targets of satire difficult to identify.

The original is in Swedish; is it hard to read?

The original is in Swedish, strongly polemical in style, and densely referential to its era, making it demanding for non-native readers. Those with some Swedish can read it with the help of notes and historical materials; those seeking only to understand the content may consult relevant translations or scholarly literature, though some nuance and satirical flavor will be lost.

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About the author

Strindberg, August, 1849-1912 Author

August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a Swedish writer whose 57 works are held in this collection. His output spans novels and drama, with representative works including the novel The Red Room and plays such as Fräulein Julie, The Father, and The Road to Damascus, as well as the Plays by August Strindberg series and the autobiographical The Son of a Servant. His writing often deals with marriage, class, and relations between the sexes, and his style moved from naturalism toward expressionism and symbolism, leaving a lasting influence on modern theatre. The works here are mostly classified under inspirational growth. Public information is limited; the above is based only on in-house facts and widely accepted literary knowledge.