Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/280

262 Hattemager," "Aprilsnarrene," "Recensenten og Dyret," and "de Uadskillelige," all of which were received with storms of applause on account of the genuine humor in the dialogue and in the couplets, of the charming melodies admirably adapted to the words, and of the really comical characters that occur in the plays. This great enthusiasm for the plays came, however, only from the public at large, which had been entirely captivated, for pretended critics did not fail to direct violent attacks against this new style of drama, but Heiberg utterly vanquished them in his excellent dissertation, "Vaudevillen som dramatisk Kunstart."

Of Heiberg's greater plays, "Elverhöi," is the most remarkable. Here, as well as in "Syvsoverdag," the style of the popular ballad has been applied in a masterly manner for the purpose of increasing the romantic coloring. In the fairy comedy, "Alferne," Tieck's fairy tale, "Die Elfin," has been dramatized with great art and skill. The Aristophanic comedy, "En Sjæl efter Döden" (a soul after death), is a strikingly witty satire on narrowmindedness, with bold indirect sallies against various prominent individuals and the prevailing tendencies in the literature of the period. In addition to many lyric poems and romances, he also wrote the charming cycle of romances called "De Nygifte."

Of all Heiberg's poetical compositions his vaudevilles have had the most influence on the development of Danish literature, and by them he gained his aim, which was to awaken in the people a taste for a local comedy, and thus he created the conditions by which the modern comedy was able to thrive in Denmark. But notwithstanding the high value of his poetical productions Heiberg unquestionably ranks still higher as a writer on æsthetics. From 1827 he edited for many years the weekly paper "Den flyvende Post" (the flying mail), and later the "Intelligensblade," and by the former especially he guided with marked ability, though not without a certain one-sidedness, the æsthetic development of the people. Heiberg was the first to proclaim the Hegelian philosophy in