Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/320

302 which by the way may be regarded as the forerunners of that national poetry which has reached its climax in Björnson's stories, are 's "Fra Lofoten og Solör," 's "En Fjeldbygd," and 's small, yet spirited work, "En Jægers Erindringer." has produced most humorous and strikingly truthful sketches of the life of the lower classes in Christiania. (1802-1880), and the excellent linguist (born 1833) have made valuable collections of popular ballads, of which the Thelemark region seems to yield the most abundant harvest.

These efforts to penetrate to the very heart of the national life and to preserve it in its primitive purity, led to the so-called "Maalstræv," that is, an attempt to found a written language on the basis of the various popular dialects, "Landsmaalet" (the country vernacular), and to substitute it for the Danish-Norwegian language. It had its origin in that exclusive Norwegian tendency of the Wergeland party, and aided by the work of excellent philologists, especially by that of the distinguished (born 1813), it has brought to light a vast amount of linguistic treasures, which otherwise would have remained wholly neglected. Herein lies the great significance of these efforts, while their real aim, the creation of a new language out of the dialects, is, as a matter of course, an unattainable one. The "Maalstræver" school has produced a few poets, among whom (1818-1870) is the most remarkable. From him we have a number of beautiful lyric poems, and an epic "Storegut," written in the "Landsmaal." Another author of considerable merit, though far less original than Vinje,