Camilla Collett: The Witty Ironic Voice of the Nineteenth Century’s Poetic Realism in Norway

Résumé

The article presents Camilla Collett as the first distinguished Norwegian feminist writer who used irony as a critical tool. Collett is recognized as an important figure in Norway, but she is not sufficiently acknowledged worldwide, while most of the research available on the author’s work is in Norwegian. The article focuses on Collett’s usage of irony, interpreting the author’s methods, reasoning, and impact on the emancipation of women by employing available research, and through a close reading of two selected essays, “Strikketøisbetragninger” [“Reflections While Knitting”], marking the literary debut, and “Om Kvinden og Hendes Stilling” [“On the Status of Women”], highlighting a change in style, while also stressing Collett’s significance for world literature and feminism..