Contro corrente. Camilla Collett e le origini della questione femminile in Norvegia
DI ALESSANDRO SERPE
ABSTRACT – If Henrik Ibsen is one of the all-time greatest dramatists, Camilla
Collett (1813-1895) is unanimously viewed as the first Norwegian female
novelist. No less importantly, she is celebrated as one of the pioneering figures
in Nordic feminism. While formally distant from feminist political
propaganda, she used writing as a mighty weapon for fighting against
inequality and in favour of the female liberation. Nearly all her works contain
highly topical subjects of women’s issues, most notably the claim to freely
express their feelings and raise up their voices in public. Striving against the
stream, Camilla Collett’s reflections deserve closer inspection and her works
earn certainly the right to be placed in the most original Nineteenth-century
women’s literature. By taking the Norwegian national identity building-
process as reference scenario (§1; 2), this research aims at critically
investigating the main features of Collett’s feminist thought: from her early
years and literary debut (§3, 4, 5), until the publication of her best-known work,
Amtmandens Døttre (§6) and her further feminist essays (§7). Finally, a special
attention will be paid to her alleged politically-neutral feminism (§8) aimed to
the realization of the female ‘inner liberation’ (§9; 9.1), an essential prerequisite
for a successful advocacy of women’s rights and their legal implementation
(§10;11).
KEYWORDS – Camilla Collett – Amtmandens Døttre – inner freedom – women’s
rights – Nordic feminism – Norwegian women’s emancipation