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W.E.A. LITERATURE CLASS

Last Tuesday evening there was again a very good attendance at this popular class, in the literature room at the University when Aliss AI. H. AI. King delivered her first lecture on Bojer, tho Norwegian writer. In her opening remarks she drew attention to the fact that Norway was like Russia in haring an old literature and a modern one. The sagas were of the old regime. A very good idea of what these were could bo gleaned by reading William Morris’s translations. At one time everything written in Norway was in Danish. That was not tho case now. Norway in many respects, and particularly in her social aspect, was the most advanced country in the world. The literature of that country was predominantly _ the novel, the writings of Ibsen being the exception. This literature would be found almost exclusively to be concerned with peasant life. Speaking of that life, Aliss King declared that the farmers there and in New Zealand would be found to he strangely alike in their virtues and vices, also their interests. Coming to the work of Bojer, she would deal with bis novel ‘ The Power of a Lie.’ It was briefly the story of an elderly man who some years before the story opens had signeu his name as guarantor for money advanced to another man. The story opens with tho picture of the old man, Knut Norby, returning from a school committee meeting whore ho had been defeated, and lie is considering how he will break the unwelcome nows of this and other matters to his wife. Chief amongst the other matters is that, of the failure of the man for whom he is standing guarantor. He goes to bed without telling his wife about it. Afterwards a sot of circumstances, acting upon his weak nature (which is influenced by what other people will think about him), prevents him from stopping a lie on its journey until a point is reached where he finds it impossible to tell the truth. The lie does a great deal of harm openly. The reader is finally left with quite a problem in front of him. This problem consists in solving whether or not Knot Norby could possibly believe finally in his own innocence. A very interesting discussion followed, and the class in one or two places showed some knowledge in the psychological aspect of humanity. The study of Bojer will be continued next Tuesday.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19260710.2.107

Bibliographic details

Evening Star, Issue 19298, 10 July 1926, Page 12

Word Count
410

W.E.A. LITERATURE CLASS Evening Star, Issue 19298, 10 July 1926, Page 12

W.E.A. LITERATURE CLASS Evening Star, Issue 19298, 10 July 1926, Page 12

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