Time and space in Sigbjørn Obstfelder’s prose poetry

Abstract

The article dwells upon the time and space in Sigbjørn Obstfelder’s prose poetry. The genre of prose poetry came to Scandinavia at the end of the 19th century, on the peak of the French symbolism popularity. The strong influence of the French symbolist Charles Baudelaire is obvious in Obstfelder’s works. The most significant feature that defines the chronotope of Obstfelder’s poems is opposition between man and nature. By a person the author means not a lyrical hero but other people, the whole society, the essence of which can be described as “the abode of many people”. “Other people” are synonymous with the concept of “city”, and this chronotope is clearly seen in many of his poems. The poet describes both nature and city in details and the chaos of the city extremely contrasts with the rich and harmonious life of nature. The opposition of harmony and chaos, sincerity and alienation is emphasized by the contrast between the sounds of nature and the city: between weeping, sobbing, screaming, roaring and the sound of drops, the rustling of leaves and the singing of birds. Despite the beauty and harmony of nature the lyrical hero still cannot exist outside the city for a long time. Perhaps he can exist only in a borderline state — between people and nature, harmony and chaos, trying to combine, unite in the mind both worlds, but staying alone in both of them. The common feature of all his prose poems is transition and border crossing and it can explain the originality of Obstfelder’s prose poems.