”Det bästa svenska lustspel i fosterländsk anda”:

Abstract

The article constitutes a close study of the comic play På Gröna Lund (1856) by Hedvig von Numers, viewed as a significant contribution to the cultural memory of Sweden’s Gustavian era (1772-1809). Building on recent research into the workings of cultural memory, the play is studied from several complementary angles. To begin with, by studying the conditions of its staging and its reception by an audience, we investigate how a feeling of historical authenticity was created. In the next step, the historical content of the play is interpreted and contextualised by relating it to popular and scholarly historiography of the period, and by studying its use of comic conventions in the service of historical representation. Taken together, these approaches show the complex workings of nineteenth century memory culture when confronted with the recent Gustavian past.

Keywords

• Gustavian Era
• cultural memory
• historical fiction
• performing arts