Cover of O. T., A Danish Romance

O. T., A Danish Romance

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  • 6 hours to read
  • 46 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"O. T., A Danish Romance" by Hans Christian Andersen is a novel written in the early 19th century. The narrative begins with an exploration of the unique joy that comes with transitioning into student life, a happiness that is uniquely male and tied to significant milestones such as passing examinations. The story introduces us to young students, particularly focusing on a group celebrating after a successful examination, including the characters Wilhelm and Otto, as they delve into their hopes, friendships, and aspirations. The opening of the novel establishes a lively atmosphere at a celebratory banquet held in honor of students who have recently passed their examinations. As the students gather, humorous banter flows, and the anticipation of their new academic journeys is palpable. Introductions and playful tales about past shenanigans entwine with discussions about their future endeavors. Among the notable characters are Wilhelm, the jovial host, and Otto Thostrup, an intelligent yet proud student. The initial chapters intricately weave laughter and camaraderie with undertones of ambition and the complexities of friendship, setting the stage for deeper themes that will emerge as their stories unfold.

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Chapter I

“Quod felix faustumque sit!”

There is a happiness which no poet has yet properly sung, which no lady-reader, let her be ever so amiable, has experienced or ever will experience in this world. This is a condition of happiness which alone belongs to the male sex, and even then alone to the elect. It is a moment of life which seizes upon our feelings, our minds, our whole being. Tears have been shed by the innocent, sleepless nights been passed, during which the pious mother, the loving sister, have put up prayers to God for this critical moment in the life of the son or the brother.

Happy moment, which no woman, let her be ever so good, so beautiful, or intellectual, can experience—that of becoming a student, or, to describe it by a more usual term, the passing of the first examination!

The cadet who becomes an officer, the scholar who becomes an academical burgher, the apprentice who becomes a journeyman, all know, in a greater or less degree, this loosening of the wings, this bounding over the limits of maturity into the lists of philosophy. We all strive after a wider field, and rush thither like the stream which at length loses itself in the ocean.

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Contents

Show all 46 chapters
  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III: “Who looks into the shadowy realm of my heart?” A. V. Chamisso
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII: “The heat-lark warbles forth his sepulchral melodies.” S. S. Blicher
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII: Men are not always what they seem. — Lessing
  24. Chapter XXIV
  25. Chapter XXV
  26. Chapter XXVI
  27. Chapter XXVII
  28. Chapter XXVIII
  29. Chapter XXIX: “And if I have wept alone, it is my own sorrow.” — Goethe
  30. Chapter XXX
  31. Chapter XXXI
  32. Chapter XXXII
  33. Chapter XXXIII
  34. Chapter XXXIV
  35. Chapter XXXV
  36. Chapter XXXVI
  37. Chapter XXXVII: “Mourir! c’est un instant de supplice: mais vivre?” — FrÉDÉRic Soulie
  38. Chapter XXXVIII
  39. Chapter XXXIX
  40. Chapter XL
  41. Chapter XLI
  42. Chapter XLII
  43. Chapter XLIII
  44. Chapter XLIV
  45. Chapter XLV
  46. Chapter XLVI

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About this edition

This free edition of O. T., A Danish Romance by H. C. Andersen comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #7513, released 2005-02-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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