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Law of Jante
The Law of Jante (Danish: janteloven [ˈjæntəˌlɔwˀən, -lɒwˀ-])[note 1] is a code of conduct[1] originating in fiction and now used colloquially to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success.[2] Coined by the Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose, it has also come to represent the egalitarian nature of Scandinavian countries.[3]
The "Law" was first formulated as ten rules in Sandemose's satirical novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933), but the attitudes themselves are older.[4] Sandemose portrays the fictional small Danish town of Jante, modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors in the 1930s where nobody was anonymous, a feature of life typical of small towns.[5]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Your Guide to Norwegian Culture". discover-the-world.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Adleswärd, Viveka (2 November 2003). "Avundsjukan har urgamla anor" [Jealousy has ancient ancestry]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Stephen, Trotter (2015-04-15). "Breaking the law of Jante" (PDF). University of Glasgow. eSharp. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
"the concept of Janteloven (the law of Jante) [is] a literary construct from Aksel Sandemose‟s A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (1997[1933])... assumed to explain the egalitarian nature of the Scandinavian nations.
- ^ Scott, Mark (18 December 2003). "Signs of Cracks in the Law of Jante". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
Taken from a book by the Danish author Aksel Sandemose, the concept suggests that the culture within Scandinavian countries discourages people from promoting their own achievements over those of others.
- ^ Translator note, En flygtning krydser sit spor, 2nd ed.
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