Niels Henrik Abel and his Times: Called Too Soon by Flames Afar

548 Pages·2000·25.53 MB·English

by  Arild Stubhaug (auth.)

ARILD STUBHAUG
NielsHenrik Abeland his Times
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Arild Stubhaug
NIELS HENRIK ABEL
and his Times
Called Too Soon by Flames Afar
Translated from the Norwegian
by Richard H. Daly
With 51 Figures,13in Colour
Springer
ARILD STUBHAUG
Grimsrudveien 88
3442Hyggen, Norway
Translator:
RICHARD H.DALY
Sternsrudlia 1
1294Oslo, Norway
Originalpublication (inNorwegian):
Etforanskutt lyn:NielsHenrik Abeloghans tid,second edition 1996
© 1996H.Aschehoug&Co.(W.Nygaard),Oslo
Publisher's note: Springer-Verlag thanks Elisabet Middelthon of MUNIN, Oslo, for the
excellentcollaboration and financialsupportforthe translation,whichmadethe publica
tion ofthis book possible. Thanks go alsoto Cathrine Janicke,AstaBrenna and Harald
EngelstadofH.Aschehoug& Co.,Oslo.
Thebackgroundillustrationon theendpapers showsapartofthewallpaper patternfrom
Abel'sdeath room at Froland (modified after a photo byDannevig,Arendal). Moreover,
theaforementioned photo iscompletelyreproducedand printedasacolorfigure(Fig.51)
on p.568withamore detailed description.
ISBN978-3-642-086I0-6 ISBN978-3-662-04076-8(eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-04076-8
Cataloging-in-PublicationDataapplied for.
DieDeutscheBibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Stubhaug,Arild:NielsHenrikAbelandhistimes:calledtoosoonbyflamesafar/ArildStubhaug.Trans\.by
R.Daly.- Berlin;Heidelberg; NewYork;Barcelona;Hongkong;London;Mailand;Paris;Singapur;Tokio:
Springer,2000
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concerned,specificallythe rights oftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,
reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherway,and storage indatabanks.Duplicationofthispublication
orpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisions oftheGermanCopyrightLawofSeptember9,1965,
initscurrentversion,andpermissionforusemustalwaysbeobtainedfromSpringer-Verlag.Violationsare
liableforprosecutionundertheGermanCopyrightLaw.
©Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2000
OriginallypublishedbySpringer-VerlagBerlinHeidelbergNewYorkin2000.
Softcoverreprint ofthehardcover Istedition2000
Theuseofgeneraldescriptive names,registered names,trademarks,etc.inthispublicationdoesnotimply,
eveninthe absence ofaspecificstatement,that suchnames areexempt from therelevant protectivelaws
and regulationsand thereforefreeforgeneral use.
CoverDesign:ErichKirchner,Heidelberg.Germany
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Printedonacid-free paper SPIN:10699500 46/3143Re- 543210
Contents
PART I
Intro.d.uction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. AShort Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
PART II
Family Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2. The AbelFamilyTree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 35
3. Father's Period ofSchooling and Study in Denmark . . . . . . . . . . 45
4. Vicar and Curate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5. Abeland the Simonsen Familyin Riser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
PART III
Childhood at Gjerstad
6. Priest at Pinney, Church Affairsin the Kristiansand Diocese . . . .. 69
7. Niels Henrik's First Years 79
8. Childhood Learning, Childhood Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9. Everyday Lifein the Shadow ofWar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 89
10. Ground Swellsfrom Offshore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 97
11. NewSounds in Cityand Hamlet 103
12. Home and Abroad,Crises and TurningPoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
13. S.G.AbelSteps into Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
14. The Times DuringWhich NielsHenrik GrewUp . . . . . . . . . . .. 125
15. NielsHenrik LeavesHome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
VI Contents
PART IV
Disciple in Christiania, 1815-1821 139
16. Meeting ANew Era . . ... . . . . . . 141
17. School Life,Money Worries, and the Joys ofthe Theatre . . 147
18. EverydayLifein Christiania.S.G.Abel Enters the Public Spotlight . 161
19. Confirmation and Direction in Life 171
20. The Fateful Year, 1818 . . . 181
21. Christiania, Fall,1818 199
22. Into Mathematical History . . . . . 201
23. School Days and Many More Stories 213
24. To the Examen artium and Further Studies 223
25. Student and Homeless. . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
PART V
StudentLife,1821-1825 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
26. Free Room and Board at "Regentsen" 251
27. Examen Philosophicum: The Course ofStudies and the Teachers. 255
28. Student Lifeand Circle ofFriends . 261
29. Spring and Early Summer, 1822 . . . 271
30. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. . 277
31. Copenhagen - Travel, Summer, 1823 287
32. The Quintic Equation and Future Plans 301
33. Betrothal and Preparations . . . . . . . . 311
PART VI
Europe-Travel 321
34. Through Copenhagen and Hamburg to Berlin . . . . .. 323
35. Berlin, October1825to March 1826 . . . . . . 329
36. Via Leipzig to Freiberg . . . 351
37. Through Dresden to Prague . . . 355
38. To Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
39. From Vienna to Graz and Trieste 379
40. Onward to Venice, via Bologna to Bolzano 385
41. In the Dolomites, over to Innsbruck and on to Mount Rigi . . . . 391
42. Paris, July roth to December zoth, 1826. . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
43. The Homeward Journeyvia Berlin and Copenhagen . . . . . . . . . . 421
Contents VII
PART VII
The Last Year in Norway 429
44. BackHome . . . . . . . . . 431
45. Christiania, Autumn, 1827 441
46. From January to July,1828 451
47. The Final Summer .. ... 459
48. The Final Round, Autumn, 1828 . 465
PART VIII
49. Deathbed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
ApPENDIX
1. Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
2. Commentaries and SupplementaryReadings . 501
3. Chronological Bibliography ofAbel's Published Works. 545
4. Annotated Bibliography . 553
INDEXOFNAMES 569
List ofIllustrations
Figure1 Niels HenrikAbelsculptureby Gustav Leerum 1
Figure 2 Riser, 1817 . . . • .. .. . .. . . . .. . . 33
Figure3 Gjerstadvicarage,drawnby P.M.Tuxen . 67
Figure 4 Gjerstadchurch,drawnby John Aas . 133
Figure5a.b PortraitsofHans Mathias AbelandElisabethKnuth Abel 134
Figure 6a.b Seren GeorgAbel's teachingbookandsilhouettes . 135
Figure 7 Map ofsouthern Norwayinthe 1820S . 136
Figure 8 Christianiaat Bjervika . 139
Figure 9 CornerofDronningensgateandTollbodgaten . . 153
Figure 10a.b CathedralSchoolauditorium usedby Parliament
andsilhouetteofSerenGeorgAbel . . . . . . . . . 154
Figure 11 Keilhau'swatercolourofIotunheimenmountains 155
Figure 12 Old taproomon Maridalsveien . 157
Figure 13 Map ofChristianiaanddistrict,byC.B.Roosen, 1830 . . 205
Figure 14a-d Portraits ofHolmboe,Keilhau,MaschmannandM011er 206
Figure 15a-d PortraitsofBoeck,Hansteen,Rasmussen andTreschow 207
Figure 16 Marketdays in Christiania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Figure 17 Drammensveiennearthe Arbiens estate, 1820S .
Figure 18 ProfessorMichael Skjelderup's estate
on NedreSkillebeek,1827 .. .. . . . . . .. . ....•. . . 281
Figure 19a.b UniversityMariboeBuilding, the lemniscate,
andAbel's elliptical integralcalculations 282
Figure 20 Pagefrom Abel's workbooks . 283
Figure 21 PortraitofChariteBorch . 285
Figure 22 Gendarmenmarkt,Berlin,1825 . 321
Figure 23 Dresden'sBruhl'sTerrace,byJ.C.Dahl 339
Figure 24 a-c PortraitsofAugustLeopoldCrelle,NilsOtto Tank
and Jacob Steiner . 340
Figure 25a-d Portraits ofC.F.Degen, J.J.von Littrow, C.F.Gauss,
andH.C.Schumacher . . . 341
Figure 26 The "NeueAula" inVienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
x ListofIllustrations
Figure 27 L'EcolePolytechniquein Paris ... .
Figure 28a-c Portraits ofIohanGerbitz,AlexisBouvard
andJ. N-P.Hachette 362
Figure 29a-d PortraitsofA.1. Cauchy, F.-V.Raspail, G.P.1. Dirichlet
andE.Galois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Figure 30 UniversityofBerlin,1820. . . . . . . . . . . 364
Figure 31 "Blickvom KreuzbergaufBerlin" . . . . . 405
Figure 32 Theviewfrom MountRigi,1830. . . . . . 406
Figure 33 Map ofEurope,1825 . . . . . . . . . 407
Figure 34 ViewofParis, bySeyfert,1818 . . . . . . . . 408
Figure 35 Arendal,sketchedin1848. . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Figure 36 Christianiaasseen from Ekeberg, 1835 . . . . . . . . 435
Figure 37 PortraitofChristineKemp, 1835 . . . . . . 436
Figure 38 Gerbitz' portraitofAbel,paintedin1826. . . . 437
Figure 39 Froland Ironworks,1831 . . 438
Figure 40 Rosefrom the wallpaperin the "buckroom",
at the family homeofSivert Smith, FrolandIronworks .. 479
Figure 41 Bust ofAbelby BrynjulfBergslien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
Figure 42a,b The Vigelandmonumentto Abel,andan Abelportrait
byNilsGude afterthe Gerbitzoriginal . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Figure 43 Pagefrom Abel's Paris notebooks,
showingthe lemniscate . . 504
Figure 44 Partialpage from Abel's Paris notebooks · . 505
Figure 45 EngravingofDokken,Christianshavn,Denmark . · . 506
Figure 46a/c The spiralwith which Abelconcludedhis works,
Abel's sealwith the profileofAthena,
and"NHA 1810"scratchedon awindowat Gjerstad · . 507
Figure 47 Title page ofAbel's CollectedWorks,VolumeI .. . 508
Figure 48a,b Abel's gravestone,andthe memorialobelisk
at FrolandWorks, datingfrom 1905 509
Figure 49a-c Bas-reliefAbelprofile,I. Vik'swinningmodel
for the Abelmemorialsculpture,1902,
andthe BrynjulfBergslien bustat GjerstadParish 510
Figure 50a-c Abelon Norway's500kronerbanknote (1948-91),
Abelpostagestamp,and RueAbel,Paris .. . . 511
Figure 51 Wallpaperfrom Abel's death room at Froland . . · . 568
PART I
Introduction
Fig.1.NielsHenrikAbel,sculpturebyGustavLeerurn,1902.OriginallycastinplasterofParis
forthe1902competitionheldontheoccasionofthecentennialofAbel'sbirth;nowlocated
inthe mainhouseofFroland Ironworks,Arendal.Photo: Dannevig,Arendal.