Poetic realism is a highly significant literary movement. This study of its development in 19th-century Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Switzerland begins with the "father" of poetic realism, the Danish poet Poul Moller (1794-1838), and ends with the novels of the German Theodor Fontane (1819-98). In the course of his survey, Bernd covers virtually all the principal writers of poetic realism, and brings to light connections between major figures writing in three languages, who share an important artistic convention. Figures treated include: Sten Blicher, Thomasine Gyllembourg, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Gottfried Keller, C.F. Meyer, Otto Ludwig, Theodor Fontane, Wilhelm Raabe and Klaus Groth.