Here, We Have Followed the Ideal of the Self-Made Man As It Became a Strong Current In

Summary for David Tjeder, “The self-made man in Sweden: Manhood and economic success, 1850–1900”, Men and Masculinities 2002.

Here, we have followed the ideal of the self-made man as it became a strong current in Swedish pamphlets of advice to men in the second half of the nineteenth century. The ideal, we saw, built upon a change in attitudes which meant that the will to riches became a legitimate motivating force behind men’s actions. It was also seen as much more socially acceptable to be motivated by a will to power through riches than had been the case earlier.

The ideal was more or less completely homosocial, that is, defined against other men, not women. It was also based on a belief in a God which saw men’s egotistic drives as a means to perfect their selves, rather than as corrupting the self, as the general opinion had been around 1800. Indeed, the self-made man had appeared as a countertype to real manhood to several writers around 1800. That is, not counting the infleunce and popularity of Benjamin Franklin’s pamphlet The Way to Wealth, ever reprinted in different Swedish editions well before midcentury. Also, even while the self-made man had gained greater popularity after midcentury, the ideal was not without its detractors. And the need to discipline the worst effects of egotism was always felt even with those most enthusiastic about manhood as measured in success.

Historians of the self-made man have chronicled the dwindling star of Samuel Smiles towards the end of the nineteenth century.[1] Towards the fin-de-siècle, we are told, more Social Darwinistic tones entered the discussion about manhood, tones which made Smiles appear outdated and moralistic. “Character” became replaced with other notions such as “personality”, which emphasised more the individual’s possibility to charm others in his striving for success.[2] This trend cannot be seen in Sweden, where Smiles continued to sell books throughout the last two decades of the century. The influence of Social Darwinism was marked in Swedish late-nineteenth century discussions about gymnastics and manhood[3], but did not really enter advice manuals for young men.

[1] Asa Briggs, Victorian People, p. 135; fler ex.

[2] Jeffrey Louis Decker, Made in America: Self-Styled Success from Horatio Alger to Oprah Winfrey (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997), pp. xxv, 4, 92; Kimmel!

[3] Jens Ljunggren, Kroppens bildning, pp. 163-185.