ABSTRACT
In the wake of this crisis, Alva and Gunnar negotiated their respective roles in their letters. She sought to be both Gunnar’s lover and his psychotherapist; he wanted her to be both an intuitive woman and a challenging debating companion. They tried on and cast off various personae from Norse and Classical mythology and Romantic poetry. Haltingly, they moved toward a more grounded understanding of their relationship. Their troubles disappeared when they spent midsummer together in Dalarna; each felt comfortable being themselves. Alva was reassured that their separation was part of the problem, although she appreciated the opportunity to think clearly about themselves and the other when they were apart. Lest Gunnar feel that he was a burden to her, she reassured him that he had made her feel valuable in her own right and their love freed her to be the strong woman she wanted to be, rather than a passive victim of society.
