With respect to book-length texts, we will be reading the Norwegians Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, Tarjei Vesaas, and Per Petterson, the Swedes August Strindberg, Pär Lagerkvist, and Lars Gustafsson, the Danes Hans Kirk and Isak Dinesen, the Finn Arto Paasilinna, and the Icelander Bragi Olafsson. Additional shorter texts as well as a selection of 20th century films shall be included. All texts are in English.
This course for undergraduate majors and non-majors meets the Liberal Education Core Requirement in Literature by critically analyzing and reflecting on selected canonical works of Scandinavian (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, and Finnish) fiction since 1890.