Contemporary Scandinavian Literature
A.Y. 2021/2022
Learning objectives
This course aims to present and discuss authors and themes of contemporary Scandinavian literature within their historical and cultural context. Relevant methodological approaches to literary analysis will be used.
Expected learning outcomes
Students will be able to analyze contemporary Scandinavian literature in the original language (partially in Italian translation for BA students) by applying appropriate critical approaches and contextualizing the works in history and culture. They will also be able to identify and discuss problems and issues specific to the topic of the course.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
More specific information on the delivery modes of training activities for academic year 2021/2022 will be provided over the coming months, based on the evolution of the public health situation.
Course syllabus
DRAWN FROM THE CLASSICS. This course (6/9 cfu) examines contemporary intersemiotic adaptations drawn from 19th and 20th-century Scandinavian classics (novels, tales, fairy tales, film). Students taking the course for 6 etcs are requested to consider the syllabus for units A and B; students taking the course for 9 etcs are requested to prepare the syllabus for units A, B, and C .
Unit A deals with the narratology of comics and the process of adaptation. It starts out by looking at two different graphic adaptations based on a fairy tale by H.C. Andersen. Special attention will also be given to Ingmar Bergman and popular culture by focussing on Persona and a graphic short story inspired by the film. Unit B investigates comic art adaptations drawing on texts by Ibsen, Blixen, and Fosse. Unit C focalizes on the cinematographic adaptation of Hamsun's Svermere. Some of the lessons in this unit will be dedicated to contemporary Scandinavian poetry.
This course syllabus is valid until September 2023
Unit A deals with the narratology of comics and the process of adaptation. It starts out by looking at two different graphic adaptations based on a fairy tale by H.C. Andersen. Special attention will also be given to Ingmar Bergman and popular culture by focussing on Persona and a graphic short story inspired by the film. Unit B investigates comic art adaptations drawing on texts by Ibsen, Blixen, and Fosse. Unit C focalizes on the cinematographic adaptation of Hamsun's Svermere. Some of the lessons in this unit will be dedicated to contemporary Scandinavian poetry.
This course syllabus is valid until September 2023
Prerequisites for admission
The course is taught in the Scandinavian languages. A thorough knowledge of Scandinavian languages is therefore required.
Teaching methods
The teaching methodology combines lectures and class discussions; self-study of primary texts and critical bibliography.
Teaching Resources
General: Hutcheon, Linda, A Theory of Adaptation, Routledge, 2013, pp. 1-175 (trad. it. L. Hutcheon, Teoria degli adattamenti. I percorsi delle storie fra letteratura, cinema, nuovi media, Armando editore, 2011). NB! A Theory of Adaptation is required reading for students unable to attend the lessons. It is recommended reading for attending students. Groensteen, Thierry, "The Spatio-topical System", in: The System of Comics, UP of Mississippi, 2007, pp. 24-102; Hermansson, Casie, "Flogging Fidelity: In Defense of the Un-dead Horse" Adaptation 8: 2, pp. 147-160; Vanderbeke, Dirk,"It Was the Best of Two Worlds, It was the Worst of Two Worlds: The Adaptation of Novels in Comics and Graphic Novels", in: The Rise and Reason of Comics and Graphic Literature: Critical Essays on the Form. Eds. J. Goggin, D. Hassler-Forest. McFarland, 2010, pp. 104-118. Kukkonen, Karin, Studying Comics and Graphic Novels, Wiley Blackwell, 2013, pp. 7-30, 31-53, 73-97.
Unit A:
Andersen, H.C., "Historien om en Moder", any unabridged edition; AKAB, "Storia di una madre", Alessandro Berardinelli Editore, 2012; Madsen, Peter, Historien om en mor, Carlsen, 2004; Bergman, Ingmar, Persona (1966); Crepax, Guido, Bianca in Persona, Il Grifo I:1, 1991, pp. 32-36.
Critical readings: Storskog, Camilla, "Stripping H.C. Andersen. Peter Madsen's 'Historien om en mor' (or, what a graphic novel adaptation can do that its literary source cannot)". In: "European Journal of Scandinavian Studies", 48: 2, 2018, pp. 303-318; Storskog, Camilla, "Bianca in Persona - Guido Crepax läser Ingmar Bergman." In: Bild & Bubbla (206): 2006, pp. 60-70.
Unit B:
Ibsen, Henrik, Et Dukkehjem 1879 https://www.ibsen.uio.no/DRVIT_Du%7CDuht.xhtml; Ghigliano, Cinzia, Nora, Dalla parte delle bambine, 1978; Blixen, Karen, "Den udødelige Historie". In: Skæbne-Anekdoter, Gyldendal, 1958; Crepax, Guido, "La storia immortale", in Jekyll e altri classici della letteratura, Blackvelvet, 2011, pp. 176-186, oppure in Guido Crepax, "Donne inquiete. Allucinazioni e vita privata", Mondadori comics, 2015, pp. 125-132; Welles, Orson, Une Histoire immortelle, DVD, 1968; Fosse, Jon, Nokon kjem til å kome: skodespel, Samlaget, 2018; Duba, Pierre, Quelqu'un va venir, Montpellier, 6 pieds sous terre, 2002.
Critical readings: Storskog, Camilla, "Historien som fick leva om sitt liv. Guido Crepax serieversion av Karen Blixens 'Den udødelige Historie'". In: Litteratur inter artes. Nordisk litteratur i samspill med andre kunstarter, eds. U. Langås & K. Sanders, Portal forlag, 2016, pp. 321-344.
Unit C: Hamsun, Knut, Svermere, in Samlede verker 5, Oslo, Gyldendal, 2007 (trad. it. di F. Ferrari, Sognatori, Milano, Iperborea, 1992); Gustafsson, Erik, Telegrafisten, DVD, 1993.
Critical readings: Nesby, Linda: "Svermer og strateg. OM innovasjon, vitalisme og karnevalisme i Hamsuns Sværmere (1904), i Vitalisme, Victoria, språk, red. N.M. Knudsen & A. Lødemel, Hamsun-selskapet, 2017, pp. 38-56.
M.A. students are required to read all literary works in the original language (in any unabridged edition). If present, the critical apparatus (introductions, forewords, afterwords, notes) is to be considered part of the reading. B.A. students are free to choose whether to read the literary texts in the original language or in translation.
ANY ADDITIONAL MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE EXAM WILL BE UPLOADED IN ARIEL.
Unit A:
Andersen, H.C., "Historien om en Moder", any unabridged edition; AKAB, "Storia di una madre", Alessandro Berardinelli Editore, 2012; Madsen, Peter, Historien om en mor, Carlsen, 2004; Bergman, Ingmar, Persona (1966); Crepax, Guido, Bianca in Persona, Il Grifo I:1, 1991, pp. 32-36.
Critical readings: Storskog, Camilla, "Stripping H.C. Andersen. Peter Madsen's 'Historien om en mor' (or, what a graphic novel adaptation can do that its literary source cannot)". In: "European Journal of Scandinavian Studies", 48: 2, 2018, pp. 303-318; Storskog, Camilla, "Bianca in Persona - Guido Crepax läser Ingmar Bergman." In: Bild & Bubbla (206): 2006, pp. 60-70.
Unit B:
Ibsen, Henrik, Et Dukkehjem 1879 https://www.ibsen.uio.no/DRVIT_Du%7CDuht.xhtml; Ghigliano, Cinzia, Nora, Dalla parte delle bambine, 1978; Blixen, Karen, "Den udødelige Historie". In: Skæbne-Anekdoter, Gyldendal, 1958; Crepax, Guido, "La storia immortale", in Jekyll e altri classici della letteratura, Blackvelvet, 2011, pp. 176-186, oppure in Guido Crepax, "Donne inquiete. Allucinazioni e vita privata", Mondadori comics, 2015, pp. 125-132; Welles, Orson, Une Histoire immortelle, DVD, 1968; Fosse, Jon, Nokon kjem til å kome: skodespel, Samlaget, 2018; Duba, Pierre, Quelqu'un va venir, Montpellier, 6 pieds sous terre, 2002.
Critical readings: Storskog, Camilla, "Historien som fick leva om sitt liv. Guido Crepax serieversion av Karen Blixens 'Den udødelige Historie'". In: Litteratur inter artes. Nordisk litteratur i samspill med andre kunstarter, eds. U. Langås & K. Sanders, Portal forlag, 2016, pp. 321-344.
Unit C: Hamsun, Knut, Svermere, in Samlede verker 5, Oslo, Gyldendal, 2007 (trad. it. di F. Ferrari, Sognatori, Milano, Iperborea, 1992); Gustafsson, Erik, Telegrafisten, DVD, 1993.
Critical readings: Nesby, Linda: "Svermer og strateg. OM innovasjon, vitalisme og karnevalisme i Hamsuns Sværmere (1904), i Vitalisme, Victoria, språk, red. N.M. Knudsen & A. Lødemel, Hamsun-selskapet, 2017, pp. 38-56.
M.A. students are required to read all literary works in the original language (in any unabridged edition). If present, the critical apparatus (introductions, forewords, afterwords, notes) is to be considered part of the reading. B.A. students are free to choose whether to read the literary texts in the original language or in translation.
ANY ADDITIONAL MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE EXAM WILL BE UPLOADED IN ARIEL.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Students will be assessed through an oral examination conducted by the instructor. Students are expected to be able to to answer questions concerning topics discussed in class; to provide analyses and comments to passages from texts on the reading list; to demonstrate the capacity to contextualize the literary works and analyze structural elements also with the help of the methodological tools provided by the theoretical texts in the syllabus.
All students are required to write a short essay. M.A. students will write in the Scandinavian language they are specializing in (min. 8.000 characters, max. 10.000 characters), third-year students may choose to write in Italian (min. 6.000, max 8.000 characters). The paper should concentrate on aspects regarding the adaptation process of Scandinavian source works. The essay must be submitted no less than 10 days before the exam session for which the student has registered.
M.A. students take the exam in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish. B.A. students may take the exam in Italian. Grades are expressed on a scale of 30. Students have the right to reject the mark.
International and incoming Erasmus students who intend to take this course are requested to contact the instructor upon arrival.
Students will be assessed through an oral examination conducted by the instructor. Students are expected to be able to to answer questions concerning topics discussed in class; to provide analyses and comments to passages from texts on the reading list; to demonstrate the capacity to contextualize the literary works and analyze structural elements also with the help of the methodological tools provided by the theoretical texts in the syllabus.
All students are required to write a short essay. M.A. students will write in the Scandinavian language they are specializing in (min. 8.000 characters, max. 10.000 characters), third-year students may choose to write in Italian (min. 6.000, max 8.000 characters). The paper should concentrate on aspects regarding the adaptation process of Scandinavian source works. The essay must be submitted no less than 10 days before the exam session for which the student has registered.
M.A. students take the exam in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish. B.A. students may take the exam in Italian. Grades are expressed on a scale of 30. Students have the right to reject the mark.
International and incoming Erasmus students who intend to take this course are requested to contact the instructor upon arrival.
Le modalità d'esame per studenti con disabilità e/o con DSA dovranno essere concordate col docente, in accordo con l'Ufficio competente.
All students are required to write a short essay. M.A. students will write in the Scandinavian language they are specializing in (min. 8.000 characters, max. 10.000 characters), third-year students may choose to write in Italian (min. 6.000, max 8.000 characters). The paper should concentrate on aspects regarding the adaptation process of Scandinavian source works. The essay must be submitted no less than 10 days before the exam session for which the student has registered.
M.A. students take the exam in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish. B.A. students may take the exam in Italian. Grades are expressed on a scale of 30. Students have the right to reject the mark.
International and incoming Erasmus students who intend to take this course are requested to contact the instructor upon arrival.
Students will be assessed through an oral examination conducted by the instructor. Students are expected to be able to to answer questions concerning topics discussed in class; to provide analyses and comments to passages from texts on the reading list; to demonstrate the capacity to contextualize the literary works and analyze structural elements also with the help of the methodological tools provided by the theoretical texts in the syllabus.
All students are required to write a short essay. M.A. students will write in the Scandinavian language they are specializing in (min. 8.000 characters, max. 10.000 characters), third-year students may choose to write in Italian (min. 6.000, max 8.000 characters). The paper should concentrate on aspects regarding the adaptation process of Scandinavian source works. The essay must be submitted no less than 10 days before the exam session for which the student has registered.
M.A. students take the exam in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish. B.A. students may take the exam in Italian. Grades are expressed on a scale of 30. Students have the right to reject the mark.
International and incoming Erasmus students who intend to take this course are requested to contact the instructor upon arrival.
Le modalità d'esame per studenti con disabilità e/o con DSA dovranno essere concordate col docente, in accordo con l'Ufficio competente.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/15 - NORDIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/15 - NORDIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/15 - NORDIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)