In this course, we will read a range of Norwegian literary works (primary sources) which span from the medieval period to the 2010s. They also cover a range of genres, including novels, plays, and children's books. We will read these texts in English translation.
In addition, we will study supplementary readings (referred to as secondary sources). These texts are either about primary sources or about concepts such as “world literature”, “the literary canon”, and “Norwegian literature”.
Where do I buy the course readings?
Some of the course readings are available for download, while others need to be purchased.
At the campus bookstore (Akademika bookstore), you can purchase the course reader and most of the literary works (see the syllabus below for more information). Akademika bookstore is located at the centre of Blindern campus, in Kristian Ottesens hus (see campus map or Google Maps).
Other ways of buying course readings:
- You may buy the literary works in your home country and bring them with you. This may be cheaper, but ensure that you get the recommended edition.
- You may also consider buying the books from online bookstores that sell used books. Again, get the recommended edition, and also ensure that the book is in good condition.
Complete list of course readings
1. Primary sources (literary works)
Books (incl. drama)
The following books can be purchased at the campus bookstore:
- Hamsun, Knut. 2016. Hunger [Sult, 1890]. Trans. by Sverre Lyngstad. Introd. by Jo Nesb?. Afterword by Paul Auster. Edinburgh: Canongate. (261 pp.) (Only read the novel; you do not need to read the preface, afterword, etc.]
- Hjorth, Vigdis. 2017. A House in Norway [Et norsk hus, 2012]. Trans. by Charlotte Barslund. London: Norvik Press (175 pp.)
- Hole, Stian. 2008. Garmann's Summer [Garmanns sommer, 2006]. Trans. by Don Bartlett. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (42 pp.)
- Ibsen, Henrik. Any edition will do. An Enemy of the People [En folkefiende, 1882]. (approx. 99 pp.)
- Lunde, Maja. 2017. The History of Bees [Bienes historie, 2015]. Trans. by Diane Oatley. New York: Touchstone. (340 pp.)
- Nesb?, Jo. 2012 (but any edition will do). Headhunters [Hodejegerne, 2008]. Trans. by Don Bartlett. London: Vintage. (384 pp.)
- Undset, Sigrid. 1998 or 2001 edition. Jenny [Jenny, 1911]. Trans. by Tiina Nunnally. South Royalthon, Vermont: Steerforth Press. (310 pp.) [Edition should be translated by Nunnally).]?
Shorter texts
- Excerpts from Hàvamàl (download here on Canvas).
2. Secondary sources (articles)
The course reader, which you can purchase at the campus bookstore, contains most of the secondary sources (articles).
Other secondary sources can be downloaded for free, as long as you are connected to the UiO network.
In the course reader (compendium)
- D’haen, Theo, David Damrosch, and Djelal Kadir. 2012. “Introduction” [excerpt]. pp. xviii-xx. (3 pp.)
- Forshaw, Barry. 2012. “Introduction” to Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-15. (15 pp.)
- Forshaw, Barry. 2012. “Norway and Nesb?” [excerpt]. Chapter 9 of Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 105-108. (3 pp.)
- Garton, Janet. 1993. "Ch. 6: Sigrid Undset", in Norwegian Women's Writing, 1850–1990. Athlone Press, pp. 106–120. (14 pp.)
- Helland, Frode. 2015. “An Enemy of the People” in Ibsen in Practice. London, Bloomsbury. p. 30-46 (16 pp.)
- Kirby, John T. 2012. “The Great Books.” Chapter 28 of The Routledge Companion to World Literature. Edited by Theo D’haen, David Damrosch, and Djelal Kadir, pp. 273-282 (9 pp.)
- Knirk, James E. 1993. “Introduction” and excerpt from “Chapter 1: Old Norwegian Literature” in A History of Norwegian Literature. Edited by Harald S. N?ss. University of Nebraska, pp. XIII-XVII, 1-20 (24 pp.)
- Kundera, Milan. 2005. “Part Two: Die Weltlitteratur” in The Curtain. An Essay in Seven Parts [Le Rideau: essai en sept parties]. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, pp. 29-43 (14 pp.)
Articles that can be downloaded via the UiO network
- Oxfeldt, Elisabeth, Andrew Nestingen, and Peter Simonsen. 2017. “The Happiest People on Earth? Scandinavian Narratives of Guilt and Discontent.” Scandinavian Studies. 429-446. (17 pp.) (download here)
- Puchner, Martin. 2013. “Goethe, Marx, Ibsen and the Creation of a World Literature”. Ibsen Studies 13:1, pp. 28-46. DOI: 10.1080/15021866.2013.782627 (18 pp.) (download here)
- Sandberg, Mark B. 1999. “Writing on the Wall: The Language of Advertising in Knut Hamsun’s Sult”, Scandinavian Studies 71:3, pp. 265-96. (21 pp.) (download here)
- Shepherd-Barr, Kirsten. 2006. “Ibsen’s Globalism” in Ibsen Studies 6:2, pp. 188-198. DOI: 10.1080/15021860601068968 (10 pp.) (download here)
- Stougaard-Nielsen, Jakob. 2016. “Nordic noir in the UK: the allure of accessible difference.” Journal of Aesthetics & Culture 8(1), 32704, DOI: 10.3402/jac.v8.32704 (11 pp.) (download here)
Articles that can be downloaded from Canvas
To download these, log into Canvas and go to the list of course readings.
- Greg, Garrad. 2004. “Beginnings: Pollution” in Ecocriticism. London: Routledge. pp. 1-15 (15 pp.)
- Nikolajeva, Maria, and Carole Scott. 2006. “Introduction” in How Picturebooks Work. New York: Routledge, pp. 1–28. (28 pp.)
- Stenport, Anna Westerst?hl. 2012. “Scandinavian Modernism: Stories of the Transnational and the Discontinuous.” Edited by Mark Wollaeger and Matt Eatough, pp. 485-486 (2 pp.)