Course Description

Scandinavian crime novels have gained an extraordinary position in contemporary literature. This new wave of crime writing offers the potential of mirroring contemporary society in a particularly effective and refreshing manner.  

Crime writing has been especially effective in highlighting such recognizable themes as global issues, migration problems, environmental concerns, gender roles and the ever-changing developments that define a new Scandinavia inhabited by people from all over the world. Of particular interest is the recent rise in prominence of female writers with women protagonists in what has been traditionally a very male genre.

Students will be introduced to classic writers such as the Swedish duo Sjöwall and Wahlöö and Mankell as well as contemporary authors like Lapidus from Sweden, and the Icelander Indriðason. These page-turners have been prominent on bestseller lists in both Europe and North America for more than a decade.

In addition, there have been a number of very successful crime films, for example the Swedish Millennium Series, the Norwegian thriller Insomnia, the films by Icelandic director Kormákur (who has launched an International career), and recently hyped detective series like The Bridge and Snabba Cash. We will compare some of these titles to the North American adaptations.

Course Objectives

• Identify major influences, and authors in the field of Scandinavian crime fiction from the 1960s to the present
• Gain an awareness of contemporary Scandinavian society and its dominant interests through crime fiction (i.e. using crime fiction as a cultural lens)
• Identify themes like migration, gender roles, landscape and crime and how they inflect the texts/films in question
• Reflect critically on both Scandinavian and your own culture and society
• Recognise (stereo)typical traits of Scandinavian literature and film
• Develop your critical thinking skills by requiring you to construct and defend your own interpretations of texts/films in oral and written for

Texts

Lapidus, Jens: Easy Money (Snabba Cash), 2006
Mankell, Henning: Faceless Killers (Mördare utan ansikte), 1997
Sjöwall, Maj & Wahlöö, Per: The Locked Room (Det slutna rummet), 1972
Sigurðardóttir, Yrsa: The Legacy (DNA), 2017      

Films

*Baltasar, Kormákur: Jar City (Mýrin), 2006
*Skjoldbjærg, Erik: Insomnia, 1997
*Oplev, Niels Arden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor), 2009
*The Bridge (Bron/Broen), 2011-2018
*Deadwind, (Karppi), 2018-  * Snabba Cash 2022-

* excerpts

Breakdown of Grades

Attendance, Preparation and Participation 20
Exam  35
Scene Analysis with Peer Review 22.5
Culture Sharing Project 15
Reflections 7.5
Total 100   

There will be no final paper in this course