nordlitt – Skandinavistische Literaturforschung im Gespräch

nordlitt

nordlitt lässt Sie Bekanntschaft stiften mit Epochen, Autor:innen und Texten der nordeuropäischen Literaturen und diskutiert theoretische Ansätze in der skandinavistischen Literaturwissenschaft. nordlitt ist Unterrichtsmaterial vom ersten Semester an oder einfach Bildungs-Stoff. Stefanie v. Schnurbein, Professorin am Nordeuropa-Institut der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin führt in nordlitt Gespräche mit Vertreter:innen der Skandinavistik. Unterstützt wird sie von ihrer studentischen Hilfskraft Cecilia Falkman.

  1. 12/18/2025

    Ruth Maiers Platz - im kollektiven Holocaust-Gedächtnis und als Life Writing. Im Gespräch mit Ingeborg Helleberg, Oslo

    Ruth Maier (1920-1942) floh 1938 aus Wien nach Norwegen, wo sie bis zu ihrer Deportation 1942 lebte. Ihre Tagebücher und Briefe gelten heute als zentrales Zeugnis des Holocaust in Norwegen. In nordlitts erstem Podcast mit Publikum sprechen wir mit Ingeborg Helleberg (derzeit norwegisches Kinderbuchinstitut) über ihre Arbeit mit diesen Archivmaterialien. Wir erfahren, warum Ruth Maiers persönliches Schreiben und literarische Entwürfe für die Erinnerung an Antisemitismus und Judenverfolgung in Österreich und Norwegen bedeutsam sind – und wie sie darüber hinaus Aufschluss geben über die komplexe Auseinandersetzung der Jungen Exilantin mit Geschlechtsidentität, sexueller Orientierung und den eigenen Ambitionen als Autorin. (00:00:00) Begrüßung Live-Podcast (00:01:25) Wie Ingeborg zu Ruth Maier als Forschungsthema kam (00:07:38) Wer war Ruth Maier und was hat sie hinterlassen? (00:14:11) Jan Erik Volds Arbeit mit Ruth Maiers dagbok (2007) (00:20:10) Die Holocaust-Gedächtniskultur in Norwegen (00:24:12) Ruth Maiers Zweisprachigkeit  (00:26:55) Die norwegische Rezeption von Ruth Maiers dagbok (00:30:23) Gegen „die ewige Jüdin“ und „das ewige Opfer“ (00:35:32) Ruth Maiers Erfahrungen mit und Gedanken über das Jüdischsein  (00:44:02) Identität und queere Liebe (00:56:00) Die Funktion des Schreibens (01:01:52) Life-Writing als Methode (01:06:04) Fragen aus dem Publikum (01:15:41) Was würdest du deinem Studierenden-Ich raten?

    1h 18m
  2. 04/10/2025

    Playing With Witches. Karen Blixen's Generous Tales. In Conversation with Ieva Steponavičiūtė-Aleksiejūnienė

    Ieva Steponavičiūtė-Aleksiejūnienė, Vilnius University, invites nordlitt to workshop around the concept of play in two stories by Danish author Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen. Ieva muses with Blixen on why art cannot make us happy, and we uncover creative connections between artistic processes, superficiality, and cannibalism. Blixen also guides us toward a new, gender-crossing take on theories of creative misreading. Moreover, we encounter a family history entangled with the history of Scandinavian Studies in the Soviet Union and Lithuania, and we learn about the significance of Denmark for post-communist Lithuanian scholars. Finally, Ieva encourages us to listen to the text and emphasizes the importance of intellectual exchange beyond national and political borders.  Timestamps: (00:00:00) Introducing Ieva Steponavičiūtė Aleksiejūnienė (00:01:56) Life Patterns and Scandinavian Studies in Lithuania   (00:13:40) Georg Brandes Skolen (00:20:52) Introducing Karen Blixen (00:31:38) Looking at Blixen through Play (00:41:43) Workshop: Recurring Images and Characters in “Echoes” (00:48:06) Metafiction, Art and Life (00:51:34) Resurrection and Cannibalism  (00:58:54) Is Blixen difficult? (01:03:48) The Playful Vampire-Artist (01:11:29) Theories of Influence (01:16:08) Navigating through “Tempests” (01:23:27) Art Cannot Make People Happy (01:34:23) The Tension between Symbol and Allegory (01:39:54) Art and Transcendence (01:42:57) The Shipwreck Versus the Floating Ship (01:46:00) Other Research Interests: Scandinavia, Lithuania and Beyond (01:54:00) Advice to Student-Self Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/category/nordlitt Ideas and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman

    1h 56m
  3. 02/20/2025

    Trans Writing - Trans Reading. From Victoria Benedictsson to New Danish Literature. In conversation with Mons Bissenbakker

    Mons Bissenbakker, Copenhagen University, invites nordlitt to a conversation about new Danish literature on trans experiences. We discuss how trans writers navigate existing narratives and seek alternative modes of expression within a system that resists ambivalence – both its own and that of others. We also speculate about the problem of masculinity and find resonances between being on testosterone and menopause. Revisiting a story by Victoria Benedictsson/Ernst Ahlgren, Mons Bissenbakker demonstrates a new trans reading, navigating between resonance and recognition, and offering insights into 19th century sexology and the figure of the invert. Last but not least, he outs nordlitt's final question as a rather “trans” enquiry. Timestamps: (00:00:00) Introducing Mons Bissenbakker (00:03:00) Literature as a Way of Establishing Conversation (00:06:16) Transgender Literature in a Danish Context  (00:14:37) The Relationship to Language, Narrative and Genre (00:24:41) Gry Stokkendahl Dalgas and At performe transkønnet vrede (00:31:52) Luka Holmegaard and Havet i munden (00:37:51) Understanding Pain and Suffering through the Medical System versus SM (00:49:35) Building Community and its Political Implications (56:16:00) Victoria Benediction/Ernst Ahlgren through a “Trans-Lens” (01:04:32) ”Ur mörkret” and Reading for Resonance and Recognition (01:10:17) The Figure of the Invert  (01:18:25) Misogynist Feminism (00:27:42) Naming and Understanding the Author Ernst Ahlgren (01:34:38) Future Research Projects (01:37:04) Advice to Student-Self (“a very trans-question”!) Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/category/nordlitt Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman

    1h 40m
  4. 01/23/2025

    „Grey People"? Eastern Europeans in Norwegian Literature. In Conversation with Karolina Drozdowska

    With Karolina Drozdowska, a Polish guest from NTNU in Trondheim, nordlitt widens its geographical range eastwards. Drawing on a wide array of contemporary and historical texts, from new crime novels to Romantic patriotic poems, we discuss continuities and changes in representations of Polish people and Eastern Europeans in Norwegian literature since the Enlightenment. We learn about the persistence of the Iron Curtain, the demonization of Russia, and we muse about the function of stereotypes and caricatures. We also explore ways of combining and working with large online corpora and close readings, while reflecting on the benefits of working in international, interdisciplinary networks. Dreams of new research projects take shape, accompanied by the reassuring advice: Be not afraid of academia. Timestamps: (00:00:00) Introducing Karolina Drozdowska (00:04:37) Scandinavian Studies in Poland (00:13:45) Representations of Eastern Europeans in Norwegian Literature (00:19:18) Method: Building a Corpus (00:24:45) Work Migration, Exoticization, and the Shadow of the Iron Curtain (00:32:50) Caricatures and Postcolonial Readings (00:47: 37) Shifting Images and Imaginations (00:51:20) Otherness and “Grey People” (00:58:05) Lithuania and Lithuanians in Norwegian Crime Fiction (01:07:45) Research Networks (01:13:00) The Research Project ImagiNation (01:18:12) Poland in 19th Century Scandinavian Literature (01:27:26) Comparisons: Representations of Ukrainians and Jewish Migration (01:34:37) Connecting Research and Translation Work (01:39:44) Advice to Student Self Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/category/nordlitt Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman

    1h 44m
  5. 04/25/2024

    Networked Novels. Spatiality in Contemporary Finland-Swedish Literature. In Conversation with Kristina Malmio

    Kristina Malmio, University of Helsinki, shares her research on local and global tendencies in Finland-Swedish literature with the help of two complex novels by Monika Fagerholm (The American Girl) and Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo (In Transit). We muse about the status of a privileged minority literature and discuss the shifting locations of centers and peripheries. We explore in-between-spaces and other metaphors of literary spaces and look at movements of novels and their characters between countries, continents and cultures. Finally, we are encouraged: Trust yourself! Literature takes you everywhere. Timestamps: (00:00:31) Kristina Malmio’s Way to Literature Studies and Scandinavian Studies  (00:05:00) The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland  (00:09:21) Historical and Contemporary Finland-Swedish Literature (00:18:10) Minor Literature and World Literature (00:23:02) Introducing Monika Fagerholm and The American Girl (00:30:45) Postmodern Literature and Kaleidoscopic Collaging (00:37:32) Fagerholm’s Constructing of Space  (00:34:48) Reconstructing the Belief in Narration    (00:41:11) The Reception in the US (00:48:00) The Polycentric and Networked Novel (01:01:12) Fagerholm on the Scandinavian Literature Scene  (01:04:43) Introducing Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo and In Transit (01:14:13) The Chronotope of the Road and Bodily Experiences (01:22:19) Anchoring in Space (01:24:06) The Image of the North Pole Explorer (01:29:33) Space in Contemporary Poetry  (01:30:40) Advice to Student Self  (01:31:43) An Announcement  Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/ Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman Do you have questions or comments for us at nordlitt? Please contact us at: niexgeis@hu-berlin.de

    1h 33m
  6. 02/08/2024

    Entertaining Intertexts. Henrik Ibsen's Use of Popular Theatre. In Conversation with Ellen Rees

    Ellen Rees from the Center for Ibsen Studies at Oslo University introduces Henrik Ibsen as a theatre practitioner. She unfolds surprising resonances between French musical comedies by Eugène Scribe and Henrik Ibsen's most famous plays, A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler. We question romantic distinctions between high literature and popular theatre, and discuss Ellen's new theory on Ibsen's way to realism through the vaudeville. We are confronted with deadly links between money and love, and are reminded of the existence of academic bullying. But in the end, we are reminded of the joy of shouting out our crazy discoveries in the halls of venerable academic institutions. (00:30:00) Introducing Ellen Rees  (00:02:12) How Did Ellen Rees End Up in Scandinavian Studies? (00:06:00) The Centre for Ibsen Studies at Oslo University  (00:09:30) Who was Henrik Ibsen? (00:12:24) Doing Research on Ibsen  (00:18:19) Ibsen as a Theatre Practitioner (00:23:27) The Method and Process of Comparing (00:28:20) Theatre History and the Vaudeville Genre (00:38:42) Questioning the Idea of the Modern Breakthrough            (00:45:42) A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler in Comparison with Scribe  (00:53:45) Ibsen’s Contemporary Audience (00:57:35) Ibsen and Comedy  (00:59:17) Hedda Gabler and Le budget d’une jeune ménage (01:12:35) Parodic Strategies (01:14:13) Student Question  (01:17: 27) The Crisis of Modernity (01:22:06) The Position of Theatre Within the Global Literary System (01:28:28) Announcement: Online Database (01:29:59) What Advice Would You Give Your Student-Self? Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/ Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman

    1h 32m
  7. 12/14/2023

    Claustrophobic Families. Reading Queer/ly in Changing Contexts. In Conversation with Jenny Björklund

    nordlitt continues the mini-series on Queer Theory and literature with the help of Jenny Björklund, Uppsala University. We ask what queer literature and reading might mean in a time and place where gay and lesbian parenting has become normalized. Jenny guides us through a novel by Viktoria Myrén about a mother who abandons her children, making literary detours to Victoria Benedictsson, August Strindberg, Margareta Suber, and Sara Stridsberg. We learn about Sweden's pro-natalist history and wonder if literary deaths can be read as acts of resistance. Last but not least, we emphasize the joy of co-writing and the importance of saying Yes!  (00:00:17) Introduction Jenny Björklund (00:00:28) How Did Jenny Björklund End Up at the Intersection between Literary and Gender Studies? (00:03:01) Moving Towards Queer Studies from Gender Studies (00:06:47) What Happens to Queer When it Becomes Canonized? (00:11:36) The “Pro-Natalist Tradition” in Sweden  (00:20:06) Queerness in Literature and Reading  (00:23:23) Queer Reading and the Concept of Death (00:33:54) Paranoid and Reparative Reading (00:38:00) The Body and Figurations (00:45:38) Viktoria Myrén’s Novel I en familj finns inga fiender (There Are No Enemies in a Family) (00:50:52) Queer Aspects of the Novel (00:58:26) Marie as an Unreliable Narrator? (01:03:02) The Structure Failing the Individual (01:06:15) Leaving and Abandoning (01:09:54) Family Conflict as War? (01:18:09) Ambiguous Ending  (01:28:19) What Advice Would You Give Your Student-Self? Bibliography, further information, and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften. https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/ Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein Cut: Cecilia Falkman

    1h 32m

About

nordlitt lässt Sie Bekanntschaft stiften mit Epochen, Autor:innen und Texten der nordeuropäischen Literaturen und diskutiert theoretische Ansätze in der skandinavistischen Literaturwissenschaft. nordlitt ist Unterrichtsmaterial vom ersten Semester an oder einfach Bildungs-Stoff. Stefanie v. Schnurbein, Professorin am Nordeuropa-Institut der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin führt in nordlitt Gespräche mit Vertreter:innen der Skandinavistik. Unterstützt wird sie von ihrer studentischen Hilfskraft Cecilia Falkman.