nordlitt – Skandinavistische Literaturforschung im Gespräch

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

Per Esben Svelstad, NTNU Trondheim, introduces the first Norwegian novel discussing lesbian love, Borghild Krane's Følelsers forvirring. We discover an uncanonized author, learn about homocultural codes in the inter-war years and a queer intertext by Stefan Zweig. Detours to poet Åsmund Sveen and novelists Sigrid Undset and Ebba Haslund create insights into early literary portrayals of homoerotic desire. We speculate about differences between queer studies in the Nordic countries, look at the relation between academia and activism and the possibility of finding community in literature and literary studies.

(00:00:36) Introduction Per Espen Svelstad

(00:01:56) How Did Per Esben Encounter Queer Literary Studies?

(00:04:58) Why Queer Literary Studies Aren’t as Common in Norway

(00:10:36) Comparing Sweden and Norway in that Aspect

(00:13:11) Intersections between Nationalsocialist Tendencies and Homosexuality

(00:24:10) Borghild Krane’s novel Følelsers forvirring 

(00:32:21) Trying out Different Possibilities of Homosexual Life in Literature

(00:37:15) A Transnational Homosexual Community

(00:40:00) Paranoid and Reparative Reading

(00:47:00) Krane’s Interest in Sigrid Undset and the Topic of Sexuality 

(00:57:34) Homosexuality as a Struggle among other Struggles

(01:00:58) Stefan Zweig’s Verwirrung der Gefühle as an Intertext to Krane’s Novel

(01:10:25) "Homocultural Code"

(01:19:58) Finding Gay Communities Through Literature

(01:23:12) Knowledge, Narration and the Mirror Motif

(01:32:21) What Advice Would You Give Your Student-Self?

Alle Literaturangaben, weitere Kommentare auf dem Experiment Geisteswissenschaften-Blog.

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/

Idee und Konzeption: Stefanie von Schnurbein

Schnitt: Cecilia Falkman

In nordlitts zweiter Folge in leiblicher Kopräsenz fragt Dörte Linke, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, mit der dänischen Autorin Charlotte Weitze danach, wie man einen Klimaroman schreibt. Wir diskutieren existenzielle Thriller, begegnen queeren Schnee- und Rosenmenschen und ringen gemeinsam um die Bedeutung von Sexualität und Gewalt in Weitzes Romanen. Durch naturphilosophische Lektüren von Josefine Klougarts Romanen setzen wir uns Lebenswirrwarr, Sterblichkeit, Erinnerung und Liebe aus. Außerdem geht es um Literatur als Erkenntnisform, Literaturwissenschaft als Möglichkeit des „making kin", und nicht zuletzt präsentieren wir das erste technische nordlitt-Malheur.

(00:00:27) Einleitung

(00:01:55) Dörte Linkes Weg zur Skandinavistik und ihre Forschungsinteressen

(00:12:15) Zur Autorin Charlotte Weitze und ihrem Roman Den afskyelige (The Abominable)

(00:17:12) Hybrid-Wesen und ihr Verhältnis zur Umwelt 

(00:23:24) Realität vs. Fantastik

(00:27:52) Auflösung der alten Naturtheorien

(00:32:44) Charlotte Weitzes Roman Rosarium

(00:35:59) Intersektion von Aggression, Ernährung und Sexualität

(00:41:24) Die Figur Kenneth in Den afskyelige

(00:44:32) Sexualität

(00:48:59) Verbindung von Sexualität, Natur und Schuld

(01:02:10) Umgang mit Klimawandel

(01:09:02) Die Autorin Josefine Klougart und Om mørke (Über die Dunkelheit)

(01:14:32) Ökokritik

(01:17:52) Umwelten bilden

(01:24:53) Natur und Mensch bei Klougart

(01:33:04) Was macht und kann Literaturwissenschaft?

(01:54:39) Was würdest Du Deinem Studierenden-Ich raten?    

Alle Literaturangaben, weitere Kommentare auf dem Experiment Geisteswissenschaften-Blog.

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/category/nordlitt

Idee und Konzeption: Stefanie von Schnurbein

Schnitt: Cecilia Falkman

nordlitt trifft sich erstmals gemeinsam in einem Raum. Mit Sabine Meyer, Universität Greifswald folgen wir den Erzählfäden, die sich um die Person Lili Elbe spannen und den Versuchen, diesen mit Hilfe von Literaturwissenschaft, Autobiographieforschung, Geschichtswissenschaft und Medizingeschichte auf die Spur zu kommen. Es geht um eine frühe geschlechtsangleichende Operation, um die Anfänge der Sexualwissenschaft, um queere Künstler*innenleben, um die verzwickten Beziehungen zwischen Trans-, Inter- und Homosexualität, vor allem aber um einen queeren Text, der sich bemüht, das Ideal der Heterosexualität zu erhalten. Außerdem fragen wir nach Identifikationen und Obsessionen in der Wissenschaft, nach Kritik als Hilfestellung und sprechen über die Freuden der Archiv- und Editionsarbeit.

(00:00:52) Vorstellung Sabine Meyer

(00:04:08) Sabine Meyers Forschungsinteressen und Schwerpunkte

(00:08:40) Obsession und Queer Studies

(00:23:57) Zur Person Lili Elbe

(00:33:47) Archivarbeit und Biographie 

(00:38:18) Entstehung der Sexualwissenschaft

(00:46:20) Mehr zu Lili Elbes Biographie 

(01:03:08) Rekapitulation der Vorgeschichte

(01:04:40) Eine menschliche Tragödie?

(01:08:29) Erste Veröffentlichung des Textes 

(01:13:27) Homophobe Erzählweisen

(01:32:03) Briefe von Lili an den deutschen Freund

(01:35:06) Genre und „Entqueerung“

(01:46:24) Queering durch Intertextualität

(01:48:44) Lebendige Quellenkritik und Archivarbeit

(01:54:16) Wer darf trans-Geschichten erzählen?

(02:00:34) Die Zukunft von Queer Studies?

(02:04:54) Was würdest Du Deinem Studierenden-Ich raten?

Alle Literaturangaben, weitere Kommentare auf dem Experiment Geisteswissenschaften-Blog.

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/category/nordlitt

Idee und Konzeption: Stefanie von Schnurbein

Schnitt: Cecilia Falkman

Kjersti Bale, Universitetet i Oslo, gjør nordlitt enda mere flerspråklig. I den første norsk-svenske episoden sammenligner hun Rita Felskis og Toril Mois litteraturteorier. Vi diskuterer bruken av begrepet «metode», den falske motsetningen mellom subjektiv og objektiv og våre opplevelser av både de teoretiske tekstene og Amalie Skrams kortroman Fru Inès. Vi ser på maskulinitet, eksotisme og seksualitet og drøfter hvordan sosiale situasjoner sitter i kroppen. Dessuten møter vi en målrettet student og blir oppmuntret til å komme oss ut.

(00:01:14) Kjersti Bales vei til litteraturvitenskapen?

(00:03:55) Formidling av internasjonal litteraturteori til Norge

(00:08:49) Feministiske teorier og nærlesning

(00:10:41) Universitetet som felles tenkning

(00:12:28) Å se det skandinaviske utenfra

(00:14:36) Kjersti Bales vei til postkritikk?

(00:17:01) Språk og erfaring 

(00:23:12) Toril Mois og Rita Felskis teorier utfyller hverandre 

(00:26:07) Hva er postkritikk?

(00:33:17) Metode eller fremgangsmåte 

(00:43:38) Å arbeide med egne følelser og følelser i teksten 

(00:52:39) Introduksjon Amalie Skram

(00:58:02) Fru Ines handling

(01:00:14) Nye lesemåter 

(01:00:58) Miljøet i Fru Ines 

(01:06:14) Lovgiving i denne perioden

(01:09:47) Miljø og interseksjonalitet 

(01:16:02) Kritikk av teksten

(01:21:00) Hvorfor valgte Amalie Skram dette internasjonale miljøet?

(01:29:41) Er det en roman som sier noe til nåtidens studerende?

(01:33:18) Kjærlighet og seksualitet i romanen

(01:36:33) Melankolske diktere

(01:40:05) Hvilke råd skulle du ha gitt til student-jeget ditt?

Bibliography, further information and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaften.

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org/

Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein

Cut: Cecilia Falkman

What can literary studies be? Toril Moi, Duke University, author of Revolution of the Ordinary: Literary Studies After Wittgenstein, Austin, and Cavell inspires us to educate our judgment and claims that finding a question is the work of literary studies. She helps us read Vigdis Hjorth’s Will and Testament as a Wittgensteinian novel about acknowledgment and invites us to see what fascinates her about Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle. On the way, we are encouraged to get lost, learn about our responsibility for our texts, and about Lacan’s treacherous “subject that is supposed to know”. 

(00:00:07) Introducing Toril Moi

(00:00:42) Toril Moi’s Relationship to Scandinavian Literatury Studies

(00:06:52) Stefanie’s Encounter with Toril Moi’s Work

(00:09:07) How to Define and Talk about Postcritique 

(00:18:20) Wittgensteinian Criticism

(00:26:32) Fascination and Acknowledgement 

(00:31:42) Criticism as Writing a Travel Report

(00:38:07) Building an Intellectual Environment for Thriving Ideas

(00:40:11) Literary Criticism as an Invitation to Conversation

(00:43:59) The Professor as Lacan’s “Subject That is Supposed to Know

(00:50:16) On Arrogance 

(00:53:01) Introducing Vigdis Hjorth’s Will and Testament

(00:55:07) On ‘Truth’ in Will and Testament

(00:57:57) Acknowledgement in Will and Testament

(01:03:45) Designing Truthful Characters 

(01:11:27) The Struggle with Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle

(01:16:13) On Authenticity in Literary Works

(01:22:17) Pinpointing the Struggle with My Struggle

(01:25:36) The Novelty of Knausgård’s writing 

(01:27:19) Revealing Yourself and Your Surroundings in Literature

(01:34:59) Short Summary of Differences in Knausgård’s and Hjorth’s Writing

(01:38:25) 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

How does aesthetic experience come about? Rita Felski, University of Virigina, author of The Limits of Critique and Hooked: Art and Attachment guides us through her actor-network-inspired theories and demonstrates how the key concepts of identification, empathy and attachment can illuminate our reading of Hanne Ørstavik’s novel Love. We also look at the pleasures of critique and the exaggeration of its significance, learn about Queer Theory as an inspiration to Postcritique, hear a resonant defence of Hartmut Rosa and get a glimpse of Rita Felski’s new book project.

(00:00:17) Introducing Rita Felski

(00:00:40) Rita Felski’s Connection to Scandinavia

(00:01:32) How Stefanie Encountered Rita’s Work

(00:02:14) On Uses of Literature

(00:04:20) How to Have Postcritical Conversations About Literature

(00:10:30) Other Ways of Looking at Literature And Art

(00:13:14) Circumventing the Dichotomy Subject vs. Object

(00:16:31) Actor-Network-Theory

(00:22:57) New Aesthetic Experiences

(00:28:47) Attachment to Theory

(00:35:51) Response to Critique of Rita Felski’s Approach

(00:44:28) Rita Felski’s Attachment to Hanne Ørstavik’s Kjærlighet/Love

(00:46:18) Introducing the Novel

(00:49:15) Identifying the Threat in the Novel

(00:52:26) Different Perspectives in the Novel

(00:54:52) Teaching Kjærlighet

(00:57:23) Identification in the Novel

(00:59:40) Student Question

(01:03:35) Varieties of Identification

(01:07:01) Identification With the Different Perspectives in Kjærlighet

(01:19:46) Intimacy

(01:22:42) Attunement

(01:27:57) Attunement and Identification as Potential Means to Knowledge

(01:33:27) Ironic Identification

(01:39:19) What Advice Would You Give Your Student-Self?

Bibliography, further information and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaft.

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org

Idea and conception: Stefanie von Schnurbein

Cut: Cecilia Falkman

nordlitt's first trailer announces a three-part miniseries on postcritique. Our guests in the coming weeks are Rita Felski (University of Virginia), Toril Moi (Duke University), and Kjersti Bale (Oslo University). This multi-lingual discussion prepared by a class on "Postkritisch podcasten" explores contested new approaches in literary studies.

Tone Selboe, University of Oslo, Norway, walks us through Norwegian author Cora Sandel's Paris and helps us drift through the thickets of literary modernism and realism. We talk about existences on the margin, painting with words and writing the moving body in this equally sensual and intellectual novel that has followed both Tone and Stefanie throughout their reading lives. We also welcome Cecilia Falkman, nordlitt's new student assistant. She navigates the technical and organizational aspects while bringing the perspective of a first-time reader to our conversation.

(00:00:15) Introducing Cecilia Falkman

(00:02:44) Introducing Tone Selboe

(00:07:31) Teaching, Study, and Communication

(00:10:55) Why Cora Sandel?

(00:12:40) Introducing Cora Sandel

(00:19:35) Contextualizing Cora Sandel’s Novels

(00:25:39) Breaking with the Establishment

(00:29:46) Modernism and Its Relation to Realism

(00:37:11) Introducing the Alberte-Series

(00:48:51) Alberte’s Social Context in Paris

(00:54:15) Foreshadowing and Backshadowing

(00:57:48) Descriptions and Use of Languages

(01:01:00) Objectification of Female Bodies

(01:11:26) Race and Gender in the Final Scene of “Alberte and Freedom”

(01:12:55) Sexuality, Motherhood and the Young Woman as an Artist

(01:22:48) Spaces and Movements

(01:31:25) Thinking, Feeling and Reading

(01:35:40) Translations and Style

(01:39:47) The Notion of Writing

(01:42:40) The Notion of Trauma

(01:44:39) Walking and Eroticism

(01:46:44) What Advice Would You Give Your Student-Self?

Bibliography, further information and comments are available on Experiment Geisteswissenschaft

https://exgeist.hypotheses.org

Idea and conception: Stefanie v. Schnurbein

Cut: Cecilia Falkman 

nordlitt goes abroad and starts recording in English. Our first guest, Åsa Arping, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, introduces Fredrika Bremer, an international celebrity as well as a pioneer of the domestic novel and of feminism in Sweden. We look at plain heroines, writing novels and baking cake. We consider the blurred lines between writing, translating, and editing. And we speculate about the use of Bremer’s work in establishing an ideology of Viking heritage and white supremacy in the USA.

Idea and conception: Stefanie v. Schnurbein