SCAND 427 A: Scandinavian Women Writers in English Translation
Joint listed: CLIT 320 B/GLITS 311 A/GWSS 429; Cross listed: SCAND 590 A
Course theme: The Journey - Rejsen
This is a course in literary and cultural studies focused on a selection of literary tales, novels, short stories, memoirs, essays, as well as a verse-novel produced by Scandinavian writers, particularly women. The selection includes Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish-Sámi texts in English translations. The course explores and illuminates these works by (wo/men) writers from the nineteenth-century to the present day with a focus on feminist aesthetics, love relationships, marriage, parenthood, reproductive rights, gender and sexuality.
In winter quarter 2025, the overarching course theme will be “the journey” or 'the passage' as represented in these literary works about women's lives. The journey or passage depicted may be personal, physical, spiritual or a literal journey over land or sea. It may be an inter-generational journey, a story of migration or travel from one place to another. In any case, we will examine these journeys in the context of the environments that women traverse – whether the land, oceans, forests or domestic and urban environments. In the context of environmental representations, we will investigate how human relationships are depicted in the lives of Nordic and - in the final work - in Indigenous (Sámi) women. Novels, short stories, memoirs and epic poetry tell compelling stories of love, marriage, parenthood, and also death in the Nordic region. What are the legal and social codes around marriage, parenthood, and reproductive rights and how are these codes and norms represented and challenged in literary works written in the modern period? How do these works of literature represent Nordic culture, history, and society?
These kinds of questions will guide our exploration of historical and contemporary literature produced by some of the celebrated (women) writers of the Nordic region. In fulfilling the diversity requirement (DIV credits), we pay particular attention in our discussions to questions of class, sex and gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
Student Learning Objectives:
- To practice the skill of “deep reading” (i.e. 30 minutes of daily reading– ideally, without electronic devices, and making use of highlighting by pen or pencil)
- To gain an understanding of literary studies in the context of feminist criticism and gender studies, including knowledge of Nordic (women) writers in social and cultural contexts.
- To encourage thinking critically about topics such as power, inequality, and marginality in order to support effective communication skills.
- To exercise the tools of text analysis and improve critical writing skills in order to address questions and concerns regarding culture, literature, as well as gender identity and sexuality.
Preparation: Class meetings will be a combination of lecture and discussion. Please come prepared with questions and observations relating to the assigned text for that meeting. Lecture outlines (pdf. of PowerPoint slides) are posted (usually right after class) on Canvas under Modules. Online discussions will be posted on Canvas, under “Discussions.”
Required editions and English translations (3 books to purchase at U Bookstore):
- Amalie Skram, Betrayed, trans. from Norwegian by Katherine Hanson.
- Tove Ditlevsen, The Copenhagen Trilogy, trans. from Danish by Nunnally & Goldman.
- Linnea Axelsson, Ædnan: An Epic, trans. from Swedish by Saskia Vogel.
In addition, we will read the following texts posted on Canvas:
- H.C. Andersen, selected fairy tales, including "The Little Mermaid" and "The Red Shoes"
- Aino Kallas, "The Wolf’s Bride,” 1928 (trans. from Finnish).
- Minna Canth, "Anna-Liisa," 1895 (trans. from Finnish).
- Nella Larsen, Selection from Quicksand, 1929 (in English).
- Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), 1930's-50s, selected tales and essays.
Evaluation criteria: Grades will be based on course participation, contributions to discussions (both in-person and online), two short “critical response” papers and term paper on an approved topic. The course grade will be based on the following assignments.
Paper format: All papers must be double-spaced; 1 inch margins; 12 point font and submitted on Canvas in “Assignments” (use only Word or pdf formats).
40% Two critical response papers (2 pages; ca. 500 words each)
10% Topic proposal for paper (1 page; max. 250 words) with short bibliography.
40% Term paper (6 – 8 pages; 1,500 – 2,000 words, total)
10% Regular class participation; (4) online discussions; “class conference”
SCAND 590A (graduate students in Scandinavian Studies): Graduate students (enrolled in SCAND 590A) complete the same course requirements as undergraduate students. Further, graduate students are expected to fulfill the following additional criteria: reading (and citing) the texts in the original Scandinavian languages [Finnish texts may be read in English translation]; the final assignment is a “seminar paper” of about 10 pages in length (or min 2,500 words), with citations in the original language/s and including references to relevant secondary/critical literature. (Assigned texts in the original languages are provided on Canvas in the separate Module for SCAND 590A).
Religious Accommodations Policy: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/)
Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/)
Winter Quarter 2025: Preliminary Reading Schedule: Journeys
Part A: Tortured Bodies/Metamorphosis –from Fairy Tales to Feminist Aesthetics
Week #1: Introduction: Topic
Tu 7 Jan: Course Introduction/Assignments/Policies
Th 9 Jan. Read: H.C. Andersen, "The Little Mermaid" and "The Red Shoes"
Week #2: Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) and Feminine/Feminist Storytelling
Tu 14 Jan. Read: Isak Dinesen, “The Blank Page” [pub. 1957] and “The Ring” [pub. 1958]
Th 16 Jan. Read: Isak Dinesen, “The Pearls” [pub. 1943]
Participation: Online discussion #1
Week #3: Aino Kallas’s Wolf’s Bride – Double-lives, witch-hunting and feminist allegory.
Tu 21 Jan. Read: Aino Kallas, "Wolf’s Bride," pp. 160 – 195.
Th 23 Jan. Read: Aino Kallas, "Wolf’s Bride," pp. 195 – 219.
DUE Sun 26 Jan Critical response paper #1 (see prompts)
Part B: Marriage Politics at the Turn-of-the Century – Sexual Anxiety and Dead Babies
Week #4: Scandinavia’s ‘Modern Breakthrough’ and Amalie Skram
Tu 28 Jan. Read: Amalie Skram, Betrayed, pp. 1 – 53 (chapters 1 -5)
Th 30 Jan. Read: Skram, Betrayed, pp. 54 – 88 (chapters 6 – 8)
Participation: Online discussion #2
Week #5: Marriage Novels: Amalie Skram and Nella Larsen
Tu 4 Feb. Read: Amalie Skram, Betrayed, pp. 89 – 121 (chapters 9 – 120); “Afterword” p. 123 – 129.
Th 6 Feb. Read: Excerpt from Nella Larsen, Quicksand (chapters 12 – 16)
DUE: Sunday 9Feb: Critical Response paper #2 (see prompts)
Week # 6 Minna Canth, "Anna-Liisa - A Play in Three Acts (1895)"
Tu 11 Feb. Read: Minna Canth, "Anna-Liisa," pp. XX -XX
Th 13 Feb. Read: Minna Canth, "Anna-Liisa," pp. XX--
Participation: Online discussion #3
Part C: Cultural Politics, Motherhood and Trauma: 20th Century
Week #7 – Denmark’s Tove Ditlevsen and The Copenhagen Trilogy (1968 – 1971)
Tu 18 Feb. Read: Ditlevsen, Childhood, pp. 3 – 21; Youth, pp. 183 – 200. and
Th 20 Feb. Read: Ditlevsen, Dependency, pp. 229 – 269.
DUE: Sunday 23 Feb. Paper proposal (see Assignments)
Week # 8, Ditlevsen’s Dependency (Gift, 1971) – from Abortion to Addiction.
Tu 25 Feb. Read: Ditlevsen, Dependency, pp. 270 – 310.
Th 27 Feb. Read: Ditlevsen, Dependency, pp. 313 – 370.
Participation: Online discussion #4
Week # 9: Linnea Axelsson and intergenerational Sámi epic
Tu 4 March. Read: Axelson, Aednan: An Epic, pp. xxx
Th 6 Mar. Read: Axelson, Aednan: An Epic, pp. xxx
Week #10: Summa Summarum
Tu 11 Mar. “Class conference”: Peer-group paper presentations.
Thu 13 Mar. Participation: “Peer-review” 2 final papers drafts.
Final Exam Week (March 17 - 21):
Tu. 18 March Midnight DUE: Final Term Paper (See Assignments for instructions)