Murder Nordic Style: A Window on Society
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The “whodunit” is an entertaining way to spend a lazy evening in front of a fireplace, hot chocolate within handy reach. But what is it that makes these novels so engaging, and what can we learn about the society that produces them? In the past decade, there has been an explosion in the production of Scandinavian crime novels and films. Why has there been such an increase in these peaceful societies, with the lowest murder rates in the world? In this course we examine contemporary Nordic society through the lens of detective and crime fiction, tracing changes in societal concerns throughout the development of the genre at the same time as we examine the structure and esthetics of what makes a good crime novel. We will be reading eight crime novels and one short story by authors from Sweden, Norway and Iceland. In addition we will be watching movie and television versions of two from Norway and one each from Sweden and Denmark. Course Calendar. Detailed course assignments are on Moodle.
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