Cabins in Modern Norwegian Literature: Negotiating Place and Identity

[...]the diachronic perspective is combined with a synchronic orga- nization that allows the individual reader to select chapters and historical periods of greatest interest. the references to place theory are kept on a tight leash, and the recurring theoretical framework is Michel Foucault's n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian Studies 2015, Vol.87 (3), p.413-416
Main Author: Mønster, Louise
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
19th century
Animals
Architecture
Classroom communication
Cultural heritage
Cultural identity
Ethnic Studies
History
Icelandic & Scandinavian literature
Identity
Language culture relationship
Languages
Literature
Negotiation
Norwegian language
Reading
Register
Scandinavian Studies
Studies
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Summary:[...]the diachronic perspective is combined with a synchronic orga- nization that allows the individual reader to select chapters and historical periods of greatest interest. the references to place theory are kept on a tight leash, and the recurring theoretical framework is Michel Foucault's notion of heterotopia. the concept refers to a specific type of social space that functions on numerous registers simultaneously; a heterotopia is often a counter-site where one can gain a momentary critical distance from the everyday. as such, it certainly fits the function of the cabin. although sticking to one main theoretical concept contributes to the unity of the book, some theoretically interested readers might long for an engagement with the by-now extensive theorization of place. among others, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus and his cultural and gendered orientation toward place, as well as christian norberg-Schulz's concept of genius loci and his architectural orientation, could have enriched Rees's discussion of the cabin. the first chapter in the book deals with the history of the motif of the seter (a dairy in the mountains) and the shieling as a meeting point not only between the human and the supernatural but also of an erotic kind. typically, shielings were run by young female dairymaids who, in the summer months, took care of the animals, but shielings were also visited by bourgeois men in search of a sanctuary from modern life. therefore, the shieling offered a space for interaction across gender and class barriers.
ISSN:0036-5637
2163-8195
DOI:10.5406/scanstud.87.3.0413