Nordic Noir: Crime Fiction, TV Series, and Film

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Why are TV series, movies and crime fiction from Scandinavia so appealing? Is it the Nordic landscape, the city panorama, the terse language of the novels and the stark realism of the TV series? Is it that the protagonists are anti-heroes, feminists, and outsiders? In the novels and on the screen, secrets are exposed and the postcard perfection of the Scandinavian Welfare States is revealed to have a dark side. We will study novels, films and TV series to encircle the phenomenon of Nordic Noir and discuss how these mirror Scandinavian society of today.