By Adam Rieder University of Wisconsin–Madison Societies inherently possess many problems. These problems can range from hierarchical issues to problems concerning collective action. In many of his tales, Andersen is critical of these very issues. …
Essay
Powerful Women in the Sagas By Ikwe Mennen
By Ikwe Mennenn University of Wisconsin–Madison The rise of feminism and the concept of women’s rights are thought to be very recent and many believe that women in the past had no power. However, women …
An American In… Petrozavodsk: Finnish-American Emigration to Soviet Karelia
By Zachary Strom University of Wisconsin–Madison Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the familiar story of emigration was one of a lone individual or a family leaving a homeland that was without promise …
Transatlantic: The Role of Gender Expectations in Birgitte Evensen’s Story of Emigration and Assimilation
By Nikki Link University of Wisconsin–Madison INTRODUCTION Loving another human being is never an easy task. Yet, imagine if that love had to not only venture from one heart to another, but also remain fossilized …
A Day in Jokkmokk
By Benjamin Pflughoeft University of Wisconsin–Madison A handful of miles north of the Arctic Circle, nestled in the heart of Sweden’s northernmost province of Lappland, lies the small village of Jokkmokk. Normally a quiet and …
How Finns Swear and What This Tells Us About Their Culture
By Emily Malone University of Wisconsin–Madison The first thing many people studying a foreign language for the first time want to learn is how to swear. To them, learning how to say “fuck you, asshole!” …
In the Case of David v. David
By Kerry Jarvi University of Nebraska “So, where are you from?” is the polite way of asking “Who are you?” to strangers. Either way I remain conflicted answering the question. The honest, full answer of …
An Analysis of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness
By Mattias Schmidt University of Wisconsin–Madison What is Romanticism? This is a question that many people believe they are more than capable of answering. In truth, though, Romanticism is not an easily defined literary movement. …
The War of Laws: Hen-Thorir’s Saga
By Thomas Malcom University of Wisconsin–Madison At first glance Hen-Thorir’s Saga[1] appears to be a simple family saga presenting to the reader a blood feud along with the moral code of the Icelandic society, but …
Desirable or Disturbing? An Analysis of The Sandman
By Kayta Gruneberg University of Wisconsin–Madison The Sandman is a mythical character, popular in Central and Northern European folklore, who brings sleep by sprinkling magical sand onto the eyes of children. The tale of the …