By Jenna Coughlin 

Based on two presentations given at the Center for Research in Contemporary Poetry (CERCOP) conference “Experiments in Contemporary Poetry” on December 3-5, 2015 in Aalborg, Denmark and at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo on December 7, 2015

         Norwegian nature became central to Norwegian national identity during the 19th century period of nation building in part through the medium of poetry. The uniqueness of Norwegian nature was important to the nation-building project, and it was important too that the language be unique—that is, distinct from other national languages. During the latter half of the 19^th century, changes in transportation and agricultural systems, along with increased human mobility, posed challenges to the idea of the uniqueness of Norwegian nature. From the latter half of the 20^th century, further challenges to the representation of nature as a unique aspect of national identity were posed first by pollution and then climate change. These threats, in particular, created an awareness of the porous nature of place—ecology has no respect for national borders and, as such, concern for the kind of “nature” that provides a basis for national identity is not necessarily sufficient to promote policy that protects the planet.     Les mer «“Language and Language Metaphors in the Norwegian Writer’s Climate Campaign §112”» →