University of Toronto Press Locating August Strindberg's Prose: Modernism, Transnationalism, and Setting

The setting of a novel is more than just an anonymous, interchangeable backdrop. In Locating August Strindberg's Prose, Anna Westerstahl Stenport argues that spatial setting is a key - though often neglected - tool for exploring the fundamentals of European literary modernism. Stenport examines the importance of location by exploring the prose of Swedish exile August Strindberg (1849-1912), challenging previous studies of the author that have focused on identity and subject formation. Strindberg wrote in both Swedish and French, situating his stories in various places across Europe - from Berlin to the French countryside, the Austrian Alps, and Stockholm - to purposely destabilize concepts of national belonging, language, and literary history. Close readings of Strindberg's prose find that his boundary-challenging narratives redefine and rewrite the meaning of a marginal literary identity. By contextualizing Strindberg against other early modernists, including Kafka, Conrad, Rilke, and Breton, Stenport emphasizes the burgeoning transnationality of literature at the turn of the last century. Review 'an insightful analysis Recommended.' - H.I. Eisohn - CHOICE Magazine; vol 48:09:2011 'A fascinating and substantial study of spatial setting in Strindberg's works, showing how settings can be used as a tool for exploring European literary modernism Stenport writes in an elegant academic prose which contributes to making the book a pleasure to read.' - Kristina Sjögren - Scandinavica Vol 50:2:2011 'A long overdue contribution to our understanding of the Swedish author's instrumental role in devising transnational prose modernism The concept of literary setting is central to Stenport's project of re-locating Strindberg's prose in the heart of European modernism . The book's compelling argument will also inspire fresh contemporary translations of these texts, translations that will help us appreciate Strindberg's truly transnational contributions in our globalized world.' - Eszter Szalczer - Modernism/Modernity Volume 19:1:2012 About the Author Anna Westerstahl Stenport is Associate Professor and Director of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Illinois. She is the author or editor of numerous publications about modern Scandinavian literature, culture, film, media, and drama, including Lukas Moodysson's Show Me Love (2012) and The International Strindberg: New Critical Essays (2012).