“What can I do for you?” Dr. Moi poses after asking everyone at the table for their name, major, and why they are interested in a Scandinavian course. With an infectious energy and enthusiasm for the topics, she suggests we begin with Fear and Trembling, venture to Ibsen (who she wrote a book about, Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism), and end with a general discussion of Norway.
Dr. Hedman asks, “do you know of a particular part of Fear and Trembling that gets students interested in the work?” Dr. Moi believes that students who have the question of God in their minds, or in the existence of a higher power and what that would mean for their lives (why do I feel alienated and lost in the world, existentialism, etc.) should all find value …show more content…
Peer exists in eternal skepticism, which descends into complete selfishness. “You simply don’t get to choose not to become anything,” Dr. Moi states, “because while you’re doing nothing, you eventually become something.” Unlike the character in Act 5 who cut off his finger to avoid serving in the military (and to stay with his family), Peer’s avoidance strategy had no underlying moral value. On the other hand, Raegan points out that Peer does come back to spend time with his mother in her final moments. This brings up a whole new topic -- women in Ibsen. The idea of Solveig sitting alone on a mountain for 50 years, knitting or twiddling her thumbs, waiting for Peer appalls Dr. Moi. Solveig is a particularly interesting character in Ibsen’s history, as he eventually becomes one of the greatest playwrights to write about women’s struggles and freedom. Dr. Moi …show more content…
Moi suggests that as we read Ghosts, we pay particular attention to the character of the pastor. A man who Kierkegaard would have likely despised, the pastor shows how ideas of faith and religion began to change throughout Scandinavia. In the middle of the 19th century, state churches, managed by the parsons (considered a state employee), were believed to be “wishy-washy and self-satisfying.” This led to the creation of smaller Lutheran churches, prompted conflicts such as the one between the two fathers in Ordet. Furthermore, the relationship you have with God in Lutheranism is internal; you’re “a lonely soul in a society of lonely souls.” It is, as Dr. Moi says, an “all or nothing logic. If you don’t feel it inside you, then you’ll become the ultimate skeptic, versus those who feel it intensely, who are deeply faithful.” Much unlike Catholicism, in its community emphasis and shared experiences, Lutheranism contributed to many Europeans gaining an odd impression of
Dr. Hedman asks, “do you know of a particular part of Fear and Trembling that gets students interested in the work?” Dr. Moi believes that students who have the question of God in their minds, or in the existence of a higher power and what that would mean for their lives (why do I feel alienated and lost in the world, existentialism, etc.) should all find value …show more content…
Peer exists in eternal skepticism, which descends into complete selfishness. “You simply don’t get to choose not to become anything,” Dr. Moi states, “because while you’re doing nothing, you eventually become something.” Unlike the character in Act 5 who cut off his finger to avoid serving in the military (and to stay with his family), Peer’s avoidance strategy had no underlying moral value. On the other hand, Raegan points out that Peer does come back to spend time with his mother in her final moments. This brings up a whole new topic -- women in Ibsen. The idea of Solveig sitting alone on a mountain for 50 years, knitting or twiddling her thumbs, waiting for Peer appalls Dr. Moi. Solveig is a particularly interesting character in Ibsen’s history, as he eventually becomes one of the greatest playwrights to write about women’s struggles and freedom. Dr. Moi …show more content…
Moi suggests that as we read Ghosts, we pay particular attention to the character of the pastor. A man who Kierkegaard would have likely despised, the pastor shows how ideas of faith and religion began to change throughout Scandinavia. In the middle of the 19th century, state churches, managed by the parsons (considered a state employee), were believed to be “wishy-washy and self-satisfying.” This led to the creation of smaller Lutheran churches, prompted conflicts such as the one between the two fathers in Ordet. Furthermore, the relationship you have with God in Lutheranism is internal; you’re “a lonely soul in a society of lonely souls.” It is, as Dr. Moi says, an “all or nothing logic. If you don’t feel it inside you, then you’ll become the ultimate skeptic, versus those who feel it intensely, who are deeply faithful.” Much unlike Catholicism, in its community emphasis and shared experiences, Lutheranism contributed to many Europeans gaining an odd impression of