Sverre Stalsberg from St. Olav Upper Secondary School came in third place in the 2022 Holberg Prize School Project with the research project “Why is crime fiction so entertaining?”.
Sverre Stalsberg from St. Olav Upper Secondary School came in third place in the 2022 Holberg Prize School Project with the research project “Why is crime fiction so entertaining?” asking “what literary terms and devices are used in contemporary Norwegian crime fiction to create suspense?”.
Literature exploring crime and murder has existed for thousands of years, ranging from ancient Bible texts and 19th century mystery novels to modern-day crime fiction. This research project explores the phenomenon of crime fiction within contemporary Norwegian literature. More specifically, it delves into the techniques and methods Norwegian authors employ to create suspense in modern crime stories. The project is guided by the following research question: What literary terms and devices are used in contemporary Norwegian crime fiction to create suspense?
The motivation for the research is based on the lack of scientific research into Norwegian crime fiction, especially in regard to literary devices. Stalsberg notes that this is quite surprising, as crime fiction is one of the most bestselling genres in the country.
In this project, Stalsberg draws on his own experience as a researcher, reader, and fan of crime novels. The author approaches the topic by doing a close reading of two novels by two well-known Norwegian crime authors. The methodology is based on the qualitative method of comparative literary analysis. His analysis of the two novels is further strengthened by his reference to secondary sources on the history and practical aspects of the crime genre more generally. In order to attend to the research question, Stalsberg analyses the novels by, first, looking at the construction of suspense within these before comparing them to each other.
In conclusion, the author finds that the two novels match each other in their build-up of suspense. Stalsberg notes that both of the novels are successful in their way of keeping the reader’s interest throughout the story. The ways in which this is achieved is through elements of foreshadowing, in medias res, imagery and traditional genre conventions.
Stalsberg acknowledges the fact that the project cannot serve as a comprehensible account of the topic, due to the limitation in the number of case studies, and lack of time and resources. Nevertheless, the project will provide a fresh perspective on the topic, and serves as a support to the previous works within this field of research Stalsberg’s project shows that the established theories on the literary construction of suspense are still valid for and applicable to contemporary crime literature.
The School Programme
The Holberg School Programme is an annual research competition for students in Norwegian upper secondary schools i the humanities, social sciences law and theology. Each year, around 1,000 students from 20 selected schools participate in the competition.
The Holberg School Programme Jury selects three research projects that are awarded prizes of NOK 30,000, NOK 20,000 and NOK 10,000 respectively.
The finalists are announced in mid May, and the award ceremony is held during the Holberg Week in early June each year.