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This period has been referred to as Europe's homosexual breakthrough
Over a century ago, attitudes towards homosexuality began to change. A researcher has explored how Norwegian nature helped convey this shift in literature.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Europe experienced a growing fascination with same-sex sexualities.
Knowledge about same-sex sexual orientation broke through into the European public sphere.
The period spans from the 1890s up to the major backlash in human rights for lesbian women and gay men in the 1930s.
In Scandinavia, this period has been referred to as the homosexual breakthrough.
How are ideas about sexuality and nature connected?
Per Esben Svelstad is a professor of Norwegian language and literature at NTNU’s Department of Teacher Education.
He has analysed three literary texts from this period. Through them, he has examined how Norwegian nature is portrayed and interpreted in stories about desire between people of the same sex.
He has focused on how ideas about gender, sexuality, and nature are intertwined in European literature.
“The texts are about same-sex love, and important parts of the plots are set in Norway,” says Svelstad.
Wild and rugged Norwegian nature
The researcher believes that Norwegian nature illustrates and symbolises several different layers in the three texts.
Among other things, nature is used to underscore the drama of the events that take place. The texts convey a perception of nature as uncontrollable, wild, and powerful.
But there is always a duality in the portrayal of Norwegian nature.
“It's not only a representation of the untamed and wild. During this period, the Nordic region was associated with vitality, purity, and masculinity. The three authors draw on this notion to portray homoerotic attraction as transgressive and potentially dangerous,” explains Svelstad.
Scandinavia suddenly became popular
According to the professor, nature is depicted as a symbol of moral profundity, purity, and sublimity – in contrast to urban environments.
The texts reflect contemporary shifts in perceptions of Scandinavia as an exotic, novel, and magnificent travel destination.
In the wake of the Industrial Revolution and urbanisation in Europe, there was growing scepticism towards urban civilization.
It represented disease and degeneration.
During this period, Norway and the Nordic countries became a new travel destination for the European cultural elite.
Svelstad quotes cultural historian Nina Witoszek. She describes the perception of Norway as follows:
'Suddenly, the existing moral geography was turned on its head: What was once regarded as a realm of ‘ice tongues, foul air, and miasmas’ was now elevated into a region of the sublime: of power, vastness, infinity, and magnificence.'
During this period, tourism to Norway and the Nordic region increased. The cultural elite on the European continent regarded Norway as a paradise for first-class fishing, hunting, hiking, and mountain climbing in clean air.
“Norway’s status as a privileged destination for nature tourism is reflected in all three texts,” says Svelstad.
The image is turned on its head
In much of the public debate, homosexuality was portrayed as something that went against nature, something unnatural, the researcher explains.
"In some of these texts, however, this image is turned on its head. Homosexuality, or same-sex love, could be defended as something natural and healthy by placing it in the context of wild and untouched natural landscapes,” he says.
The heyday of rugged men
The beginning of the 20th century was a golden age for the exploration of wildernesses and untouched landscapes such as the North and South Poles.
It was also a time in which there were many scientific discoveries of natural phenomena. The period could be described as the heyday of rugged men, explorers, and great scientists.
“The wilderness and the Arctic served as arenas for masculine discipline and education. Controlling nature is a very masculine project, and nature is something that the modern, strong man must master,” says Svelstad.
This is an idea that the three authors both engage with and challenge.
"They challenge heteronormative society by linking gender, sexuality, and nature in ways that reflect and, to some extent, contradict the notion of homosexuality as unnatural," says the researcher.
Dinner at Britannia and sadness in Molde
In the novel Noodlot, two male friends live an extravagant life together in London. The story, which develops into a love triangle, takes place during a holiday in Norway.
Among other places, they stay at the esteemed Britannia Hotel in Trondheim. The friends also go on a hike to Geitfjellet in Bymarka.
During the hike, they meet the British aristocrat Eve. As she looks out over the landscape, she exclaims excitedly: 'It’s almost like Italy!'
Later, the trip continues to Molde, where the atmosphere is far from pleasant.
“This part of the novel does not paint a very pretty picture of Molde and Moldeheia. Everything is dark, wet, and dreary. This symbolises the betrayal and drama between the men,” says Svelstad.
The erotic love triangle ends in murder.
“In a way, there's something very cold and decadent about the Norwegian nature in this novel. It's not always a healthy place to be, and it brings about death,” he says.
Contrasting perceptions of homosexuality
During that period, there were two main views on homosexuality. Many people perceived gay men as feminine and decadent, Svelstad explains.
"Others thought gay men were more masculine than other men; that they only sought male company and completely rejected the feminine from their lives,” he says.
The texts use Norwegian nature to reinforce these different perspectives.
In both Noodlot and Monsieur Antinoüs et Madame Sapho, homosexuals are portrayed as breaking gender norms: the homosexual man is feminine, and the homosexual woman is masculine.
“But while the former uses Norwegian nature to portray homosexuals as a threat to society and the institution of marriage, the latter has a more activist tendency, presenting homosexuality as just as natural as heterosexuality,” says Svelstad.
“Finally, in the anonymously published short story Freitod, we encounter a view of nature as masculine and untamed, reflecting an alternative perspective of the homosexual man as strong, spiritual, and a builder of communities,” the professor adds.
The duality of nature
The duality in the portrayal of Norwegian nature is constantly present in the texts, the researcher explains.
It ranges from decadent landscapes to vitalist ideas. Despite their differences, the texts share a perception of nature as uncontrollable and powerful.
Svelstad combines queer theory and ecocriticism to analyse how Norwegian nature is gendered and sexualised.
"It shows that homosexuality has historically been perceived both as ‘against nature’ and as a result of excessive culture," he says.
This creates a double marginalisation.
"Norwegian nature appears as a symbol of the sublime, moral profundity, and the untamed, in contrast to urban environments,” he says.
Reference:
Svelstad, P.E. The Queer Fatality of Norwegian Nature, Deshima, Arts, Letters et Cultures des pays du nord, 2025. DOI: 10.57086/deshima.847
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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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