Italy (Day 2); Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark

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This morning a short story from Italy, some Italian poets, and Mathilda will speak to us about her homeland.

Then, it's off to the lab to work on your portfolio and to uncover some Norse literary treasures as we examine Iceland, Finland, Denmark, and Norway.

Today, a smorgasbord of Norse and Eastern European culture:

Finland, but seriously: Finland's Education System Explained, and a comparison to U.S. Education here. Informative article about Finish writers can be found here and a link to some poetry samples.

Iceland and some writers from Iceland:
Our focus will briefly be on:
Look here to read about some of the following famous authors.
  • Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) (Danish)
  • Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian) and his play Ghosts with Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Freddie Jones, Natasha Richardson, and Kenneth Branagh (1 of 4 parts -- feel free to watch the entire production...)
New Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish film blockbusters:

Recently, filmmakers such as the Danish: Niels Arden Oplev:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest  based on the novels of the late Stieg Larsson
Here's a short, cute Danish film: Little Man for those of you who interested in film and film writing.

You may be inspired by any of these authors or these cultures, or go back and look at the stuff you missed from the last few posts.

HOMEWORK: None. Portfolio is due June 13.

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