A group of international researchers was honored at an awards ceremony at Sorbonne for their research project and publication titled  "Landscapes of Realism". Several AU researchers made strong contributions.

These include chief editor and initiator Svend Erik Larsen, Professor of Literary History, co-editor Steen Bille Jørgensen, Professor of French, Hans Lauge Hansen, Professor of Spanish, and Professors of Literary History Mads Rosendahl Thomsen and Karen-Margrethe Simonsen.

The publication "Landscapes of Realism" is interdisciplinary and cross-aesthetic, offering new perspectives on the significance of realism. Realism has often been reduced to a one-to-one representation of reality, especially associated with French novelists in the mid-19th century, explains Steen Bille Jørgensen.

The goal was to rethink realism in a broad comparative perspective that does not limit itself to European countries. This was done, among other things, through 20 workshops that brought together a wide range of researchers with diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.

The earliest meetings date back to 2014, but things gained momentum in 2016 during the many workshops, involving 50 international researchers as contributors.

Books, video games, and films

The aim of the research has been explored through a transnational and transmedia perspective from early modernity to today, involving four continents and twenty languages. The focus has not only been on written and oral literary forms but also visual arts, films, graphic novels, video games, and digital media, explains Steen Bille Jørgensen.

The result is a work in two extensive volumes, each about 800 pages long, presenting 11 thematic sections, including well-known critical concepts such as “Emotions and Memory,” “Genre and Form,” and “Worlding Realism.” These open up further into concrete case studies on topics like realism in graphic forms, Pessoa's poetry, or the oral and epic African utenzi genre in Swahili.

This has resulted in significant new insights into both the theoretical and socio-political aspects of realism, as well as an understanding of the language and aesthetics of realism. “It will undoubtedly provide food for thought for anyone working in the humanities and cultural studies,” says Steen Bille Jørgensen about the findings from Landscapes of Realism.

Great recognition from research colleagues

Steen Bille Jørgensen considers it a great honor to be recognized for a piece of work he regards as something truly special and unique. The award, given by the European Society of Comparative Literature, aims to highlight the particular creativity found in collective research, where multiple editors work together to tackle a major academic challenge.

And when the award is given to the project by other scholars within comparative literature, it is an especially significant recognition, he believes.

"They understand the effort involved; that obviously constitutes a large part of the recognition," he explains, continuing:

“Last but not least, the award and our presentation of the work at Sorbonne University provide a certain guarantee that the work will receive greater attention and thus be more widely read and used both in research and teaching.”

Background:

The project is funded by the Leverhulme Foundation and supported by the Aarhus University Research Foundation.

The two volumes were published by John Benjamins in 2021-22.
Link to the publisher’s presentation of "Landscapes of Realism"

Contact: 

Steen Bille Jørgensen, Professor
French
Department of Communication and Culture
Aarhus University
Phone: +45 87162615
Email: romsbj@cc.au.dk