humani ies
A icle
‘As I The e Was No Fea ’: Explo ing Nos algic
Na a i e in Bo Ca pelan’s No el Be g
Nanny Jolma
Facul y o Communica ion Sciences, Uni e si y o Tampe e, 33014 Tampe e, Finland; nanny[email p o ec ed]
Recei ed: 15 Sep embe 2018; Accep ed: 26 Oc obe 2018; Published: 31 Oc obe 2018


Abs ac :
This a icle add esses nos algic expe ience and aims a a de ini ion o nos algic na a i e
h ough ex ual analysis. The a ge ex is Bo Ca pelan’s Be g (2005). The no el is analysed wi h
na a ological me hods ocusing on he na a i e modes and he echniques o na a i e media ion
ha in i e a nos algic expe ience in he eade . This side o he phenomenon— he ex ual aes he ics
o nos algia—has been explo ed by ew schola s, whe eas he con ex ual and cul u al aspec s o
nos algia ha e ecei ed a lo o a en ion. This a icle sugges s u he ways o analysing how a ex
e okes nos algic expe ience, and hus conside s he nos algic expe ience o he eade as he de ini i e
co e o nos algic na a i e. The nos algic expe ience in Be g is in ense, e lec i e, and ambi alen .
These quali ies a e p oduced on he le el o bo h he na a i e discou se and he s o y: by changes
be ween he na a i e modes and by he nos algic and non-nos algic con en ha builds and b eaks
he idealised na a i e. The a icle sugges s ha mo e a en ion should be paid o he complexi y o
nos algic na a i es. Fu he mo e, i highligh s ha by c ea ing e lec i i y and con adic ions, he
non-nos algic con en also a ec s he nos algic na a i e.
Keywo ds:
nos algia; con empo a y nos algia; nos algic expe ience; nos algic na a i e;
na a i e modes; na a i e media ion; e lec i e nos algia; idealisa ion; i s -pe son na a i e;
Finland-Swedish li e a u e
1. In oduc ion
In his a icle, I will demons a e my own use and unde s anding o he concep o nos algic
expe ience, and sugges u he ways o examining his concep . I will analyse Be g (Ca pelan 2005),
a no el by he Finland-Swedish au ho Bo Ca pelan (1926–2011), which o e s examples o he
complexi ies o nos algia. My analysis ocuses on he na a i e echniques ha in i e a nos algic
expe ience in he eade and he in e ac ion be ween he nos algic and non-nos algic. Building on his,
I sugges a de ini ion o nos algic na a i e in he con ex o my a ge ex . This leads o he ollowing
esea ch ques ions: How does he na a ion o he no el Be g e oke nos algic expe ience? Wha a e he
key ex ual ea u es o nos algic na a i e?
In Be g, Ma ias, he i s -pe son na a o , is ying o ecall his pas and e lec on ques ions o
ageing. Ma ias has a elled o Be g, he house whe e he used o spend his childhood summe s,
because o a le e he has ecei ed. The le e is om Sonja, his childhood c ush; she is dying and begs
him o come o alk o he be o e i is oo la e (Ca pelan 2005, p. 11). The no el is mos ly s uc u ed
a ound a childhood auma caused by he Second Wo ld Wa and by a shoo ing episode in he amily.
Thus, he ela ionship wi h nos algia is complica ed in he no el. Howe e , Be g also u ilises many
opes ha a e ypically conside ed nos algic, such as he ope o he idealised childhood summe
Humani ies 2018,7, 106; doi:10.3390/h7040106 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/humani ies
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 2 o 12
(Salmose 2012, p. 274).
1
The key hemes o he no el a e memo y, ememb ance, and he iden i y
p ocesses o he i s -pe son na a o . They c ea e he g ounds o he nos algic expe ience, al hough
memo y as such is no necessa ily nos algic. Nos algia, in u n, always deals wi h memo y in one way
o ano he (ibid., p. 121). The analep ic s uc u e o he na a ion dis inguishes la e adul hood and
childhood, building an essen ial dicho omy o nos algia (ibid., pp. 287–88). This e iden bu also
p oblema ic ela ion o nos algia is he a ge o my analysis.
Bo Ca pelan made his li e a y débu wi h a poe y collec ion in 1946. He is bes known o his
poe y, bu his no els ha e also ecei ed many li e a u e p izes.
2
Du ing his long ca ee , Ca pelan
de eloped a ecognisable s yle wi h image y and hemes ha ecu ed in bo h his poe y and his p ose.
Mos o his la e no els ha e an elde ly male i s -pe son na a o who is looking back on his childhood
and you h, ying o unde s and he e ec he pas has had on his p esen sel as an ageing man.
3
The na a ion con ains changes be ween di e en modes; he language is ly ical wi h many me apho s
and wo dplays ha ques ion di e en opposi ions and ca ego ies.
4
In many ways, Be g can be seen as
ep esen a i e and ypical o his s yle. In he nex sec ion, I will de ine my app oach o he h ee key
concep s a hand: nos algia, nos algic expe ience, and nos algic na a i e. A e his, I will analyse my
a ge ex .
2. Nos algia, Nos algic Expe ience, and Nos algic Na a i e
To analyse a nos algic na a i e, i is impo an o map he essen ial quali ies o he phenomenon
o nos algia, which in e e yday speech—and also in c i ical w i ing—is o en de ined b oadly and
loosely. S e lana Boym (2001, pp. XIII–XIV) de ines nos algia om a cul u al pe spec i e as a ‘longing
o a home ha no longe exis s o has ne e exis ed’ and as a ‘sen imen o loss and displacemen ’.
Longing o some hing los is clea ly he ea u e ying he di e en heo ies o nos algia oge he .
5
Boym’s
unde s anding o nos algia e eals he ension be ween he yea ning o each back in ime and he
impossibili y o eli ing los momen s. F om he s ylis ic poin o iew, Niklas Salmose (2012, p. 156)
de ines he c ucial ea u es o nos algia as ‘ he dicho omy o now and hen’ and a connec ion o
uni e sal g ie .
6
This ension o wo-sided na u e is wha makes nos algia an in e es ing phenomenon,
albei one ha is gene ally ha d o g asp.
The nos algia in Ca pelan’s wo ks has been add essed be o e in Anna Holls en’s (2004)
disse a ion, in which she ocuses on Ca pelan’s poe y and he no el U wind. Holls en (ibid., pp. 271,
274) unde s ands nos algia as emembe ing he golden imes o he pas , as an emo ional memo y.
She w i es ha he a ge o nos algic longing is ha d o iden i y in Ca pelan’s (ly ical) wo k because
he o en desc ibes childhood wi h a he da k image y. Al hough Holls en has iden i ied some o
1
Me e e Mazza ella (1993, p. 38) s a es in he essays on he Finland-Swedish memoi and li e-w i ing adi ion ha he
idealisa ion o he childhood summe is a ypical ea u e in he Finland-Swedish nos algia. Ca pelan seems o u ilise his
adi ion bu , as I will show in my analysis, he also ew i es i .
2Fo example, Finlandia p izes o U wind (Ca pelan 1993) and Be g (Ca pelan 2005).
3
E.g., U wind (Ca pelan 1993), Benjamins bok (Ca pelan 1997), Be g (Ca pelan 2005), and Blad u hös ens a ki (Ca pelan 2011).
The no el Ba ndom (Ca pelan 2008) also sha es many s ylis ic quali ies wi h he o he la e no els, bu has a hi d-pe son
na a o who ells abou a boy, Da i, who g ows up in Helsinki du ing he Second Wo ld Wa . Axel (Ca pelan 1986), on he
o he hand, can be seen as a p ecu so , whe e many o he elemen s o he au ho ’s la e p ose a e de eloping. Unlike he
o he no els, i also uses documen a y ma e ial.
4See, e.g., Jolma (2018).
5
This can also be seen in wo Finnish an hologies on nos algia: one edi ed by Riikka Rossi and Ka ja Seu u (Nos algia. Ki joi uksia
kaipuus a, ikä äs ä ja muis is a (Rossi and Seu u 2007)), and he o he by Pen i G önholm and Heli Paalumäki (Kaipaa a mode ni.
Nos algian ja u opian koh aamisia Eu oopassa 1600-lu ul a 2000-lu ulle (G önholm and Paalumäki 2015)): bo h ha e he wo d
‘longing’ (kaipuus a/kaipaa a) in hei i les.
6
Salmose (2012, p. 382) de ines uni e sal g ie as he ‘nihilis ic eeling ha he laws o li e a e g ie ing and bleak; ha ou
ime on ea h is e y sho , and an awa eness o he eleological and en opic aspec s o li e’.
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 3 o 12
he cha ac e is ics o Ca pelan’s nos algia, my heo e ical pe spec i e o nos algia di e s om he
con ex ual and hema ic iew.7
In my app oach, I wan o ou line nos algia as a complex expe ience ha includes a wide ange o
eelings, such as happiness, sadness, and bi e ness o e en melancholy. Salmose (2012, pp. 93–95)
poin s ou ha i is mo e accu a e o de ine nos algia as an expe ience a he han a singula emo ion
o eeling. This pe spec i e indica es ha he complexi y o nos algia also s ems om di e en social
and cul u al meanings.
In his a icle, I will analyse he nos algic expe ience e oked in he eade by he ea u es and
s a egies o na a i e discou se.
8
In his way, he ocus is placed on he p i a e and subjec i e nos algic
expe ience and i s ex ual ep esen a ion, in con as o he public and cul u al con ex o nos algia
(Salmose 2018a, p. 128). This emphasis is also demons a ed by he dis inc ion be ween a abou
nos algia and nos algic a , which was ecen ly sugges ed by Salmose (2018a). A abou nos algia
conce ns o ms o a ha ep esen nos algic con en , such as cha ac e s ha a e eeling nos algic.
The nos algic na u e o his i s ca ego y is explici and easy o ecognise. Nos algic a , in u n,
is de ined by he nos algic expe ience ha can be e oked h ough a , e.g., when eading a no el.
This means ha in his less-explo ed ca ego y, he ocus is on he aes he ics o he ex and he dis inc
expe ience ha i po en ially p oduces. When app oaching nos algic a , i is impo an o no e wo
hings: i s ly, he na a ion does no ha e o be explici ly nos algic in i s con en o igge a nos algic
expe ience in he eade , and secondly, an explici ly nos algic wo k o ic ion can e en be ‘less p one o
e oke ue nos algic expe ience han nos algic aes he ics’ (ibid., pp. 129–30). Al hough c i ical w i ing on
he na a i e echniques o nos algia a e spa se, Salmose (2012) p esen s some esul s ha wo k as ools
o my analysis. Di e en modes o na a ion can wo k nos algically depending on hei ole and aim in
he con ex o he na a i e whole, bu some a e mo e likely o in ensi y nos algia (ibid., pp. 203–4).
When building my in e p e a ion o he quali y o he nos algic expe ience in Be g, I will e lec
on Boym’s wo k on nos algia. Boym (2007, pp. 13–16; see also 2001) di ides nos algia in o es o a i e
and e lec i e longing. Res o a i e nos algia a emp s o econs uc he los home—be i ac ual o
men al. I does no ega d i sel as nos algia, and jus i ies i sel as ‘ u h and adi ion’. Re lec i e
nos algia, on he o he hand, e lec s on longing i sel and ecognises ‘ he ambi alence o human
longing and belonging’. Boym’s heo y gi es an insigh in o he unc ions and aims o nos algia. I ind
ha he e is a poin o connec ion be ween hese di e en app oaches, namely he s ylis ic and he
cul u al pe spec i e. As one looks closely a na a ions, i is also wo hwhile conside ing whe e he
use o ce ain echniques may lead.
Focusing on ei he he nos algic con en o he ex ual o m also implies a ce ain s ance
wi h espec o he basic concep s o na a ology, such as he dicho omy o s o y and discou se.
As Po e H. Abbo (2008, pp. 17–20) summa ises i , s o y and na a i e discou se a e he pa s ha
cons uc a na a i e. A s o y is some hing ha one does no ha e immedia e access o because i is
always media ed by he na a i e discou se. Monika Flude nik (2010, p. 106) poin s ou ha in many
o he (classical) na a ological models, he s o y is unde s ood as some hing ha exis s i s and is
hen u ned in o discou se by di e en na a i e echniques. This iew can also be connec ed o he
es ic i e ocus on a abou nos algia, which p esupposes he con en ha makes he s o y nos algic.
Abbo (2008, p. 20) also no es ha he p e-exis ence o a s o y is only an illusion: he s o y is wha
he eade cons uc s om he na a i e discou se ha she picks up when eading. In he case o he
ca ego y o nos algic a , i is he na a i e discou se ha o e s he ing edien s o he s o y o he
7
E.g., Holls en (2004, p. 274) w i es ha in Ca pelan’s poe y, nos algia is mos e iden in connec ion o he heme o
homecoming. My analysis shows ha his is p oblema ised in Ca pelan’s la e p ose. In Be g, homecoming is a cen al mo i ,
bu he childhood home is a auma ic space a he han he idealised home.
8
When analysing he eade ’s expe ience, I am no e e ing o ac ual eade s, bu o a cons uc ion ha can be in e p e ed
om he ex i sel — he eade ha unde s ands he ex . On he one hand, his is a s uc u alis way o app oaching
he concep o he eade . On he o he hand, he eade is unde s ood in bo h classical and cogni i is na a ology, as
Ma ia Mäkelä (2012, p. 140) claims in he a icle, as a cons uc and a hypo hesis ‘o he ac ual eading p ocess’.
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 4 o 12
eade as he ocus o he ex ual ea u es. Wha his s o y is like depends on he cons uc ion o he
eade ’s nos algic expe ience.
Wi h he concep o nos algic na a i e, I aim a a comp ehensi e analysis o he complexi ies o
nos algia in Be g. I unde s and nos algic na a i e as a b oade s uc u e ha includes he nos algic
expe ience and consis s o he in e play o he na a i e discou se and he s o y.
9
In a na a i e whole,
in his case he no el Be g, he nos algic na a i e can wo k in dialogue wi h o he na a i es, such
as he auma ic. Al hough my s a ing poin is he analysis o na a i e discou se, i is impo an o
emphasise ha he nos algic o m and con en a e in many ways absolu ely in e wined. E en i a
cha ac e ’s nos algia does no necessa ily cause nos algia in he eade , he connec ion be ween he
cha ac e ’s and eade ’s expe ience should no be igno ed ei he . My hypo hesis is ha in highly
sel - e lexi e ex s such as Be g, he media ion o he cha ac e s’ expe ience should be conside ed a
cen al pa o he aes he ics o nos algia ha o m he nos algic na a i e.
10
In he nex sec ion, I will
he e o e analyse how (nos algic) expe ience is media ed by di e en na a i e modes in Be g, and
hus in i ed in he eade .
3. The Re ospec i e F ame and Leaps in o he Pas
In Be g, Ma ias, he i s -pe son na a o , a els back o his childhood bo h in his mind and by
isi ing he house called Be g, whe e he used o spend his summe s as a child.
11
The e y beginning
o he no el c ea es a e ospec i e ame o ememb ance wi h he use o he pas ense and a sense
o pas p og essi eness: ‘Fo many yea s, we used o hike e e y summe om Be g o he ceme e y
in he illage o isi he dead Be gma ks’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 9).
12
The na a o looks back o he
summe ac i i ies o his amily and c ea es a dis ance be ween he momen o na a ion and he pas
e en s. The a ow o ime is also emphasised by men ioning a speci ic yea , ‘ he wa summe o 1944’
(
Ca pelan 2005, p. 9
),
13
when Ma ias was eigh yea s old, and la e by he na a o ’s exclama ion:
‘Fi y- i e yea s ago!’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 11).
14
The opening sen ence o he no el is ollowed wi h
de ails o a ‘high sky’ and a walk on ‘ he winding oad unde iendly clouds’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 9),
15
which gi es he imp ession o a happy memo y. These de ails can also be in e p e ed as wo king
owa ds he idealisa ion o a childhood memo y. Conside ing hese de ails, he beginning o he no el
can be seen as ep esen ing he nos algic expe ience o he i s -pe son na a o in a e y adi ional
and oman ic way. I uses he nos algic ope o he childhood summe as well as he e ospec i e
mode and an anach onic s uc u e ha ypically also in i e a nos algic expe ience in he eade
(Salmose 2012, pp. 274, 288).
The i s sen ence o he no el p esen s dea h as some hing na u al and ambi alen , as hiking o
he g a eya d is pa o an i e a i e ou ine. The na a o ’s desc ip ion o he excu sion o he ances o s’
g a es, as i i we e an o dina y isi o some ela i e’s home, c ea es an odd and ca ni alesque
a mosphe e.
16
The e e ence o he wa immedia ely a e his also con ibu es o he heme o dea h,
which is cons uc ed h ough many di e en mo i s in he no el. Acco ding o Salmose (2018b, p. 2)
9
Salmose (2012) w i es abou nos algic na a i es e e ing o comple e no els and he ypical ea u es o nos algic na a ion.
In his glossa y (ibid., p. 379), he de ines na a i e as ‘how he plo is na a ed’. Al hough my unde s anding o na a i e
di e s om his, I s ill ind he ea u es he p oposes applicable o my analysis.
10
F om his aspec , my unde s anding o na a i e esona es wi h Flude nik’s (2003, p. 246) de ini ion o expe ien iali y as he
co e and subjec o na a i e, which is hen media ed h ough di e en cogni i e ames.
11 In English “be g” is a moun ain o a la ge ock.
12
‘Länge hade i ö ana a a je somma and a ån Be g ill ky kogå den i byn ö a hälsa på de döda Be gma ka na’.
All he exce p s a e ansla ed om he o iginal Swedish ex by Nanny Jolma.
13 ‘K igsomma en 1944’.
14 ‘Fem io em å sedan!’.
15 ‘hög himmel’, ‘den sling ande ägen unde änliga moln’.
16
La e in he no el, he na a o desc ibes a g oup o dead ela i es si ing a ound a able, smiling and nodding o him
(Ca pelan 2005, p. 60). The p esence o he p e ious gene a ions is also emphasised by e e ences o amily po ai s
(Ca pelan 2005, pp. 42, 167).
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 5 o 12
he uni e sal g ie and he ea o o esis ance o dea h ela e o he ways in which nos algia unc ions;
he he e o e desc ibes mode n li e a y nos algia as dea h mood. The heme o dea h can be seen o
in e wine wi h he nos algic na a i e o Be g, bu no jus in e ms o uni e sal g ie , melancholy,
and he mode n esis ance o dea h. Al eady in he second pa ag aph o he no el, he heme e ol es
u he , ep esen ing a auma ic memo y, ea , and ho o :
En lä ind blås e genom mig och ö de bo minnen a de e s o a bomba demangen i
s an den å en. Dä i källa en, hade damme i la upp. De smala bjälka na i ake ö de
sig som ädslans mak lösa a ma . Människo sa ys a och lyssnade. De luk ade mu b uk,
jo d, u en po a is. Någo a de mö k e ö e öll a ölja mig, i nacken, på yggen, genom
do ande änga och sädes äl med ågo ån juni inden. (Ca pelan 2005, pp. 9–10)
A sligh wind blew h ough me and ca ied away he memo ies o he h ee g ea bombings
in he ci y ha sp ing. The e, in he cella , he dus had whi led a ound. The na ow beams
mo ed hemsel es like powe less a ms o ea . The people sa silen ly and lis ened. I smelled
o mo a , soil, o en po a oes. Some hing om ha da kness seemed o ollow me, by he
neck, on my back, h ough he swee meadows and ields wi h wa es om he July wind.
17
The na a o ’s p ojec o idealising he memo y o he summe hike does no seem e y success ul.
Al hough in his memo y he is walking wi h his amily h ough a beau i ul summe landscape, he
expe iences o he ho o s o wa s ill inhabi his low o hough . The na a o desc ibes pa adoxically
ha he wind blows away he auma ic memo ies, bu in he nex sen ence he is s ill imme sed in
hem. The auma ic memo y is e y desc ip i e and i id, and he g o esque image y he e con as s
wi h he nos algic opes o he childhood summe . The exce p can be in e p e ed as u ilising he
g a e mo i al eady amilia om he e y s a o he no el. The cella is ep esen ed as a g a e-like
space, unde g ound and da k, cap u ing he people wi h he ea ha dea h will come as he bombs
s ike. In his way, i p esen s ano he aspec o he heme o dea h con as ed wi h he amilia i y and
ambi alence men ioned be o e. The las sen ence summa ises he quali y o Ma ias’ expe ience o he
pas : he e is a auma ic unde one o he nos algic expe ience ha eminds one o he complexi y
o li e.
Al hough he e ospec i e ame o ememb ance is pa ly used o ep esen he auma ic con en ,
i also opens up possibili ies o he eade o expe ience nos algia. I indica es a look backwa ds,
and is a con en ion ypically used o ep esen ing nos algia (Salmose 2012, p. 183). In addi ion, he
na a ion a ies be ween he e ospec i e mode and sec ions whe e childhood expe ience is media ed
wi h he p esen ense:
Nä hon log mo mig lys es jag upp. Kom hon in e cyklande ån Ran ala dä i långsam
p omene ade am? S annade hon in e b ed id mig i sin lo auni o m, med den i a k agen
lysande mo den b unb ända halsen. Hå e lyge ö inden, all ä i ö else inom mig,
ågla , humlo , moln! K ige ä ba a e sk än ån k åko . (Ca pelan 2005, p. 12)
When she smiled a me, I s a ed o beam. Did she no come biking om Ran ala as we
slowly walked ahead? Did she no s op igh nex o me wi h he Lo a uni o m, wi h he
whi e colla shining nex o he sun anned neck. The hai lies in he wind, e e y hing is in
mo emen inside me, bi ds, bumblebees, clouds! The wa is only a c y om he c ows.
This exce p s a s wi h he e ospec i e mode, pic u ing Ma ias’ eac ion when his childhood c ush,
an olde gi l called Sonja, shows him some a en ion. This is ollowed by wo ques ions ha hema ise
17
The his o ical con ex o he e en s in he no el is he Finnish wa wi h he So ie Union in 1944. Ci ilians ied o lead
no mal li es despi e he dis an noises and news om he ba le ield. The na a o men ions he G ea Bombings o Helsinki
in he sp ing, and he momen o he pas is mainly loca ed in he ollowing summe when Finland was s ill a wa . The
na a o equen ly e e s o he wa , ei he explici ly o implici ly.

Humani ies 2018,7, 106 6 o 12
he agueness o memo y and emphasise memo y as in e p e a ion and ac ion in he p esen (see, e.g.,
B ockmeie 2015, p. 99). These kinds o ques ions can also be in e p e ed as eminde s o he p esence o
he na a ing sel and ypical ea u es o dissonan sel -na a ion, whe e he na a o d aws a en ion o
he dis ance be ween he na a ing and he expe iencing sel (Cohn 1978, pp. 143, 151). This no ion o
ime, and commen s by he na a ing sel , add a e lec i e quali y o he nos algic expe ience.
In he la e in e oga i e sen ence, one can al eady see he slide in o a di e en na a i e mode:
a e he e e ence o he Lo a uni o m, he empo slows, as he na a o linge s o e he di e en
de ails o Sonja’s appea ance.
18
This is also emphasised g amma ically, since he e is no ques ion ma k
a he end o he sen ence. This gi es he imp ession ha he na a ion has al eady changed om he
e lec i e ques ion mode owa ds some hing else.
In he nex pa , he change om he pas ense o he p esen ense c ea es a i id and idealised
momen ha in ensi ely in i es a nos algic expe ience. The p esen ense can also be in e p e ed as
slowing down he empo o he na a ion and c ea ing a sense o imelessness (Salmose 2012, p. 184).
Fu he mo e, he oice o he na a ing sel diminishes, c ea ing a mode o consonan sel -na a ion in
con as o he p e ious dissonan mode (Cohn 1978, p. 143). I c ea es an illusion o immedia e access
o he childhood expe ience.
The las sen ence ma ks ye ano he sligh shi in he na a ion. The ea o wa is made in o
some hing small and negligible. The sen ence, howe e , can be in e p e ed as se ing se e al unc ions.
Fi s ly, i can be seen as a s a emen o happiness ha is so s ong he wa is only a mu mu in he
backg ound, some hing one does no ha e o ca e abou . Secondly, i agically eminds he eade ha
he wa is ne e heless some hing p esen in e e y single momen . Thi dly, one could also ead his
as a echnique o ep esen ing he complexi y o pas expe ience: he ea c ea es i s own imagina y
landscape ha he na a o is ying o dis ega d. In his men al landscape, he c ows caw ominously,
as in a ho o ilm, inc easing he unpleasan eelings also in he eade . In ac , he epe i i e a emp
o o e look he ea o wa emphasises and unde lines i , making he eade p oblema ise he nos algic
signals in he na a ion.
The jux aposi ion o he p esen and he pas is hema ised in he na a o ’s commen s and
ques ions: he na a o does no ha e di ec access o he pas and mus na a e he pas momen
using ague agmen s and in e p e a ion. The agueness o memo y con as s wi h he illusion o
immedia e expe ience. This adical change in he na a ion, I would a gue, emphasises he ac ion
o he empo al leap ha is he desi e and goal o he nos algee.
19
As can be seen he e, he essen ial
ea u es o he nos algic ension and empo al p oblema ics a e es ablished in he di e en le els o
he no el.
A simila leap in ime and na a i e mode is p esen in he ollowing exce p :
Som om jag ännu hö de hennes ös , hö de pappas ha kling och Jonas ilda op, och
såg all de mins a som ö de sig: my o nas äg, ödlan som snabb ö s inne i g äse ,
molnskuggo na som lugn ö sig ö e äl en och ö e mig. Va inns den id som skilje oss?
(Ca pelan 2005, p. 11)
As i I s ill hea d he oice, hea d Papa’s hawking and Jonas’s wild c y, and saw all he
smalles hings ha mo ed: he ail o an s, he liza d ha quickly disappea s in he g ass,
he shadows o he clouds ha mo e hemsel es, elaxed, o e he ield and o e me. Whe e
is he ime ha sepa a es us?
18
Lo a S ä d was a Finnish olun a y pa amili a y o ganisa ion o women, o iginally ounded in 1918. Du ing he Second
Wo ld Wa , he olun ee s, called Lo as, coope a ed closely wi h he a my, and helped wi h di e en asks. In Be g, Sonja
and Elna, ano he cha ac e , wo k a a hospi al ca ing o wounded soldie s.
19
Nos algee, as in oduced by Salmose (2012, pp. 94–95), is he e m o he pe son o cha ac e who is ‘ he nos algic subjec ’,
he pe son expe iencing nos algia.
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 7 o 12
This passage—as wi h he p e ious one—can be in e p e ed as an a emp o ca ch los ime.
Acco ding o Boym (2007, pp. 7–8), nos algia is, besides a longing o a los home o a gene al sense
o belonging, also a yea ning o a di e en ime, ‘ he ime o ou childhood, he slowe hy hms
o ou d eams’. In he example, he nos algee is he na a o Ma ias, who is longing o a p ecious
momen om his childhood and ying o ecall i . Fo him, his memo y is ull o de ails obse ed
wi h di e en senses, and he eels ‘as i ’ he could s ill hea his mo he ’s oice calling o him.
This esembles he phases o a ypical nos algic eac ion as de ined by Salmose (2012, p. 95):
mo i a ion, nos algia, and e lec ion. The memo a i e sign ha mo i a es he nos algic expe ience is
he landscape o he nos algee’s childhood summe s, o which he has jus e u ned a e many yea s.
The ac ual phase o nos algia is he joy ul ecalling o he de ails o he oices and na u e a ound him
as a child. The las sen ence, hen, would be he e lec i e phase o he nos algic expe ience, which
includes sadness and he consciousness o he i e e sibili y o ime, and is again ancho ed o he ‘now’
momen o he na a ion.
The na a o ’s ques ion is used o b eak he illusion o eli ing he pas jus c ea ed in he
na a ion be o e i . Reminde s o he p esence o he na a ing sel and he la e momen o na a ion
also in e up he expe iencing o he pas , whe e he na a i e mode could be called consonan
sel -na a ion, as in he p e ious exce p (Cohn 1978, p. 143). In Be g, his kind o e-expe iencing o he
pas is o en ep esen ed in he p esen ense. Imme si e changes om a e ospec i e ep esen a ion
o he pas (‘all he smalles hings ha mo ed’) o he p esen ense (‘disappea s’ and ‘mo e’)
can be in e p e ed as demons a ing he na a ing-sel sliding down he axis o ime close o he
expe iencing-sel (Cohn 1978, p. 145). In his passage, he memo y o he oice om he pas is i id,
and i leads he na a ion o slide o a lee ing momen o e-expe iencing he pas childhood in he
p esen ense.
Coming back o Boym’s heo y, he exce p can be in e p e ed as an example o e lec i e nos algia.
Howe e , his does no mean ha i is no imme si e. On he one hand, i u ilises na u al opes ha
idealise he momen o Ma ias obse ing he an s, liza ds, and clouds. On he o he hand, he na a o
Ma ias—who is media ing he expe ience—shows his awa eness o he idealisa ion and he illusi e
na u e o eaching he pas . This s uc u e is al eady buil wi h he ‘as i ’ a he beginning, which is
inally emphasised wi h he e lec i e ques ion a he end. The ques ion highligh s he in ensi y o he
imme sion in he pas : he na a o is conscious o he empo al dis ance bu exp esses his expe ience
o he illusion o he pas and he p esen me ging in o each o he . Boym (2007, p. 7) e e s o his
nos algic illusion as he ‘double exposu e [ . . . ] o pas and p esen ’.
The i e e sibili y o ime is also emphasised a he e y end o he i s chap e o he no el:
‘Mama calls my name, she has wo y in he eyes. Now she does no u n back anymo e. I si down
on he ca sea . The oad, he whi e sandy oad, is gone. The asphal is glimme ing. I aches in
he eye.’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 13)
20
The shi o he e lec i e phase is ma ked by he ad e b ‘now’,
which is he signal o he e ospec i e ame and he momen o na a ion. A he same ime,
i hema ises he consciousness o ime ha is essen ial o nos algia, especially in he con ex o
mode nism
(Salmose 2012, p. 101)
. Ca pelan clea ly ein o ces subjec i e ime in Be g.
21
This is also
a de ining ea u e o his o he p ose wo ks and non- ic ional essays, in which he de ines his poe ics
o openness.22
20 ´
Mamma opa på mig, hon ha så o oliga ögon.Nu ände hon sig in e me a om. Jag sä e mig i bilen. Vägen, den i a
sand ägen, ä bo a. As al en glänse . Den skä i öga .´
21
In my o hcoming a icle, ‘Be ween now and hen: The expe ience o ime in Bo Ca pelan’s no els U wind and Be g’ (unde
pee e iew), I analyse he s uc u e and he expe ience o ime in mo e de ail.
22
In my a icles, ‘De g o eska och öppenhe ens poe ik i Bo Ca pelans oman Benjamins bok’ (2018) and ‘Muis ojen a kis o
ja muis elun ke omus. Muun u a a kis ome a o a Bo Ca pelanin omaanissa Blad u hös ens a ki ’ ( o be published in
2018 in he an hology How o Communica e Meaning? Linguis ic, Li e a y, and T ansla ional Pe spec i es in he se ies
Tampe e S udies in Language, T ansla ion and Li e a u e by he Plu al Resea ch Cen e a he Uni e si y o Tampe e), I
analyse and e lec on he connec ion be ween Ca pelan’s poe ics o openness and his no els. The poe ics o openness has
been esea ched be o e by Holls en (2004) and Hellg en (2014).
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 8 o 12
As Salmose (2012, p. 157) poin s ou , he momen o na a ion in nos algic na a i es is o en a
ime o decay and he physical absence o childhood d eams. Some hing simila can be ound in he
na a ion o Be g, such as in he image o he sandy oad. The na a o also e e s o he p esen wi h
images o i e e sible change and decay.
23
Howe e , i is c ucial o no e ha he ela ionship be ween
he pas and he p esen is mo e complica ed in his no el. As I ha e shown in my analysis, he pas
is also a ime and landscape o wa , dea h, ea , and anxie y—i does no only pic u e he d eams o
childhood. In addi ion, he p esen appea s a he ambi alen . On he one hand, i is he h ea ening
ime o mode ni y and ageing. On he o he hand, i is also a ime o elie , wisdom, and some so o
ca ha sis ha akes place in he ci y, no in he idyllic coun yside ha ep esen s p e-mode n alues.
In he inal chap e o Be g (201–204), Ma ias e u ns o he ci y, and Be g, which he has le behind, is
o n down a he same ime.
In he nex sec ion, I will ocus on how he nos algic na a i e is p oduced wi h he idealising
opes and he c acks ha ques ion and in e up he idealisa ion.
4. C acks in he Idealised Nos algic Na a i e
‘Lugne ’, he name o a chap e in he ou h and inal pa o Be g, means ‘ he Calm’ o ‘ he Quie ’.
I is also he name o he owing boa in which Ma ias, his a he , and a a m wo ke go on a ishing
ip one ea ly summe mo ning. ‘Lugne ’ is an analepsis o he na a o ’s childhood, w i en only in
he p esen ense. In he con ex o he whole no el, i has a e ospec i e ame a ound i , bu he
momen o na a ion and he p ocess o emembe ing a e no men ioned explici ly. I will analyse how
he choice o wo ds and image y wo k oge he wi h he na a i e le el o he ex o c ea e—o y o
c ea e—an idealised nos algic na a i e.
Vassen s å hög, g ön med guldgul kjol mo a ne . De hö s e s ag dån i lu en. Med
plö sliga k äkanden s ö a e andpa u ö e jä den och ö s inne in i ljuse . Lugne ,
å eka, ligge uppd agen u an ö bå huse . A i s ö e u , pappa ada ill ak e o en
och kli e snabb i, A i sä e sig id å o na, jag ge Lugne en li en knu och klä a
ombo d, si e i ö en och se a en i la , moln, all s illa som om ingen ädsla anns.
(Ca pelan 2005, p. 187)
The eeds s and all, g een wi h he golden yellow ski s owa ds he wa e . The e is a quie
umble in he ai . Wi h a sudden c oaking, a pai o wild ducks land on he open wa e and
disappea in o he ligh . Lugne , ou owboa , is lying on he bank nex o he boa house.
A i pushes i in o he wa e , papa wades o he back o he boa and s eps in, A i si s down
a he oa s, I gi e Lugne a small push and climb on boa d, I si in he on and look a he
eddies on he wa e , he clouds, e e y hing quie as i he e was no ea .
A boa gliding in o he lake h ough he eeds is an image ha ypically e okes a nos algic
expe ience in he eade . Desc ip i e exp essions like ‘ he golden yellow ski ’ and he e e ence o
he di e en pa s o he boa make he image e en mo e i id. Ano he c ucial ing edien in he
nos algic image y is he igge ing o di e en senses in addi ion o he isual. This is some hing ha
Salmose (2012, p. 248)
no es in ensi ies he empo al leap o he nos algic expe ience. In his exce p ,
many o he de ails a e isual, bu he quie umble and he sudden noises o he bi ds engage he
sense o hea ing. The ex con inues a e his wi h desc ip ions o wa m h and he smell o clay.
The g ea de ail and he desc ip i e choice o wo ds also slows he empo o he na a ion.
This mode o na a i e du a ion poin s o Gene e’s concep o he desc ip i e pause, which, acco ding
o Salmose (2012, pp. 203–4), is he mos common mode o c ea ing he nos algic expe ience (compa ed
o scene and ellipsis). I is ypically used o idealise a momen and o encou age he eade o iden i y
23
E.g., ‘The ime cu s i s u ows in he skin’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 12) and ‘We ha e all changed. The whole Be g has changed.
We decay slowly, and he house wi h us.’ (Ca pelan 2005, p. 124)
Humani ies 2018,7, 106 9 o 12
wi h he nos algic expe ience p oduced in he ex . This idealisa ion is e en mo e e iden in he
ollowing exce p : ‘e e y hing has s opped o a blink o an eye as i he e was no wa , e e y hing is
like hose summe s when Lugne is in he wa e and we a e ishing: he clea es silence, deepes peace’
(Ca pelan 2005, p. 188).24
The e a e pa s in ‘Lugne ’ ha seem o aim no only o idealise a ce ain momen om he
na a o ’s pas , bu also o desc ibe childhood as an idea— he phenomenology o he childhood
summe . The desc ip i e pause in he na a ion is also explici ly emphasised in he choice o wo ds
ha desc ibe he pause in he low o ime. A momen when ‘e e y hing has s opped’ c ea es a eeling
o being somewhe e ou side o ime as a dimension always mo ing o wa d. As Boym (2001, p. XIII)
pu s i , nos algia is he longing o a pa icula , di e en ime, which is o en he my hical o idealised
ime o childhood. This poin s o a my hical and cul u ally sha ed space, a highly idealised image
o childhood ha is also cons uc ed momen a ily in he ex . The gene alisa ion and exagge a ion
o he memo y blu s he equency o he e en : he na a o s a es ha ‘e e y hing is like hose
summe s’, bu he is hen desc ibing a speci ic momen o his ideal o a ishing ip on a summe
mo ning? The non-speci ic and ague na u e o his nos algic memo y di e en ia es i om pu e
memo y, which has a speci ic a ge (Salmose 2012, p. 205).
Al hough as a chap e ‘Lugne ’ is mos ly highly desc ip i e, i does also play wi h he du a ion
o he na a ion. In he nex exce p , he empo inc eases and he ocus shi s om he desc ip ion o
na u e o he ac ion:
Nu nappa de ! Nu guppa lö e ill, ö s inne , s ige , gå å e unde a enu an, jag d a
ö sik ig , e en sp i e ö abbo ens knycka . Den landa i g äse , den k öke ygg, jag slå
den mo en s en, den da a och ä s illa. Min egen ångs ! (Ca pelan 2005, p. 188)
Now i bi es! Now he loa bobs, disappea s, ises, sinks unde he su ace again, I pull
ca e ully, he w i hing o he pe ch s a les he ishing line. I lands on he g ass, a ches i s
back, I ling i owa ds a s one, i shakes and s ops mo ing. My own ca ch!
The as e empo e lec s he exci emen o he child as one ac ion ollows ano he , as i he na a o
was ou o b ea h ying o keep up wi h he s o y. This b eaks he d eamy eeling o he desc ip i e
na a ion, bu i can s ill be in e p e ed as wo king owa ds he idealisa ion. I pulls he eade close
by c ea ing he illusion o na a ing and wi nessing he e en s simul aneously.
The analysis shows ha he ing edien s o an idealised pic u e a e e iden . The in e es ing hing
is, howe e , ha hei ue exis ence is ques ioned. I is only ‘as i ’ he ishing ip was a pe ec place
o nos algia ha one could long o . The condi ional s uc u e is epea ed in he no el, as one can
no e om he ci ed exce p s. In he wo p e ious exce p s (‘as i he e was no ea ’ and ‘as i he e
was no wa ’), his can be in e p e ed as hema ising he agili y and a i iciali y o he idealised pas .
The ea o he wa is always p esen . I also wo ks as a sligh eminde o he na a ing-sel adding
an uppe le el o consciousness o he analep ic chap e . In he exce p analysed in he p e ious
sec ion (‘As i I s ill hea d he oice’), i mo e explici ly eminds one o he e ospec i e posi ion o he
na a o , bu also indica es ha e-expe iencing he momen is only an imme sion in in e p e a ions
and cons uc ions o ime pas . O e all, he ‘as i ’ up u es he idealised nos algic na a i e and
ans o ms i in o a mo e e lec i e discou se.
The e a e also o he kinds o c acks in he idealised na a i e: in he con ex o he whole no el,
he ‘quie umble’ in he desc ip ion o he ishing ip wo ks as a eminde o he ongoing wa and
he dis an noises o he ba le ield. I dis ac s one om he idealisa ion and c ea es an unde lining
expe ience o unce ain y, uneasiness, and ep essed ea . This umble is epea ed again a he end o
he chap e ‘Lugne ’:
24
‘all ha ö e ögonblick s anna upp som om inge k ig ans, all ä så som som a ä nä Lugne ä u e och i iska :
kla as e ys nad, djupas e o’.