**6. Conclusions**

This course tells a simplified narrative of the Nordic countries moving from the Modern Breakthrough via decadence to modernism, which, due to the passage of time and historical and cultural change, transitions to postmodernism. By focusing on this narrative and highlighting the pioneers of Scandinavian literature, the Nordic countries are presented as solid participants in European literary and cultural history. Further, the social realism of the Modern Breakthrough emerges as one of the Nordic countries' distinct contributions to world literature. This interest in social realism never really dies out, and I would argue that it has resurfaced with a vengeance in the Nordic crime literature that has become so popular across the world. The Nordic countries have been on the cutting edge of literary developments, ye<sup>t</sup> they have their own distinct voices.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
