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~Brianna
I agree that most of our perspective on the world is formed when we are young and it is generally heavily influenced by the people you look up to like family and role models. I also believe that the ability to gain knowledge and experience through a text can impact our perspective.

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I agree that you will always have a negative view of people of that culture, but I also think it is possible to be able to put aside those ideas for the most part to analyze the text. It will be difficult, and it is unlikely to entirely change your views, but in that specific time, it is possible.

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I totally agree with you. In our culture we have grown up together in school, and always in social situations. Then, you were expected to be with your family and work alone most of the time. social interaction was limited, and usually with only a few people. Although it seems not as common to isolate entirely from humanity, and even family, it is more likely in Sweden still.

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Cultural practices greatly influence how a text is read, and all the differences within a text. Even if we do not agree with cultural practices, or with what is happening in the book, our ideas were shaped by some type of cultural practice. Whether it was from your parents, society, friends, or others, every cultural practice or idea that we have was influenced by something in our lives.

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response to mackenzie "Ut og stjæle hester" -abigail

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response to mackenzie "Ut og stjæle hester" -abigail

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This was a really cool thing to do, I would have never thought to look up the Norwegian title and the significance it may have held in its home country. But anyway, I totally agree with you. In many cultures today that we as Americans are associated with have gradually lost the importance of reading as we grow older. We are a very technologically driven day and age in America (even in the UK), and we often forget that some countries value things other than what we value. I think its important to do as you did to see the book's cultural significance in its home country rather than in America, because here, the novel is just another critically acclaimed best seller, but in Norway that might hold a significant weight on people when first encountering the novel.

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-40091650

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In addition to Addison and Lauren -Abigail

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In addition to Addison and Lauren -Abigail

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1) I think this is am awesome example!!!!
2) I totally agree with you guys, often meaning can be lost or jumbled in translation. Recently in Spanish class we were studying idioms and it very quickly came to my attention that they don't even use the same idioms that we do. So if if an idiom or figure of speech is directly translated it doesn't have the same meaning and therefore it loses its original affect that it was intended to have.

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I always feel the same way. It is extremely hard though to translate perfectly, especially because English being such a complex language and having so much slang. I feel though because of the translations we might have lost some important information because of the language barrier.

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I completely agree with our statement. How we are raised greatly influences our world views. However, when reading a text it is important to put aside out personal bias in an attempt to have a better understanding. This is extremely difficult, though. We cannot easily put aside everything we believe in order to see new viewpoints, although new knowledge and perspectives can help us evolve our opinions as well.

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I believe that cultural practices around us dictate how we interpret and analyze a text to a certain extent. For example, the "man of the house" motif was prominent throughout the text and the women were not treated as they would be today. In America, the misogynistic regime is not accepted to the level it was accepted in the book which affects our critical analysis on the characters and overall our perspective of the text. Out Stealing Horses also takes place in a foreign country with different social structures which will may be interpreted differently than their intended purpose. Overall one will interpret a text with their own culture in mind as a comparison which changes the way we are able to analyze a text.

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I think that makes perfect sense. The environment we grow up in is an integral part of not just what we believe, but who we become. Sometimes, it's extremely difficult to break a pattern in your family, especially when your family has had such little contact with the outside world.

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Translation has always been an issue in literature. So many phrases and words in one language can be taken in so many different ways. Just look at Harry Potter. Even British words, phrases, and references are so distant from those in American literature. Translators had to spend hours finding ways to represent all of these ideas in a multitude of languages. So, yes, I believe some of the original meaning in the book may have been lost or shifted in a way that the author hadn't intended. Norwegians may have a book with an entirely different texture and feel. Without knowing the language, the raw heart of the book might truly be lost to us.

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Harry Potter and the translator's nightmare

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I took the liberty of searching for Out Stealing Horses reviews in norwegian (Thank you Google Translate) and I found this book is much more meaningful for Norwegians- not necessarily the plot or the message, but the immense recognition it has received internationally. Even the importance of a best selling novel seems to be lost on us, just because we value different things culturally. I imagine simple cultural differences such as these affect out critical perspective immensely.

Systems, eZ. “Forlaget Oktober.” Per Petterson - hva har skjedd med "Ut og stjæle hester" siden den utkom i 2003 / Pressemeldinger / Presse / Hovedsiden - Forlaget Oktober, www.oktober.no/nor/Presse/Pressemeldinger/Per-Petterson-hva-har-skjedd-med-Ut-og-stjaele-hester-siden-den-utkom-i-2003.

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I agree with Seth. Some words or the meaning of words simply don’t translate well. This could give them a different connotation or value all together. Culture seems to be extremely entwined with language, though many don’t realize that. What better way to be culturally expressive than verbally?

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I think it would be interesting to have a Norwegian's point of view of how the text accurately perceived their country and culture. I also think it would be interesting to compare their actual interpretation of the text to a foreigner's.

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I think Lauren brings up an excellent point that not only does our interpretation of the book change as time goes on and the culture around us changes, but the actual translation to English could also be very different if it was translated today instead of say 10 years ago because our words and the way we speak is constantly changing. I think it would be very interesting to see the difference between the thoughts of someone reading the book today vs. the thoughts of someone reading the book 10 years ago and see the difference based on the big events of the time period.

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I totally agree that as we read this book, the sense of extreme personal isolation that is exhibited in the rural communities is almost completely unknown to us. Another interesting note is that because we go to school and live in this very close community, some individuals may not feel like they are "allowed" to feel isolated because they know they are constantly surrounded by so many people.

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I think I'm curious about how this book is perceived differently in Norway, as well as how it was perceived over a decade ago when it was published versus now. I wonder if some things got misrepresented in the translation to English. I think the English language has a lot of words for really specific things, and translating something foreign into English may be hard to pick the word which you believe the author meant. I think language, as a cultural practice, may affect our critical perspective on this book more than any other factor.

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I agree. Childhood is probably one of the biggest factors that influences our perspectives. We definitely see this in the book. Trond's actions as an adult and the way he views the world is influenced by how he grew up.

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I think that saying, "I'm fine is just way to postpone feeling the feelings. I don't think I have ever seen a better example of this than Trond though. The fact that he postpones his feelings for about 5 decades is impressive. I think though, the longer you say, "I'm fine" the worse the pain gets.

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I feel like most culture don't want men to have too many feelings. They make them feel weak and bad about expressing how they feel.

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I agree completely with your time period explanation.

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I completely agree with you. Especially in today's culture, many people are very set in their ways and have a  hard time understanding others and their ways and how not everyone sees eye to eye. i personally have encountered these sorts of conflicts, especially with man
y public issues prevalent today.

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Response to Maddie (translations) - Chloe

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Response to Maddie (translations) - Chloe

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I don't think we should be holding back judgement because that is what we're supposed to do when studying a novel. Yes, we should talk into account differences, but how we feel about the book and what we think is very important to our interpretation of the book. I think that we should make judgements, but over time, and more research and discussion, those judgments and interpretations may change after new knowledge is discovered.

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I have to agree with Sawyer, that we should ask how being raised affects the way we see the book. But I want to answer that by saying that Petterson was raised a certain way, and that way he was raised has affected his writing style, thus effecting our understanding of the book

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~Brianna
I agree and would also like to argue that each individual could interpret the text differently because of the experiences they have. I do think that some of the culture we are surrounded by has an impact on the perspectives we are able to relate to or disagree with.

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I don't think that people who live in a culture where men aren't supposed to have many feelings would feel badly for Trond. I think that more people in our society feel bad for him because he is a young boy and an old man, and for whatever reason, we tend to have more sympathy for these groups of people than other cultures to.
This is a good article: Turns Out You Don't Have to Feel Emotions to Have Them.

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I think that saying "I'm fine" is a mental isolation a person places on themselves. I believe people do this to isolate the people from themselves to save them the trouble of having to deal with problems that aren't theirs.

Saying "I'm fine" with the expectation that the other person will ask you more is unreasonable. The way society is now causes the response to be limited when hearing that someone else is fine. If someone else is fine, they feel they have done their part, politeness wise. However, if its a good friend you're saying "I'm fine" to, they're likely to see through it and ask more. All in all, I do think that saying "I'm fine" if you aren't fine creates mental isolation.

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Can you provide examples of how religious beliefs impact our understanding of this book in particular? What are examples from the book of things that would be morally subjective based on religion

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There are definitely situations in the text that we may not fully comprehend due to cultural differences/things lost in translation. This may construe our original interpretation of the text, however, when analyzing it further it is important to take into account the differences and hold back judgement.

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If we read a certain story unaware of the culture and the time period, there is a danger of us interpreting the text horribly wrong, and getting a theme that is the opposite of what the author was trying to say. For example, if this book is read by those who criticize the story without trying to understand the individual's culture, it could lead them to the conclusion that certain people are weak, without considering the fact that Norway believes in different things from the United States. This is why even if we may not understand a certain culture completely because we never experienced it, it is important to at least try and understand in order to understand the full meaning of the story.

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Could it be assumed that isolation is important to Norwegians just from reading the book, or would that require further research. I would say that, in general, Americans are culturally unaware, but this seems like a detail that is easily taken from the book.

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Does saying "I'm fine" create isolation, or is it a way to prompt people to ask more so that it's not like you are just spilling out all our feelings?
Also, is by saying that creates isolation, do you think that is creates more physical, emotional, or mental isolation?

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I agree with your statement completely. However, while we may make initial judgements when we first read the text, when analyzing it further, we often have to look into the customs/norms of that time in order to understand it better.

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I think that is a really good thing to examine in this book. It is easy to judge someone for being isolated in the United States because it is looked down upon more than it is in Norway, but this would lead to us not getting the true picture of the story, and this could lead to the reader getting a different perspective of the story, which could be dangerous.

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I think this is an important idea expressed in the book. Isolation is defined through the setting, and is an obvious cultural influence in the book. But independence is defined through the characters, and is much more subtle. The cultural practices in Norway are in line with independence. Trond is forced to act on his own, without the instruction and guidance we have come to expect in the US. I agree with Addison, in that the characters are forced to make decisions on their own, without the guidance that we have grown to rely on.

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I would argue that we, in the US, don't talk to each other as much as one might think. We are really good at asking "how are you?" However, more often than not, the response is "I'm fine." It might appear that we have a greater reliance on each other, because we talk to each other more often, however those conversations almost always lead nowhere. This raises the question: how does mental and physical isolation differ, and how do each impact our perspectives/lives differently?

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Our view on the world is largely shaped in our childhood. Our families customs, religion, etc. will most likely determine our own views. Role models will influence us and help us form our opinions on topics until we are educated and old enough to make our own. For example, someone raised in a more conservative household will have a different perspective of texts than someone who was raised in a liberal household.

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Obviously the way the family is presented in the book is a plot device. In what ways does the way in which this affects the plot alter how we view the story? Is it possible that someone would be able to see different perspectives, regardless of background, or is our interpretation of the book based solely on our family background?

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In the US, especially in rural areas, people are taught from birth that their future depends on their own personal responsibility and their success as independent people. In Out Stealing Horses, these people are closely tied to their family members, but they often walk around with closed lips when it comes to speaking about emotions. Everyone is expected to just know things. It almost seems like there's a cultural parallel between the many rural communities of the world. We're also used to independence, but at least we talk to each other. Our perspective is altered in the sense that we aren't used to this extreme personal isolation that many people in rural communities feel. We think it's unusual, so we might assume it's unbearable. So, we're familiar with independence, but not isolation like this.

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Economic standing can also give you a different critical perspective on texts. Economic classes seem to have their own culture because different people from different economic classes will have a contrasting understanding and experiences. This may make them value objects and relationships to varying degrees.

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Because the novel is set in another country (Norway) with a very different culture in comparison to other countries, any people from other countries reading the translated version may have a different critical perspective of the novel. The time period may also change the way a person critically perceives this novel because culture changes over time.

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Our cultural practices change over time and from generation to generation. The cultural practices of the authors during the time the book was written differs from today's cultural practices. We base our opinions on what society views as normal so when people read the book today, we judge the cultural practices in the book with the social norms of today. Our critical perspective changes as time progresses.

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The broken and estranged family presented in Out Stealing Horses is either relatable or disheartening, based on personal experienes and family dynamics. The relationship between Trond and Jon's family members is unique and full of distance and conflict, and our analysis of these events can be affected by our personal experiences.

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Each culture has its own customs and views of certain ideas. My own cultural practices and norms can influence how I view the text. My perspectives can create some bias and shade my understanding of another culture represented within the text. Perhaps I completely disagree with a lifestyle represented. I will always have negative view of those people or characters without really analyzing them within the context of the text.

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Many American family relationships are different from the family relationship that Trond faces because of our culture. This may lead to wrongful assumption about the family in general, such as dismissing the family as irresponsible. However, we must also realize that their family relationship is normal when considering the time period and the culture they were placed in. Of course, there were definitely examples of bad family relationships in the text, but not all of them can be dismissed as wrong without considering the role of culture in family.

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I believe that our religion and the way we were raised has a huge impact on not only our critical perspectives on texts but also on the world and people around us. This causes us to differ from everyone around us because everyone has different morals.

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I feel that because that the book has been translated, some of the words and connotations of phrases have shifted, because of the translator. Now, this isn't the translator's, or the author's fault. There aren't words in some languages that can be efficiently translated to the English language. Thus, we have to improvise, whether creating more words than necessary, or completely misunderstanding the meaning of the words or phrase.

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Critical perspectives can be affected by certain nations and their cultural practices. For example, because Out Stealing Horses in based in Norway; the Norwegian people might decipher the novel differently from that of an American. This is because each country has different cultural values and can take away different values or perspectives from the text.

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Cultural practices change with the time period. When the time period the text was placed or written differs from the time that the text is read the critical perspective can also differ. People judge based on the society and societal practices in place at that time. When texts are read in different time periods, the critical perspective becomes harsher and more critical than it would in the time period and cultural that the text was written.

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Critical perspective can be affected by our personal experiences and biases in life. For example, if someone comes from a wildly racist society, then they are going to have very different criticisms for a piece of text about race (ex. Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space) than someone who is not from a wildly racist society.

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I think critical perspective is primarily affected by the misunderstanding of cultural practices. In Out Stealing Horses, there are a number of ideas specific to Norway, and Norwegian people. One common motif in the story is isolation, something that is considered out of the ordinary in American culture. Yet in Norway, isolation is a common idea. It isn't exactly encouraged, but it isn't nearly as foreign as it is in America, where students are taught to almost rely exclusively on each other. The culture in this book is the opposite, where people, men specifically, are taught and encouraged to be individual, and self-sufficient. This drastic difference definitely influences any critical perspective, due to misunderstanding of something we consider bad.