Analysing the melancholy of Nordic Noir as stimmung: Affective world-building in The Bridge

Abstract

Scholars of crime fiction continuously discuss what Nordic Noir series have in common, arguing that it is a genre, a brand and a style respectively. Instead, this article explores Nordic Noir as an atmosphere, observed through the concept of stimmung, and argues that affective world-building in TV-series should be analysed beyond matters of style and narrative. Based on an analysis of The Bridge (2011–2018), the article discusses the aesthetic and critical potentialities of attuning oneself to the melancholic world of Nordic Noir and demonstrates that the affective quality of a series impacts how its themes can be read.