The Relationship between Man and Nature, Nature and Culture in the Novel Pan

Pan, one of Knut Hamsun's most famous novels, is a strange story about the love between lieutenant Glahn and a young woman, Edvarda. The following article is an attempt to answer to several questions such as: What is the relationship between Glahn and the nature that surrounds him and what is his relationship to the society of Sirilund? Is Glahn a true son of nature? How does he feel when he's close to people and what is Glahn's attitude towards women and love? Last but not least, how far can we go and assert that Glahn is actually a mirror image of Hamsun himself in the novel Pan? Conclusions: Lieutenant Glahn seems to be a good representative of Hamsun's splitting between nature and culture. In the end, he chooses nature over culture and love. Even though Glahn falls in love with Edvarda, he seems to love his feelings more than he loves the woman these feelings are directed towards. This article was presented at the Hamsun 2009 Conference during a workshop organized for young researchers.