Probleemikujutuse

Probleemikujutuse is an Estonian term used in literary and cultural analysis to describe the depiction and treatment of problems within a narrative. Formed from probleem (problem) and kujutus (depiction), the genitive probleemikujutuse denotes the concept of depicting problems in art and discourse. The term is employed to analyze how texts frame social, ethical, or existential difficulties, and how the emphasis on problematisation shapes interpretation rather than merely presenting a story’s events.

The concept is applied to novels, films, theatre, and essays, focusing on how a work constructs problematic situations, the sources of tension it highlights, and the ways readers or viewers are invited to think about causes and consequences. It often involves examining who is portrayed as responsible for the problem, which structures or norms are challenged, and how solutions are proposed or foreclosed.

Typical features include explicit problematisation, multiple or conflicting perspectives, ethical ambiguity, and sometimes unresolved or open-ended conclusions. The approach tends to foreground social critique and may emphasize structural or systemic factors over individual resolutions, aligning with realist or critical realist traditions and with socio-narratology.

Context and use: the term is used in analyses of contemporary Estonian fiction and cinema, while also informing cross-cultural discussions about how narrative media engage with social and moral issues such as inequality, migration, or environmental challenges. Critics argue that over-emphasising problems can risk reducing artistic form to critique, whereas supporters contend that it illuminates underlying power dynamics and moral complexities.