<p>Boyhood: Scenes from provincial life by J.M. Coetzee tells the story about John Coetzee from the age of ten until thirteen. Since many details in the story point to the idea that the protagonist might be the author, it is often said to be an autobiography. However, it is not a conventional one. A third person narrator tells the story in the present tense, which is rather different from the autobiographiy’s conventional first person narrator speaking in the past tense. The definition used in order to define the genre to which Boyhood belongs is Lejeune’s criterion author=narrator=protagonist. According to this theory, Boyhood is a biography. However, Lejeune does not take the connection author=protagonist inte sonsideration, but focuses only on the connection narrator=protagonist. Thus an additional description of the text’s generic style must be used.</p><p>Furthermore, the theme of otherness is analysed. A close reading of the novel shows that the protagonist often feels different from his family and peers. He makes a distinction between two kinds of different – a good and a bad kind. The good means that he is better than his peers, and the bad kind means that he has failed to accomplish something he thinks is important.</p><p>Although the author wrote the story about his boyhood in a rather unconventional style and the protagonist perceives himself as different, the otherness in the two do not parallel each other. What they might have in common is perfectionism. Thus, the theme of otherness is only to be found in the protagonist, whereas the author’s style of writing is merely unconventional.</p>

Inom både film och filmskapande är tiden ett grundelement för dess existens. Trots detta finns det ett stort behov av ytterligare forskning kring ämnet. Syftet med denna uppsats är att tillföra forskning genom att undersöka hur Linklater gestaltar tid i filmen Boyhood. För att uppnå detta har uppsatsen framförallt lutat sig mot litteratur av Andrej Tarkovskij såväl som David Bordwell och deras respektive böcker Sculpting in Time samt Narration in the Fiction Film. Denna studie visar genom begrepp formade av Tarkovskij och Bordwell olika metoder som Linklater använder för att gestalta tid. Dessa metoder innehåller både teoretiska perspektiv såväl som filosofiska. Utöver dessa gestaltningsmetoder tillför denna studie även ett alternativ för att tolka filmen Boyhood och dess budskap.

Boyhood (1997) is the first volume of Scenes from Provincial Life trilogy, written by the South-African J. M. Coetzee. Boyhood’s narrative has peculiar characteristics for an autobiographical novel, as the third person narrator and the use of Present Simple. This research’s hypothesis is that the protagonist, the boy John Coetzee, discovers himself and discovers himself within the apartheid regime; and this self-discovery is not done through the form of teaching or reporting from a conscious and rational narrative. The process of discovering himself within this regime occurs through its infantile conscience, puerile observations and the construction of the general protagonist’s perception. From this hypothesis, we discuss in this dissertation selfwritting narratives and traditional confessional narratives in literature, based on Coetzee’s theoretical studies, to later analyze some of the main features of the narrative in this novel to verify how non-religious confession techniques are present in Boyhood. Coetzee manipulates these confessional techniques avoiding the typical confessional narrative, present in authors like Augustine, J. J. Rousseau and Dostoevsky. In this study, we also observe that the narrative episodes are based on confession, a self-investigating method that highlights painful contents to be confessed. Among these contents, we noticed the feelings of guilt and shame are recurrent in most the protagonist’s experiences. Confessional narrative is a method that Coetzee uses to debug knowledge and to select themes presented in Boyhood, differently from traditional confessional narratives. / Boyhood (1997) é o primeiro volume da trilogia autobiográfica Scenes from Provincial Life, do escritor sul-africano J. M. Coetzee. A narrativa de Boyhood tem características peculiares para um romance autobiográfico, como o narrador em terceira pessoa e o uso do tempo presente. A hipótese de pesquisa é que o protagonista, o menino John Coetzee, descobre-se e descobre-se no regime do apartheid, e essa autodescoberta não se dá pela forma de ensinamento ou de relato a partir de uma narrativa consciente e racional. O processo de descobrir-se dentro desse regime dá-se através de sua consciência infantil, de observações pueris e da construção da percepção geral do protagonista. A partir dessa hipótese, discutimos nessa dissertação narrativas da escrita do eu e narrativas confessionais tradicionais na literatura, baseada em estudos teóricos de Coetzee, para, posteriormente, analisamos algumas das principais características da narrativa nessa obra para verificar como a técnicas de confissão não-religiosas estão presentes em Boyhood. Coetzee manipula essas técnicas evitando a típica narrativa confessional presente em autores como Agostinho, J. J. Rousseau e Dostoievski. Neste estudo, observamos também que os episódios da narrativa dão-se a partir da confissão, um método autoinvestigativo que traz à tona conteúdos dolorosos a serem confessados. Dentre esses conteúdos, também notamos que os sentimentos de culpa e de vergonha são recorrentes em boa parte dessas experiências do protagonista. A narrativa confessional é um método que Coetzee utiliza para depurar o conhecimento e selecionar os temas apresentados em Boyhood, diferente de narrativas confessionais tradicionais.

The aim of this study has been to examine representations of Latino boys and young men in Latino American coming of age novels. Two concepts have been central to the study: positions of (in)betweenness and the ability to "fall in line" with norms and expectations. Three overarching themes are been explored in relation to masculinity. These are sexualities, ethnicities, and the representation of women. First, representations of queer sexualities are explored, focusing on the protagonists' "coming out" process and the varying reactions to this. The second part of this theme explores representations of disciplining strategies between boys and men as a means to regulating homosocial bonding and maintain the dominant masculinity ideal. The second theme, ethnicity, examines representations of "authentic" Latino identities in relation to language and bilingualism, and the link between location and identity. Disciplining measures aimed towards the protagonists, such as criminalization and dehumanization, are also explored. The final theme deals with the lacking representation of women in literature and research focused on men and masculinity. In the novels, women are depicted as confidants, present in the boys' lives mainly in order to provoke and facilitate their renegotiations of ideas regarding the previously discussed themes. The boys are represented as inhabiting positions of (in)betweenness throughout the novels, whether in relation to ethnicity, sexuality or gender. While (in)betweenness holds a potential to challenge and "worry" fixed categories, these positions are also characterized by unease, precariousness and the risk of being disciplined by other men.

Boyhood: Scenes from provincial life by J.M. Coetzee tells the story about John Coetzee from the age of ten until thirteen. Since many details in the story point to the idea that the protagonist might be the author, it is often said to be an autobiography. However, it is not a conventional one. A third person narrator tells the story in the present tense, which is rather different from the autobiographiy’s conventional first person narrator speaking in the past tense. The definition used in order to define the genre to which Boyhood belongs is Lejeune’s criterion author=narrator=protagonist. According to this theory, Boyhood is a biography. However, Lejeune does not take the connection author=protagonist inte sonsideration, but focuses only on the connection narrator=protagonist. Thus an additional description of the text’s generic style must be used. Furthermore, the theme of otherness is analysed. A close reading of the novel shows that the protagonist often feels different from his family and peers. He makes a distinction between two kinds of different – a good and a bad kind. The good means that he is better than his peers, and the bad kind means that he has failed to accomplish something he thinks is important. Although the author wrote the story about his boyhood in a rather unconventional style and the protagonist perceives himself as different, the otherness in the two do not parallel each other. What they might have in common is perfectionism. Thus, the theme of otherness is only to be found in the protagonist, whereas the author’s style of writing is merely unconventional.

Abstract This study examines Barbara Kimenye’s imagination of boyhood masculinities in the selected adventure stories from the Moses series. It is based on the understanding that gender is a social construct. The Research Report contributes to children’s literature and gender scholarships. In particular, through textual analysis of primary texts and gender related theoretical framework, I highlight various categories of masculine behaviour based on boy characters’ power, control and popularity at Mukibi Educational Institute – Kimenye’s fictitious boarding school in Moses series. I tease out complexities of both individuals’ and groups’ notions of manliness and how they manifest in various locales. I argue that there are many ways of being a boy. I also highlight how the author deploys satire to imagine a boarding school and how this space allows construction and performance of specific boyhood masculinities. In addition, I highlight Kimenye’s depiction of corporal punishment and family relatives and how these also allow for construction and performance of particular man-like behaviour by her boy characters. Kimenye’s imagination of girlhood masculinities is also explored by examining boy characters’ stereotypes on girls and how through Sekabanja – a girl character – the author manages to deconstruct this by portraying her [Sekabanja] as behaving as expected of a boy. In addition, I highlight Kimenye’s representation of enactment of gender inequalities in a mixed sex school. I also underline how illustrations also participate in the imagination of girlhood masculinities. I argue that by portraying a girl – Sekabanja – as behaving as expected of boys if not better, Kimenye is highlighting gender as a social construct and participating in deconstruction of stereotypes on girls and women through a literary technique.

<p><i>Vicious Children and Other Stories</i> contains four stories, each concerned in their own way with boyhood, friendship, masculinity, and alienation. <i>Vicious Children</i> is a novella that follows two brothers, Jesse and Danny, as they explore a time in which their roles in their community and family are changing. In “What Else Are We Going to Do With Them?” a group of young boys fight betta fish to the death, leaving one of the boys, Josh, questioning his enjoyment of the fight. “Gash” deals with the main character, Adam’s, memory of a traumatic event in contrast to the lighthearted way he and his family tell the story in the present. Finally “Don’t You Have a Name?” follows Zach, a content moderator for a social media platform, who finds that, although he excels at the job, it comes at the cost of his mental health.</p>

South of Here is a coming-of-age story that follows a group of teenage boys through their journey into adulthood. Set against the backdrop of rural northwestern Connecticut, the book delves into the challenges of coping with grief, addiction, and the weight of adult responsibilities. Through the eyes of the speaker, readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance as they come to terms with their queerness and the complexities of their relationships with blood family while building a community of chosen family. South of Here explores the stories that shape our identities, whether we were there for them or not. And through it all, the speaker learns how to undead the dead and move forward in the face of loss and pain. South of Here is a testament to the resilience of youth and the power of community to heal and transform. / Master of Fine Arts / South of Here is a poetry collection.

Children’s literature is one of many important influences of childhood socialization and teaches children about contemporary society. Therefore, it is important to understand what messages children’s literature convey. In this thesis, I analyze four contemporary, Swedish graphic novels, aimed at children between the ages of six and nine years old. My research questions are: how do the studied books portray children and childhood? And how do the books portray the intersectional positions of girlhood and boyhood? To gather and analyze my data, I used close reading and thematic analysis. This process resulted in three themes, which I call: ‘a child in need of protection or the competent child’, ‘the gender-neutral superhero or the gendered superhero’ and ‘constructing girlhood and boyhood’. The results show that the books depict children in two ways; either as dependent and vulnerable or as competent agents. This relates to traditional, developmental understandings of children as well as understandings of children as formulated by the new paradigm for the study of childhood. Moreover, the results problematize the role of the superhero, specifically the ways in which the books explicitly gender the superhero in the text and portrays what could either be interpreted as a gender-neutral or an implicitly masculine superhero in the illustrations. Finally, the results indicate that the books depict girlhood and boyhood as contrasting identities. In conclusion, the authors of the books seem interested in challenging conventional norms regarding children and childhood, in line with a larger trend among Swedish children’s literature. At the same time, the books also convey traditional norms regarding both girlhood and boyhood, such as by the clear markers of age and gender in the illustrations. / Barnlitteratur är en av många viktiga influenser på barndomssocialisation och lär barn om det samtida samhället. Därför är det viktigt att förstå vilka budskap som barnlitteratur förmedlar. I denna uppsats analyserar jag fyra samtida svenska grafiska noveller riktade till barn mellan sex och nio år. Mina frågeställningar är: hur skildrar de studerade böckerna barn och barndom? Och hur skildrar böckerna de intersektionella positionerna flickskap och pojkskap? För att samla in och analysera min data har jag använt mig av närläsning och tematisk analys. Denna process resulterade i tre teman som jag kallar: ’ett barn i behov av skydd eller det kompetenta barnet’, ’den genusneutrala superhjälten eller den könade hjälten’ och ’att konstruera flickskap och pojkskap’. Resultaten visar att böckerna skildrar barn på två sätt: antingen som utsatta och i beroendeställning eller som kompetenta agenter. Dessa relaterar till traditionella, utvecklingsmässiga förståelser av barn liksom förståelser av barn så som de formulerats av det nya paradigmet för studiet av barndom. Dessutom problematiserar resultaten superhjälterollen, specifikt det sätt på vilket böckerna explicit könar superhjälten i text och porträtterar vad som antingen kan tolkas som en genusneutral eller en implicit maskulin superhjälte i illustrationerna. Till sist så indikerar resultaten att böckerna skildrar flickskap och pojkskap som kontrasterande identiteter. Sammanfattningsvis så verkar författarna av böckerna intresserade av att utmana konventionella normer rörande barn och barndom, i linje med en större trend bland svenska barnböcker. Samtidigt så skildrar böckerna också traditionella normer gällande både flickskap och pojkskap, så som genom de tydliga markörerna för ålder och genus i illustrationerna.

Until it's Safe to Return to My Body is an autofiction novella that follows the narrator as she recounts her tumultuous childhood and attempts to understand why she survived while her best friend did not. The novella delves into the ways in which violence can manifest in subtle ways, particularly in intimate relationships, and explores the underlying trauma that can result. The story takes place across four states as the narrator revisits the people, places, and events that shaped her life. She grapples with the ways in which her family's poverty and the precariousness of their living situations were not solely a result of her parents' shortcomings, but also a result of the systems and institutions that they were forced to navigate. The novella examines the ways in which humans hurt each other and the links between desperation and survival. Ultimately, this novella is a powerful exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the ways in which people navigate the trauma and violence of their pasts. / Master of Fine Arts / Until it's Safe to Return to My Body is an autofiction novella.