The aim of the study is to apply a paratext analysis to investigate what it is in thepackaging of books that can appear attractive to children and what are the distinctiveshared features of popular pupil choices among books. The analysis consists of anexamination of each book and then a comparative section. The analytical categories arethe title and subtitle, author’s name, publisher’s information, cover pictures, the backcover, the spine, the format of the book, endpapers, and the series emblem. Thetheoretical premises are hermeneutics and semiotic interpretations of signs. The studyproceeds from Genette’s concepts of paratext, peritext and epitext. A prominent common feature of the books was series emblems in the form ofmain titles and colours. Another significant conclusion is that the cover often depictssome climactic event in the content of the book. The content and the cover mustharmonize so that the reader will not feel disappointed. The didactic conclusions are thatteachers must have a good understanding of the effect a book cover can have on pupils.Often teachers try to motivate pupils by telling them about the exciting content, but ifthe pupil is not motivated by the paratext, the threshold will be too high. It is of greatrelevance that teachers offer pupils several different books with varying paratexts.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur identitetsproblematik i anknytning till exil eller diaspora skildras i modern irakisk litteratur, i detta fall Inaam Kachachis roman The American Granddaughter. Berättelsen i romanen utspelas under Irakkriget 2003-2006 där romanens huvudperson, som irakisk-amerikansk kvinna med dubbla identiteter, deltar som tolk i kriget. Den rådande krigssituationen ger upphov till en stark fientlighet nationaliteterna emellan trots att Irak och USA inte är varandras motståndare i kriget. Under den spänning som uppstår och den brutalitet som följer blir huvudpersonen och framför allt hennes identitet såsom irakisk- amerikansk satt i fråga, med resultatet att hon upplever sig alltmer kluven. Huvudpersonen kan sägas fungera som bärare av essensen av identitetskonflikten. Utifrån Jonas Stiers teoretiska utgångspunkter om identitet (Stier, 2019) utforskar jag hur protagonistens dubbla identitet är uppbyggd och hur den förändras under de omständigheter hon hamnar i, och med hjälp av Gérard Genettes narratologiska begrepp undersöker jag hur romanen presenterar identitetsproblematiken, dess orsaker och konsekvenser. / The purpose of this essay is to examine how conflicting identities associated with exile or diaspora is depicted in modern Iraqi literature, in this case in the novel The American Granddaughter by Inaam Kachachi. The story of the novel takes place during the Iraq War 2003-2006, and the protagonist is the holder of two identities as an Iraqi-American woman who is participating in the war as an interpreter. The situation of war results in a hostility between these nationalities even though the nations Iraq and the USA are not each other’s adversaries. This hostility brings about a sharp tension that causes brutality to escalate and this affects the protagonist as an Iraqi-American as her identity is being questioned and she experiences that her dual identity is becoming a problem. The protagonist serves as a vessel of the essence of the conflict of identities. Based on Jonas Stier’s theoretical concepts of identity (Stier, 2019) I will explore how the protagonist’s dual identity is constructed and the way this duality changes due to her experiences in the war and the circumstances she is being exposed to. By using Gérard Genette’s narratological concepts I will examine how the identity issue is presented in the novel, what is it caused by and what the consequences are.

Ce mémoire interroge la place qu’occupe le personnage historique, Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) dans le roman Soumission (2015) de Michel Houellebecq. Située en France en 2022, l’histoire met en scène François, spécialiste de Huysmans. Afin de cerner le rôle de Huysmans dans l’histoire, nous nous sommes intéressée à l’amitié que François exprime pour lui, leurs affinités et leurs divergences. Les polémiques suscitées lors de la parution du roman nous ont poussé à également considérer la moralité de l’histoire. L’aspect temporel du roman, situé dans un futur proche, est important car il laisse supposer une comparaison. Ainsi, notamment la notion de politique-fiction - anticipation de faible amplitude -, ainsi que des concepts narratologiques empruntés à Genette - transtextualité, voix et mode -, ont fourni des outils d’analyse. De même, la recherche de Viard sur la vision politique de Houellebecq, et sa conception comtienne de la religion, a servi de guide. En premier lieu, nous avons ainsi montré que Houellebecq a créé l’illusion d’une réalité possible dans un cadre familier aux lecteurs, puis, en deuxième lieu, nous avons constaté que le narrateur est autodiégétique et la focalisation interne, ce qui nous a permis de faire le rapprochement entre le héros et la vie et l’oeuvre de Huysmans. Plus loin, l’association des caractéristiques de la politique fiction avec les fonctions testimoniale et idéologique du narrateur ont fait apparaître la figure de Huysmans comme plus largement le représentant de la décadence de la modernité. La vision antilibérale et critique exprimée par François rappelle donc le désenchantement dans la littérature « fin de siècle » dont Huysmans était un grand représentant. De plus nous avons constaté que si François et Huysmans ne partagent pas la même vision de la religion, ils partagent le même idéal conservateur de la femme et du couple. Enfin, ces éléments réunis, nous en sommes arrivée à la conclusion que plutôt que nihiliste, la moralité exprimée serait altruiste. / This essay interrogates the part played by the historical figure, Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) in Michel Houellebecqs novel Submission (2015). The story, set in France in 2022, revolves around François, specialist in Huysmans. In order to establish Huysmans role, we have focalized on François’s friendship, expressed by him, their affinities and their differences. The polemics brought on when the novel was published has also made us consider the moral of the story. The temporal aspect is important since it underscores a comparison between a plot set in the future and a historical figure. Here especially one notion of political fiction – speculation in a nearby future – has proven useful. It was furthermore the case of concepts in the field of narratology developed by Genette, intertextuality and metatextuality, voice and mode. Moreover, we have been guided by Viards theory regarding Houellebecqs political view as well as his vision on religion, inspired by Auguste Comte. Considered all together, this shows that Houellebecq has created an illusion of reality taking place in a familiar environment to which readers can relate. Further on, the narrator being homo-diegetic with an internally focalized perspective, makes it possible for us to conciliate the life of the hero with the life and works of Huysmans. We have also seen that the notions of political fiction, combined with the testimonial and ideological functions of the narrator, relates to the character of Huysmans as a representant of the decadency of modernity. Moreover, François’s anti-liberal and critical vision of France has a clear affinity with the disenchantment expressed in the 19th century, fin de siècle literature, of which Huysmans was a principal figure. We argue that although François and Huysmans don’t share the same vision of religion, they share the same conservative ideal of femininity and the couple. This all together has led us to the conclusion that the moral of the story rather than nihilistic is altruistic.

This essay examines the representation of evil in the Star Wars prequel film series. The starting point of the study comes from a narrative analysis of the protagonist Anakin Skywalker. Using Gerard Genette's three-part model of narrative, Anakin's narrative is examined and presented based on the model's first part, story; which highlights what the narrative is portraying through structure, characters, setting and themes. The analysis shows that Anakin got underlying attributes that create tension in him that leads him to his downfall. Turning points and events in his narrative are presented that reinforce his climax where he allies himself with the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. The presentation of the narrative chisels out three overarching themes (self-esteem, love, and fear) that are discussed to find out what Anakin's narrative implies concerning the representation of evil in the Star Wars prequel. The final analysis suggested that Anakin's feels hindered in advancing in the Jedi-orders hierarchy but also that he is met with scepticism that affects his self-esteem. The analysis also implies that Anakin's fear of losing his loved ones is disregarded by the Jedi-order that rather encourage him the let go than giving him tools to work it through. Furthermore, the analysis concludes that Anakin does not ally himself with the dark side of the Force because it is evil, but because it – in his mind – offers him, not just power but also the possibility to save Padmé from dying.   Through a presentation of Anakin's narrative and his fall to the dark side, evil in Star Wars is discussed. Evil, then, is not represented as one might expect, dualistic with a good and a bad, light, and dark. But rather shifting alongside Anakin's moral compass when he allies himself with the dark side. The dark side that initially represented evil, will therefore become good and its counterpart the light side of the Force and the Jedi-order who fights for peace and justice in the galaxy, will for Anakin represent evil instead.

In a narrative the narrator tells the story, and the focalizer is a character through whose eyes the story is seen. The narrator is thus the one who speaks, whilst the focalizer is silent. The identification of these two narratological features is made with the help of verbal cues such as personal pronouns for instance. Determining the narrator and the focalizer can sometimes be challenging due to ambiguous cues in the analyzed text, as well as narratological aspects which at times can be difficult to distinguish from each other. Determining the narrator and the focalizer in graphic narratives (comics) with no narrative voice, or which completely lack words, must be done with the help of pictorial cues instead. In this thesis, Shaun Tan’s wordless graphic narrative The Arrival is used in order to show how the narrator and the focalizer can be determined by combining pictorial cues with the reader’s general knowledge of storytelling as well as his or her experiences from real life scenarios. To analyze narratological features in The Arrival, I employ terminology from comics studies, literary and film narratology. My analysis shows that determining the narrator and the focalizer in narratives lacking explicit narrative voice is possible by using only pictorial cues.

Animal originaire d’Afrique du Nord, atypique sous nos latitudes, la genette européenne (Genetta genetta) est singulière, tant par sa physionomie (tête fuselée, oreilles de renard, taches de panthère et longue queue annelée) que par sa discrétion. Cet animal nocturne est mystérieux et son histoire n’a jamais été étudiée : comment, quand et par qui a-t-elle été introduite en Europe méridionale ? Etait-elle chassée ? A-t-elle été domestiquée ? Par qui, quand et comment était-elle représentée ? Quelle a été, et est encore peut-être, sa signification symbolique ? Il sera important d’établir le lien entre la genette et les milieux géographiques dans lesquels elle a évolué et évolue, faisant ainsi d’elle un indicateur environnemental. En effet, si cette recherche s’assigne comme objectif principal l’histoire de la genette et de sa représentation dans le cadre de sa relation avec l’homme dans le bassin méditerranéen, elle le fait aussi dans une perspective plus vaste, environnementale. Ainsi le continuum historique met-il en valeur le caractère changeant et évolutif des rapports de l’homme et de l’animal en fonction des contextes géographiques, sociaux, économiques et politiques. Connaître le passé et le présent d’un animal, connaître sa relation historique et imaginaire avec l’homme et connaître les manières dont il est représenté peut aider à mieux le préserver.Cette recherche s’inscrit donc dans le cadre d’une histoire co-évolutive des relations entre les sociétés méditerranéennes et le monde animal, de la préhistoire à nos jours. Pour la mener à bien, il a été nécessaire de recourir non seulement à des sources textuelles mais aussi à des sources archéologiques et iconographiques / Originating from Northern Africa, atypical in our part of the world, the European genet (Genetta genetta) is remarkable for its physiognomy (pointed head, fox-like ears, panther spots and a long annulate tail) as much as its furtiveness. This nocturnal animal is mysterious, and its history has never been fully studied: how, when and by whom was it introduced in southern Europe? Was it hunted? Has it ever been tamed? By whom, when and how has it been represented? What have been its symbolical meanings?It is important to establish the link between the genet and the physical environment in which it has been evolving, thereby establishing it as an environmental indicator. Indeed, if this project aims mostly at delivering the history of the genet and of its representation with a focus on its relation to man in the Mediterranean region, it also considers the wider perspective of environmental studies. Thus, the historical continuum points to the changing relationship between man and animal according to different geographical, social, economic and political contexts. Understanding the past and present history of an animal, its historical and imaginary relations to man and its various representations can help to preserve the species more effectively.This research lies within the scope of a co-evolutive history of the relationships between Mediterranean societies and the animal kingdom, from prehistorical times to the present. To complete this project, it proved necessary to resort not only to textual resources, but also to use archeological and iconographical resources.

The objective of this paper is to examine narrative techniques used by the Swedish author Stig Claesson, especially his transformations of texts out of the own authorship into new stories. In order to achieve my objective, I will specifically study two novels; Rosine (1991) and Efter oss syndafloden (2002) and the method practiced will be intentional reading, as described by H. Porter Abbott. For the analysis I will, with the complementary support of Abbott and Beata Agrell, turn to Gerard Genette and his theories concerning transformation and transtextuality, in particular its sub idiom hypertextuality. As a result of my analysis, various subgroups of transformation used by Claesson are identified, but also proven is how Claesson, largely by utilizing two of them; transvocalisation and transvaluation, provides the reader with the implied author of his own choice. Moreover, my investigation demonstrates how Claesson when reusing narratives already told by himself, i.e. transforming hypotexts of his own into hypertexts, recycles characters;  reprocesses master as well as sub plots; alters trivial details; re-interprets events; switches from one narrative view to another, all well documented techniques described by Genette as elements of transformation.

The aim of the present study is to analyze the representation of the mythic timelessness and the religious subversion in the novel Pedro Páramo (1953) by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo. The novel is analyzed from a narratological perspective based on the concept of focalization proposed by the French theoretician Gérard Genette. According to Genette it is possible to identify different levels of focalization depending on the position of the narrative voices.The key question in this investigation is if any salvation is possible in the universe of Pedro Páramo and how the mythic timelessness and the religious subversion are represented in the textual intentionality through the narrative voices. The main conclusion is that there is no possible salvation in the fictional universe of Pedro Páramo. The collective sin is so vast that the intermediation between God and the inhabitants of Comala does not work anymore. Thus, the only possible ”salvation” consists in the separation of the soul from the body the people of Comala experience after death. In Pedro Páramo the dead body is liberated from remorses, but - contrary to the Catholic concepts - becomes a conscious materia sentenced to remember eternally.Keywords: Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo, narratological analysis, Gérard Genette, textual intentionality, focalization, mythic timelessness, religious subversion, narrative voices.

<p>The objective of this paper is to examine narrative techniques used by the Swedish author Stig Claesson, especially his transformations of texts out of the own authorship into new stories. In order to achieve my objective, I will specifically study two novels; <em>Rosine</em> (1991) and <em>Efter oss syndafloden</em> (2002) and the method practiced will be intentional reading, as described by H. Porter Abbott. For the analysis I will, with the complementary support of Abbott and Beata Agrell, turn to Gerard Genette and his theories concerning transformation and transtextuality, in particular its sub idiom hypertextuality. As a result of my analysis, various subgroups of transformation used by Claesson are identified, but also proven is how Claesson, largely by utilizing two of them; transvocalisation and transvaluation, provides the reader with the implied author of his own choice. Moreover, my investigation demonstrates how Claesson when reusing narratives already told by himself, i.e. transforming hypotexts of his own into hypertexts, recycles characters;  reprocesses master as well as sub plots; alters trivial details; re-interprets events; switches from one narrative view to another, all well documented techniques described by Genette as elements of transformation.</p>

Cette thèse étudie la relation intertextuelle entre dix œuvres fictionnelles de trois auteurs français et la Bible. Il s'agit de montrer, en s'appuyant sur les catégories de Gérard Genette, comment la Bible est réécrite par Paul Claudel, André Gide et Albert Camus. Le degré de l'hypertextualité dans les œuvres étudiées va d'une réécriture massive à l'emploi des citations implicites. Chacun des textes fictionnels est aussi en relation paratextuelle avec le récit biblique : ce sont des textes narratifs ou dramatiques dont le titre déjà fait allusion aux Écritures. On examine trois formes du rapport au texte biblique et au christianisme : l'un est celui d'un catholique pratiquant, le deuxième celui d'un incroyant d'origine protestante et le troisième celui d'un incroyant d'origine catholique. La Bible réécrite par Claudel met en scène un christianisme affirmatif alors que les réécritures de Gide et de Camus prennent le contrepied de la religion chrétienne.