The society of suburbs is frequently discussed in media, which often focus on the problems related to these areas. The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine how Swedish contemporary youth literature may contribute to create, strengthen and articulate social representations of the society of suburbs. The analysis is based upon six youth novels published during 2003 to 2007. The theoretical framework consists of two parts and is based on Anthony Giddens’ theories about late modern society in which the youth novels in our study take place, and those living conditions that this society creates. The other part is the theory of social representations. Shortly this theory deals with how people in society together form a collective idea of the world that surrounds them. They develop this idea together and in that way make it into a form of common sense. The method is based upon textual analysis. A model of analysis is constructed with its basis in the theories of Giddens. The themes of the model of analysis are derived from concepts central to Giddens except for the last theme, and these are life styles, limitations, expressions of emancipation and the suburb as place. The conclusion suggests that the literary description of the society of suburbs may contribute to strengthen and articulate negative social representations that are often build on prejudice, but it may also contribute to create and spread other representations and by that give a more nuanced and profound description.

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to describe by a gender approach what ideas and values are expressed in the novel One Night at Bullar Lake and how they do coincide to a tendency. We also want to discuss authority and class divisions and how these can be connected to the novel and the author. Our final question is to examine in what way the voice of the female author is represented in the novel. To approach our material we use Yvonne Hirdman’s theories about the construction of sexes and Susan Sniader Lanser’s work about voices of female authors, as well as Horace Engdahl’s studies about the silent voice in literature. We also use Pierre Bourdieu’s theories regarding the discussion about class divisions and authority. The method used for analysing the novel is a descriptive idea analysis where we have developed two ideal types on the basis of Åsa Arping’s research concerning the female situation around the 1840`s. The result of the study shows a novel with several meanings. Apart from the religious theme about the revivalist movement which the novel is based on, appear questions concerning the self-fulfilment and independence of women. The novel can be seen as an example of how female authors could find a way to express themselves in a literary world dominated by men.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to examine how Ranma ½, one of the most popular Japanese Manga series, reflects the gender system in society. We have chosen to make use of two different gender theorists to determine if Ranma ½ follows the gender norms of society or not. The theoretical framework is based primarily on Yvonne Hirdman's theory of the two basic principles: the principle of dichotomy and the principle of hierarchy. Judith Butler's theory of performative gender is used as a complement. The method used is idea analysis of text with elements of image analysis. The idea analysis has helped us to get the ideas of masculinity and femininity as represented in Ranma ½. Our methodology allowed the use of a number of dimensions which were prepared after the thesis theoretical framework. The dimensions we chose to use in our analysis were the locations, tasks, properties, behaviour and status. The conclusion regarding Ranma ½ is that it both mirrors and breaks the surrounding society’s values on gender. There are parts of the series that enables you as a reader to interpret the series as norm breaking, but there are also parts that will enable us to interpret Ranma ½ the other way around, as norm following.

This master thesis deals with the Nobel Prize and highbrow culture as portrayed in Karin Alvtegen’s Skugga. From a sociology of literature perspective, it aims to analyze how these highbrow themes can be understood in relation to Alvtegen’s position in the literary field as a lowbrow crime novelist. The method used is hermeneutic, and the analysis is based on two theoretical models: Pierre Bourdieu’s cultural sociology, and the postmodern tradition where the distinction high/low and its traditional hierarchy is said to be decomposed. The analysis shows how Alvtegen gets inscribed in a detective genre she doesn’t really fit into, which is of great importance for our understanding and reading of Skugga. In relation to the history of the detective genre, this essay explains how Alvtegen uses both the whodunit’s integrating of highbrow symbols, as well as the social critique frequently used in more recent crime fiction. The conclusions drawn are that Alvtegen’s use of highbrow symbols illustrates the literary field, while they also discuss her own position on the very same field – text and context here operates closely intertwined. The highbrow theme in Skugga functions as both a dissociation from as well as a rapprochement to highbrow culture, while it also criticizes a contemporary commercialized culture. The Nobel Prize here plays a significant role, as it has become a highbrow symbol known to everybody. Skugga illustrates that intertextual markers in our contemporary post-modern culture is transformed in both directions in the cultural hierarchy – which doesn’t mean that it has vanished.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine the relationship between fiction and resistance from a postcolonial and feminist perspective. More specifically, the study is an examination of this relationship in ten novels by the Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta. The resistance is studied by examining the way it is depicted in the texts, as well as whether the texts can be seen as a form of opposition. Both the resistance and its context are studied. The analysis is performed through a content analysis of ideas concerning the following four dimensions in Emecheta’s texts: intersectionality, colonialism and imperialism, traditional patriarchal structures and strategies of resistance. The study shows that Emecheta’s novels have a clear political perspective and perform a powerful critique of both imperialist exploitation and traditional patriarchal structures, whilst at the same time illustrating the way different power structures are interoperating. The main strategies for resistance in the texts are based on solidarity, decolonization and self-definition. The context for resistance that is presented to the reader in Emecheta’s novels is a highly variable reality in which different power structures interact and change, which implicates that the methods of resistance varies too. The novels depict as well as constitute resistance, through the ideas conveyed and by the act of writing. The novels present a counter argument against imperialist and patriarchal notions, at the same time as they are offering an opportunity for increased self-understanding, self-definition and transcendence of given positions.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to examine attitudes and standpoints amongst librarians at the Swedish public library towards literary awards and awarded literature. The questions posed in the study are: What attitudes are expressed amongst these librarians towards the Nobel Prize in literature, the August Prize and literary awards and awarded literature in general? What significance do the Nobel Prize in literature, the August Prize and other literary awards have concerning purchase and display at these public libraries? How is awarded literature perceived and how do they talk about it concerning quality and are questions of quality significant? Qualitative interviews with seven librarians at four different public libraries have been done. Theories regarding Jϋrgen Habermas the bourgeois public sphere and Pierre Bourdieu’s terms habitus, field and capital have been used as to explain the library as a public sphere. Concerning quality and value, theories by Barbara Herrnstein Smith have been used. The results of the study indicate that librarians have a positive attitude towards literary awards and the handling of awarded literature. None of the libraries have any specific policy regarding awarded literature though, and it is handled like any other literature of current interest. The awarded literature is of high quality, according the librarians, who also think quality is a criterion that should be rewarded. Librarians are also regarded as a competent group as to evaluate quality and judge literature accordingly.

<p>Den här uppsatsen handlar om barn- och ungdomslitteratur. I bakgrunden ges en kortare historik om barnbokens historia i Sverige fram till och med år 1960. Syftet med uppsatsen är att se hur skolan gestaltas i barn- och ungdomsböcker från år 1955. Jag har i undersökningen valt att avgränsa mig till svenska barn- och ungdomsböcker som kom ut i tryck första gången 1955. Med hjälp tidigare forskning har jag analyserat de lästa barn- och ungdomsböckerna. Analysen är uppdelad i fyra kategorier: tid, bilden av skolan, litterära gestalter och känslornas historia. Jag kom fram till att skolan gestaltas i hälften av de böcker jag läst. Det som var vanligt förekommande i böckerna var att beskriva vilka känslor som eleven kände för skolan. Något annat som togs upp i flera böcker var att skolan fanns med som en hänvisning till vid vilken tid handlingen utspelades. Gestaltningen av skolan kunde vara allt från att bara nämnas en gång, till att handlingen utspelades i en skolmiljö. Uppsatsen avslutas med en kortare diskuterande del där jag tydliggör vad jag kommit fram till och även lyfter fram tankar och funderingar som studien har gett upphov till.</p>

Den här uppsatsen handlar om barn- och ungdomslitteratur. I bakgrunden ges en kortare historik om barnbokens historia i Sverige fram till och med år 1960. Syftet med uppsatsen är att se hur skolan gestaltas i barn- och ungdomsböcker från år 1955. Jag har i undersökningen valt att avgränsa mig till svenska barn- och ungdomsböcker som kom ut i tryck första gången 1955. Med hjälp tidigare forskning har jag analyserat de lästa barn- och ungdomsböckerna. Analysen är uppdelad i fyra kategorier: tid, bilden av skolan, litterära gestalter och känslornas historia. Jag kom fram till att skolan gestaltas i hälften av de böcker jag läst. Det som var vanligt förekommande i böckerna var att beskriva vilka känslor som eleven kände för skolan. Något annat som togs upp i flera böcker var att skolan fanns med som en hänvisning till vid vilken tid handlingen utspelades. Gestaltningen av skolan kunde vara allt från att bara nämnas en gång, till att handlingen utspelades i en skolmiljö. Uppsatsen avslutas med en kortare diskuterande del där jag tydliggör vad jag kommit fram till och även lyfter fram tankar och funderingar som studien har gett upphov till.

This thesis explores the position of book blogs in the literary system through Robert Escarpit's socio-literary model of the book market. Simultaneously the thesis serves as a test for Escarpit's theory: by actively applying his theory and model to a very new and contemporary actor on the book market I hoped to reach or confirm new insights into the usefulness and validity of Escarpit's work for contemporary socio-literary studies. Three book blogs were selected for the analysis and interviews were carried out with the authors. The interview questions were formulated specifically for the purpose of extracting the kind of information necessary for an analysis using Escarpit‟s theory. As a complement to the interviews, statistics on the type of books reviewed on the blogs were also compiled. Together, both the interviews and the statistics led me to the conclusion that the book blogs could fairly easily be placed into the cultivated literary circuit in Escarpit's model; however there was also a possibility that the blogs could be a blockade-breaker in his model depending on certain factors. Regarding Escarpit's theory as a whole, the analysis illuminated an important issue: Escarpit's model of the book market presupposes that literature has a certain societal value, however it appears that this presumption is problematic because literature's status in society has changed. At the same time it was also revealed that Escarpit's concept of closed "literary circuits" in which books circulate is still current and very applicable to today's book market. As a result I do not discount Escarpit's theory altogether, but rather endorse moving forward from Escarpit's original book market model to the Danish literary sociologist Hans Hertel's revised and further developed version of it. / P6

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