In this study I analyze and compare two of Jessica Schiefauer’s novels, Pojkarna (2011) and Bärarna (2020), based on ecofeminism. The main aim is to examine how nature is presented and what function it can be interpreted to have in relation to the storyline and the characters. Another purpose with the paper is to see if any connections between nature and women can be found, and if so, what kind of relation it is. I primarily studied the works through theory about different views of nature, from David Kronlid’s Ecofeminism and Environmental Ethics and Kate Soper’s What is nature?, but also with terms like anthropocentrism. The study discovered, among other things, that the connection between woman and nature is strong in both Pojkarna and Bärarna, and that there is a pattern in Schiefauer’s way of writing it. The role of women and nature in society stand as parallels, which you can see in both novels. In Bärarna the woman has the power and because of that nature also gets more freedom, compared to Pojkarna where the woman is instead oppressed by the man and due to that nature is too. However, it is not only women who are seen as connected to nature. All people who are excluded from society, regardless of gender, have a close relationship to nature. This shows that it is not only a question of gender, but also something concerning power and authority. I also found three different interpretations regarding nature's function, which are: it can be interpreted as a helping hand, someone who assists the characters, or as a tool to highlight contrasts in society, or lastly as a tool to amplify the role that women have in society. These conclusions show that Schiefauer, in her authorship regarding nature and woman, either consciously or subconsciously reinforces the connection between them and fortifies the view of women as closer to nature than men.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-204351 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Löfgren, Wilma |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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