"Ingen av dem var riktigt intresserade av henne men båda var intresserade av honom" : En analys av genus och maskulinitet i Lena Anderssons roman Egenmäktigt förfarande och den adapterade föreställningen

The purpose of this essay is to examine what significance gender has in the novel Egenmäktigt förfarande, written by Lena Andersson, and in the adapted theater. The springboard for the essay topic is a debate about the so-called ”kulturmannen” which took place in the Swedish literature field a couple of years ago. My aim has been to shed light to the relationship between the main characters Ester Nilsson and Hugo Rask, to analyze what role their different gender plays. Further I have studied the masculinity of Hugo Rask. The analysis is based on Yvonne Hirdman’s gender theory, Raewyn Connell’s masculinity theory and an adaption theory by Linda Hutcheon. The methods that have been used is literature- and performance analysis of certain selected parts of the novel and theater. The result of my analysis indicate that gender influences the relationship between the two main characters. The male character Hugo Rask has a superior position in relation to Ester Nilsson which can be derived to his gender. Furthermore, I have concluded that Hugo Rask’s masculinity is hegemonic. The theater, which shown in the performance analysis, has an expressed comic image which stresses the unequal interest Ester Nilsson and Hugo Rask have for each other