Skönlitteraturens kraft : En analys av framställningen av psykisk ohälsa i två romaner ur ett interkulturellt perspektiv och ur ett genusperspektiv

This paper is written in the field of Educational Science, and it focuses on literature that pupils read. Literature has the power to shape readers beliefs, that is why this paper aims to examine, and compare two novels that are used in Swedish schools in class settings. Both novels deal with the issue of psychiatric disorder from a woman´s perspective. Research done in the field of psychiatric disorder shows that it is an important subject that should be addressed in schools. Research done from the perspective of gender studies points out the need of representation of female perspective in literature that pupils are working with. This is so that equality between men and women can increase in society. From an intercultural point of view it is important for people suffering from psychiatric disorder to be represented in literature. This is so that social justice can increase in society, which it does when more and more categories of people are given representation. Pupils that uphold prejudice thoughts about psychiatric disorder, or about people suffering from psychiatric disorder, can through reading and discussing about the phenomenon, change their stereotypical way of thinking. Research done in the field of reading shows that reading literature, and then discussing it, can change the way people think. More exactly the paper looks at how the novels describe psychiatric disorder, and if prejudice surrounding psychiatric disorder is reproduced, or questioned in the novels, and if so, in what way. The paper looks also at how the novels describe the woman suffering from psychiatric disorder, and how gender affects her. The examination is done through the method of close reading, and by applying the theory of interculturality, defined by Pirjo Lahdenperä, and the theory of gender, defined by Yvonne Hirdman, to the reading. The examination reveales that both novels describe psychiatric disorder in a prejudiced way, as something rare, and totally life changing. And, both novels describe women in a prejudiced way, as fragile, and their psychiatric disorders are explained to be caused by their weakness. The attitude towards psychiatric disorder differs between the novels. One of the novels is more accepting in it´s language when it comes to psychiatric disorder, while the other novel is merely tolerant in it´s language