”The love story we all dream of” : An analysis of chick lit from a gender theoretical perspective

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine how the gender system is described in chick lit. The analysis is based upon seven chick lit novels. The primary theoretical point of departure is Yvonne Hirdman’s theory about the gender system, the hierarchical order and the separation of the sexes. Also Carin Holmberg’s theory about how gender is constructed and the asymmetrical role taking among young couples and Anna G. Jónasdóttir’s theory about the distribution of love power in relationships are part of the theoretical framework. The method used is a textual analysis. A model of analysis has been constructed based on the theoretical points of departure mentioned above. The themes of the model are the separation of the sexes, the creation and maintenance of the gender system and the asymmetrical role taking. The result shows that the gender system is very distinct in chick lit, which is shown in particular in the separation of the sexes and how the women’s self-esteem is depending on men’s approval, thus making women subordinate to men. The conclusion is that chick lit describes a traditional gender system where the hierarchical order of the sexes is evident.Uppsatsnivå: