"Med æreglans i minne" - Fortellingsanalyser av Oscar Albert Johnsens Norges bønder (1919) og Halvdan Kohts Norsk bondereising (1926)

The research done on historians Oscar Albert Johnsen and Halvdan Koht's works has been largely characterized by an approach as to where the historians' political context has been a premise to both understand and interpret their historical texts. Because of this, the research done on Johnsen and Koht's books is mainly done from a perspective in which the historians' political party affiliation – to Bondepartiet and Arbeiderpartiet respectively – has been heavily emphasised as a means to understanding their works. Using this as the premise for the interpretations have, however, led to interpretations that have not necessarily been derived from the narratives themselves. In my thesis, I have been applying Hayden White and Jörn Rüsen's typologies in order to identify what kind of narratives that exist in the books I have analysed. In the analysis, I have mainly identified two types of historical narratives that have been used in order to portray the Norwegian peasants' past. One of them is the traditional narrative, which emphasises the importance of traditions, as they are seen as necessary conditions for present forms of life. The other type of historical narrative is the genetical narrative. This type articulates the need for humans to adjust their lives to change, in order to deal with the inevitable alterations of time. Based on my findings, in accordance with White and Rüsen's typologies, I have furthermore, according to Quentin Skinner's approach to textual interpretation, studied how the narratives act in relations to one another. Moreover, I have applied these findings with the purpose of comprehending how the narratives may have functioned in their original context