“Truth is a difficult thing” : A study of the text/image relationship in Sven Nordqvist's works När Findus var liten och försvann and Var är min syster?

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between text and picture in two works by Sven Nordqvist, with the focus on how the action is propelled. The two works are compared in order to bring out any differences in the relationship and what significance this can have for the interpretation. The study also considers the theory of conceptual worlds to examine how the books can promote pupils’ literary understanding. The method of analysis is based on Rhedin’s (2001) theoretical concepts and elements of Nikolajeva’s (2000) terminology. The study demonstrates a difference in the works, in that the first one has an even balance in the amount of text and pictures. It is obvious that text and picture interact and together carry the narrative forward, while simultaneously leaving some freedom of interpretation to the reader. In the other work, the pictures dominate in terms of both space and content, and it is chiefly the pictures that carry the narrative forward. In the second work there is also an unclear relationship between text and picture, which gives the reader further scope for interpretation. The pictures in the two works and the scope for interpretation make them suitable for the development of reading comprehension, through the construction of conceptual worlds