"Det kryllar ju av bovar och banditer där inne!" : En karaktärsanalys av brottslingarna i LasseMaja-serien

This study examines how criminals are portrayed in Martin Widmark’s series of children’s detective stories, JerryMaya’s Detective Agency. The aim of the study is to find out what patterns and norms are communicated through this popular series for children aged seven to nine. Fourteen books in the JerryMaya series were selected and analysed to see how the criminal is portrayed, what motives are presented and what are the consequences of the criminal act. The study shows that several of the crimes in the JerryMaya series concern morality and legislation, and that there is often a moral criminal alongside a criminal who breaks the law. In eight of the fourteen books the crimes are some form of theft, and in five of them the consequence is an arrest. Only three books contain crimes that are not theft, and in these cases the books are about subjects such as revenge, attempted escape and cheating. For example, a person who steals money is punished according to law while a person who takes revenge for being bullied as a child is given the task of lecturing about anti-bullying. The consequences of the crimes thus often depend on the situation and the criminal’s motives