Det finns olika sätt att vara kvinna eller man på : - en analys av tre ungdomsromaner av Katarina von Bredow

This study aimed to find out whether or not gender related theories regarding the division between men and women can be applied to three novels written by Katrina von Bredow, Syskonkärlek (1991), Som jag vill vara (2007) and Flyga högt (2011). The theories used in this research were Yvonne Hirdman’s theory and R.W Connell’s theory. Hirdman claims that there are differences between men and women at different levels in the society while Connell believes that this is a myth because, according to the writer, men and women are psychologically similar. The intent with this research was to provide a gender analysis of Bredows novels, because these novels have not been studied previously. There was a deliberated focus on teenagers and these three novels were selected because they, for several years, were on Halmstad City Library’s top ten lists of most borrowed books. Another major reason why these novels were chosen is because Katarina von Bredow has received Children’s Novel Prize 2012 for her book Flyga högt and also because Bredow often visits schools to lecture which means that she is a part of today’s school community. In this study, a qualitative text analytic method was used to achieve the best results. The results corresponded, mostly, with the theories cited in this essay’s literature review on how men and women in teenage novels are narrated and how relationships between genders are formed. For instance, all characters go against the norm of what is considered typically male or female and no one possesses only male or female characteristics, this means that Connell’s theory can be applied on this result. However, one can also find out that there exists an implicit gender contract in all of the studied relationships between boys and girls in these three novels. One example, that is recurrent in all the novels, is the male character is expected to be the initiator which means that the man has the power over the relationship. Hirdman claims, that this phenomenon always occurs in relationships between men and women