Identitetsutveckling i skönlitteratur : Genus och identitetsutveckling i två samtida ungdomsromaner

Sammanfattning: This essay examines how two Swedish youth novels portrays identity development and gender, and how they can be used to work with in a teaching environment. A transactional perspective on reading and literature is used in this essay, inspired by Louise M. Rosenblatt and Kathleen McCormick. The two youth novels in focus are Pojkarna (2011) and När hundarna kommer (2015), both written by author Jessica Schiefauer. The analysis focuses on the main characters identity development with an extra focus on gender. The analysis shows that the books are useful in a teaching situation where the teacher intends to illustrate identity change and gender, but also other important subjects that could determine youth’s identity development. The Swedish curriculum clearly states that students in upper secondary school should be given opportunity to develop and explore their own identity, and this essays thesis is that literature is an excellent source for students to do just that.