"En svensk Franciskus och en svensk Rasputin" : En analys av representation och gestaltning av religion i Dagens Nyheter 1914-1942

Sammanfattning: This essay reviews the Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter portrayal of the two Swedish preachers David Petander and Erik Andersson who preached during the early 20th century in Sweden. To contextualize, the preachers’ influences, Tolstoy and liberal theology, were described and compared with contemporary belief systems, mainly the Swedish church. Content analasys is used to clarify how the newspaper represent and frame the preachers. The descriptions have been divided into five categories; appearance, personality, life style, belief and names used to describe them. The results show that Dagens Nyheter used specific words and narrative to frame Petander as a good-hearted, saintlike figure, a modern day Fransiscus and Andersson as a manipulative, cruel, religious madman with a power over women compared to that of Rasputin. These narratives were used even though Petander and Andersson were alike in a lot of aspects, and that Andersson were a follower of Petander’s.