Klasskildringar i samtida arbetarlitteratur. En idéanalytisk studie

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine the portrayals of class in four Swedish contemporary novels that have been mentioned as working class literature in the literary public sphere. During the 20th century, society has undergone vast changes due to globalization and technology development. The rise in standards of living for most people in the Western societies has led to changed consumption patterns. In consequence, there has been increased emphasis given to cultural rather than materialist explanations of social stratification. The theoretical approach of this study is based on class theories that emphasize either materialist or cultural explanations of social stratification. The methodology used is based on the analysis of ideas. In order to examine the portrayals of class in the four novels, an analysis scheme has been constructed on the bases of theories of Marx, Weber, Bourdieu and Giddens. The ideal types used are as follows: Economic capital, Cultural capital, Class in itself – class for itself, Production, exploitation, profit, Consumption, lifestyles, taste, Status and Societal change. The study argues that in spite of the fact that cultural conditions such as cultural capital and consumption patterns are evident markers of class belonging, the determining factor for class belonging is economic conditions, especially for the underclass. It also argues that the main purpose of contemporary working class literature is to criticize the class society and social inequity. Another central theme is societal change and how this affects working life and social stratification. The novels are permeated with the dichotomies we – they and power – powerlessness. There is a pessimistic picture of society that appears in the novels, where solidarity has disappeared and the characters express feelings of resignation and despair.