BTJ övertygar
En retorisk analys av lektörsomdömen om barnlitteratur
The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine how opinions and values are expressed in BTJ?s reviews of children?s literature. According to debates reviewed and interviewed librarians, many consider BTJ to be too directing when it comes to the libraries? purchases of books. Therefore I find it important to study how the reviews are written. Two questions are asked: In what ways do the reviews communicate opinions and values? Has the communication of opinions and values changed over time? The theoretical starting-point is taken from theories about non-fiction and rhetoric. The method is a rhetorical text analysis focusing on the ways in which the reviewers persuade the readers of their message. Reviews of 40 children?s books from the years of 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2006 are analysed through a model of four rhetorical aspects. The result shows that there are many possibilities to express opinions and values in the reviews. This can be made through the choice of subjects, the arrangement of the text and the use of rhetorical figures. The historical perspective shows that there has been a small increase in the use of rhetorical resources from 1976 to 2006. This probably has to do with the fact that the reviews have been lengthened over time.