En annan värld? En analys av sex fantasyromaner ur ett genusperspektiv
The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine how the gender system is described in fantasy novels. The theoretical framework is based on Yvonne Hirdman?s theory on gender system, primarily the two basic principles: the principle of dichotomy, of separation between the sexes, and the principle of hierarchy, of man as norm. The method used is idea analysis which is a form of textual analysis. We have created three ideal types, the ideal man, the ideal woman and hierarchy, which help us to analyze the material. The result shows that the gender system is more prominent in fantasy fiction belonging to the subgenre high fantasy, than in low fantasy novels. Women in the four novels we classify as high fantasy are for the most part invisible; they only exist as wives, mothers, daughters and perhaps possible love interests for the male hero. Even in books where the main character is a girl, the women are relatively invisible. Men in these four novels are more prominent but as stereotypical as the women. In the two novels we classify as low fantasy both women and men are less stereotypical and are described more freely. The values spread by high fantasy novels are more traditional when it comes to gender issues than values spread by low fantasy novels.