"Ett artigt pennekrig" En biografisk studie av Gustaf Montgomerys nätverk och författarskap under en period av ideologisk förändring och nya roller för författare 1812-1842
Studies of networks, fields and of communicative circulations complement each other. This master thesis is a biographical study of an author and journalist, Gustaf Montgomery GM, his network in Sweden of the early 19th century, and a study of his authorship and literary career. The starting-point of the study is GM:s change of field from the conservative to the liberal in 1832. The aim is to give explanations to this change and to describe how the change in turn effected the network. The method used is critical of sources. After a military career, GM:s cousins provided him with accommodation and library, introduced him to persons in their network. Among them was Pehr Adam Wallmark, a conservative journalist. Wallmark soon became GM:s editor, publisher and father-in-law. GM became a small-scale squire outside Stockholm. He participated in debates, both as a writer and as a politician. In a debate, however, GM stood closer to the liberals. This damaged his relation to the king Carl XIV Johan and he changed field. For a period he became full-time writer. For the means of coming to office he accepts an offer from a relative to administer remotely situated copperworks. GM:s network became more distant from power. Wallmark was, however, able to imp rove GM:s position toward the king. Despite GM:s liberalism, he came to office in 1841. He completed the work on the finnish war that influenced Johan Ludvig Runeberg and the national spirit in Finland. GM:s damaged relation to the king had influence on his field position. It is likely that GM was influenced by liberal movements and the fact that he was writing more for a growing market. GM:s network was effected by the change of field but the network around the family did still have a social reproductive function.