"I am neither a freak nor a monster"
En analys av Paradise Lost-dokumentärernas argumentation
The purpous of this master?s thesis is to explore how the swedish public library evolved between 1890-1911, before the state implemented the library reform in 1912. The material used to cunduct the study concists mainly of texts published during the time frame of the thesis in the form of books, booklets and articles from Folkbiblioteksbladet, a journal dedicated to the subject of the swedish public library.Drawing upon Habermas theory of the structural transformation of the public sphere and Bourdieus theories about taste as social distinction and symbolic capital, the thesis seeks to show how the public participated in the evolvement of the public library and which aspects of society that contributed to the public library?s establishment as an institution. The findings are also discussed in relation to previous research of the history of the Swedish public library. In summary, the study shows that the public library evolved as part of a larger aim to educate the masses with help from what was seen as ?good? litterature. It also shows that even though the higher classes decided the premisses for public education and the public library, some of the ideas were shared by the working class despite their different political goals.