betraktaren och objektet
The aim of this thesis is to study what conceptions of literature that are present in the teacher magazine Svenskläraren between the years 1985 and 2012. In other words: what is the underlying view on literature's value as a teaching aid and why should we study it in school? I relate my analysis to previous research about the use of fiction in education. A critical methodology has been used to study the material. In my results I distinguish three conceptions of literature that are present in Svenskläraren. The first can be described as a position in which literary texts in themselves have a universal meaning and that some literary texts are or should be mandatory for all to read. The second conception is based on an essentialist view on knowledge production where a common historical and cultural-heritage framework is seen as unproblematic. From this view, literature serves a function as an assimilating tool. The third conception is more self-reflective and based on a view of knowledge as a social and political practice.