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Ulla Isakssons romankonst

Littberger, Inger LU (1996)
Abstract
Five representative, and essentially dissimilar, novels by Ulla Isaksson are analysed in this book: the Christian novel Ytterst i havet (1950); the love story De två saliga ("The Blessed Ones" 1962); two novels dealing with feminine problems, Kvinnohuset (1952) and FödelseDagen (1988); and the historical novel Dit du icke vill (1956). The final chapter, on Dit du icke vill , also looks at the Christian theme as well as the theme of love and women. The fundamental concern of Ytterst i havet is the impossibility of escaping from an omnipresent God. Here, the interpretation draws on Lars Ahlin's programme for authors and on Olov Hartman's theology, which stresses the presence of God in the pit of humanity. De två saliga is an extraordinary... (More)
Five representative, and essentially dissimilar, novels by Ulla Isaksson are analysed in this book: the Christian novel Ytterst i havet (1950); the love story De två saliga ("The Blessed Ones" 1962); two novels dealing with feminine problems, Kvinnohuset (1952) and FödelseDagen (1988); and the historical novel Dit du icke vill (1956). The final chapter, on Dit du icke vill , also looks at the Christian theme as well as the theme of love and women. The fundamental concern of Ytterst i havet is the impossibility of escaping from an omnipresent God. Here, the interpretation draws on Lars Ahlin's programme for authors and on Olov Hartman's theology, which stresses the presence of God in the pit of humanity. De två saliga is an extraordinary novel which erases the borderline between sick and healthy love. Erik Hjalmar Linder's biography of Hjalmar Bergman, which features the great writer's relationship with Stina Bergman, forms an essential intertext; but texts by Swedenborg and Strindberg are made to elucidate Ulla Isaksson's novel, too. Kvinnohuset and FödelseDagen are the author's idiosyncratic contributions to a feminine tradition in fiction. A comparison between the two works affords insights into the development of a female literary tradition in Sweden at the relevant time; but the discussion also looks back to Elin Wägner, Selma Lagerlöf, and Hjalmar Bergman. In both these novels, the anger of women forms an important theme. Dit du icke vill is based on the witch-trials of the 17th century. The main distinctions between Isaksson's book and Eyvind Johnson's "witch novel" Drömmar om rosor och eld (1949) are found in the former's character of a Christian novel and a woman's novel. With its tangible feminine dimension, the image of God presented in Dit du icke vill must be said to be original in its period. The Christian content of the book is patently Lutheran in character, and it addresses the doctrine of the Law and the Gospel. The dissertation aims to emphasise the many-sidedness of Ulla Isaksson's oeuvre. It has a thematic design; but it also contains narratological discussions and deals with a fairly large number of intertexts. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
opponent
  • unknown], [unknown
organization
alternative title
The Fiction of Ulla Isaksson
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
litteraturkritik, Christian novel, love story, women's fiction, historical novel, theme, intertextuality, literature criticism, literary theory, General and comparative literature, Allmän och jämförande litteratur, litteraturteori
pages
342 pages
publisher
Bonnier
defense location
Edens hörsal
defense date
1996-05-18 10:15:00
external identifiers
  • other:ISRN: LUHFDA/HFLI--96/1045--SE+342
ISBN
91-0-056265-3
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
d601e780-06a9-47e2-a2e0-888b0d8c3802 (old id 17632)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:57:41
date last changed
2020-06-16 14:15:06
@phdthesis{d601e780-06a9-47e2-a2e0-888b0d8c3802,
  abstract     = {{Five representative, and essentially dissimilar, novels by Ulla Isaksson are analysed in this book: the Christian novel Ytterst i havet (1950); the love story De två saliga ("The Blessed Ones" 1962); two novels dealing with feminine problems, Kvinnohuset (1952) and FödelseDagen (1988); and the historical novel Dit du icke vill (1956). The final chapter, on Dit du icke vill , also looks at the Christian theme as well as the theme of love and women. The fundamental concern of Ytterst i havet is the impossibility of escaping from an omnipresent God. Here, the interpretation draws on Lars Ahlin's programme for authors and on Olov Hartman's theology, which stresses the presence of God in the pit of humanity. De två saliga is an extraordinary novel which erases the borderline between sick and healthy love. Erik Hjalmar Linder's biography of Hjalmar Bergman, which features the great writer's relationship with Stina Bergman, forms an essential intertext; but texts by Swedenborg and Strindberg are made to elucidate Ulla Isaksson's novel, too. Kvinnohuset and FödelseDagen are the author's idiosyncratic contributions to a feminine tradition in fiction. A comparison between the two works affords insights into the development of a female literary tradition in Sweden at the relevant time; but the discussion also looks back to Elin Wägner, Selma Lagerlöf, and Hjalmar Bergman. In both these novels, the anger of women forms an important theme. Dit du icke vill is based on the witch-trials of the 17th century. The main distinctions between Isaksson's book and Eyvind Johnson's "witch novel" Drömmar om rosor och eld (1949) are found in the former's character of a Christian novel and a woman's novel. With its tangible feminine dimension, the image of God presented in Dit du icke vill must be said to be original in its period. The Christian content of the book is patently Lutheran in character, and it addresses the doctrine of the Law and the Gospel. The dissertation aims to emphasise the many-sidedness of Ulla Isaksson's oeuvre. It has a thematic design; but it also contains narratological discussions and deals with a fairly large number of intertexts.}},
  author       = {{Littberger, Inger}},
  isbn         = {{91-0-056265-3}},
  keywords     = {{litteraturkritik; Christian novel; love story; women's fiction; historical novel; theme; intertextuality; literature criticism; literary theory; General and comparative literature; Allmän och jämförande litteratur; litteraturteori}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Bonnier}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Ulla Isakssons romankonst}},
  year         = {{1996}},
}