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Växandets gestaltning i Peter Pohls romansvit om Micke

Friman, Wiveca LU (2003) In Critica Litterarum Lundensis 6.
Abstract
Peter Pohl was born in Germany in 1940 but grew up in Stockholm, a setting reflected in many of his books. Pohl, a researcher at the Royal Technical University in Stockholm, made his fiction debut with the multi-prize-winning novel "Janne, min vän" (1985), and is internationally acclaimed for, among other things, the way in which his teenage novels highlight existential questions. The purpose of this thesis is to follow the plot in the series of five books which portray a boy's growth and development in Stockholm largely during the 1940s and 1950s. The analyses show how Peter Pohl creates characters, settings and events. Several critics have suggested that Pohl's books are characterised by pessimism. Attention is paid in the reading to the... (More)
Peter Pohl was born in Germany in 1940 but grew up in Stockholm, a setting reflected in many of his books. Pohl, a researcher at the Royal Technical University in Stockholm, made his fiction debut with the multi-prize-winning novel "Janne, min vän" (1985), and is internationally acclaimed for, among other things, the way in which his teenage novels highlight existential questions. The purpose of this thesis is to follow the plot in the series of five books which portray a boy's growth and development in Stockholm largely during the 1940s and 1950s. The analyses show how Peter Pohl creates characters, settings and events. Several critics have suggested that Pohl's books are characterised by pessimism. Attention is paid in the reading to the view of life, optimistic or pessimistic, expressed in each novel and to whether or not the novels are of a deterministic character. At the same time attention is paid to how the novels as a whole show the importance of society and those most closely concerned with the individual with regard to that individual's possibility to influence his or her situation. Much of the material in Pohl's novels is based on his own early diary entries, which, in the sense that they are based on reality, creates the impression of autobiography or documentary. The texts which are analysed are the tales "De Stora Penslarnas Lek" (1989), descriptions of childhood, "Regnbågen har bara åtta färger" (1986) and "Medan regnbågen bleknar" (1989) as well as the teenage novels "Vilja växa" (1994), "Vi kallar honom Anna" (1987) and "Klara papper är ett måste" (1998). A close reading follows the main character and development of plot; it also considers a variety of themes, such as longing, friendship, sorrow and guilt, and their function. Interpretation of the text takes place in a psychological and socio-psychological context. Symbols, allusions and intertexts are elucidated in connection with the analysis of themes and motifs. From a narratological perspective the narrative is considered with particular regard for focalization and narrator reliability. I also examine various levels of narrative and temporality. The theories and methods of Gérard Genette, Mieke Bal and Staffan Björck in particular are applied. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

"Växandets gestaltning i Peter Pohls romansvit om Micke" behandlar barndomsskildringarna "Regnbågen har bara åtta färger" (1986) och "Medan regnbågen bleknar" (1989) samt ungdomsromanerna "Vilja växa" (1994), "Vi kallar honom Anna" (1987) och "Klara papper är ett måste" (1998). Till sviten förbinds sagor ur "De Stora Penslarnas Lek" (1989) och dikter ur "Minns det" (1996). Denna studie följer den utvecklingsintrig som finns i romanerna och visar med vilka grepp Peter Pohl gestaltar det växande som ligger till grund för huvudpersonens utveckling. Rikliga intertexter fördjupar läsningen och visar bland annat vilken betydelse barndomens läsupplevelser har för den växande människan. Ur narratologisk... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

"Växandets gestaltning i Peter Pohls romansvit om Micke" behandlar barndomsskildringarna "Regnbågen har bara åtta färger" (1986) och "Medan regnbågen bleknar" (1989) samt ungdomsromanerna "Vilja växa" (1994), "Vi kallar honom Anna" (1987) och "Klara papper är ett måste" (1998). Till sviten förbinds sagor ur "De Stora Penslarnas Lek" (1989) och dikter ur "Minns det" (1996). Denna studie följer den utvecklingsintrig som finns i romanerna och visar med vilka grepp Peter Pohl gestaltar det växande som ligger till grund för huvudpersonens utveckling. Rikliga intertexter fördjupar läsningen och visar bland annat vilken betydelse barndomens läsupplevelser har för den växande människan. Ur narratologisk synvinkel belyses bl.a. hur olika typer av berättare, såsom den naive, självavslöjande och självrannsakande berättaren, möter läsaren i respektive roman. Avhandlingen diskuterar också vilken livssyn som sätter sin prägel på romansviten. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Docent Wolf, Lars, Mitthögskolan, Härnösand
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Allmän och jämförande litteratur, literary theory, literature criticism, General and comparative literature, temporality., focalization, narrator, intertextuality, growth and development, view of life, teenage novels, childhood, Peter Pohl, children’s literature, litteraturkritik, litteraturteori, Scandinavian languages and literature, Nordiska språk (språk och litteratur)
in
Critica Litterarum Lundensis
volume
6
pages
238 pages
defense location
Edens hörsal, Paradisgatan 5
defense date
2003-12-06 10:15:00
ISSN
1651-2367
ISBN
91-970946-5-X
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
dafc702e-b0a4-4d03-b084-46b9a59137b0 (old id 21226)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:41:36
date last changed
2019-05-21 12:50:33
@phdthesis{dafc702e-b0a4-4d03-b084-46b9a59137b0,
  abstract     = {{Peter Pohl was born in Germany in 1940 but grew up in Stockholm, a setting reflected in many of his books. Pohl, a researcher at the Royal Technical University in Stockholm, made his fiction debut with the multi-prize-winning novel "Janne, min vän" (1985), and is internationally acclaimed for, among other things, the way in which his teenage novels highlight existential questions. The purpose of this thesis is to follow the plot in the series of five books which portray a boy's growth and development in Stockholm largely during the 1940s and 1950s. The analyses show how Peter Pohl creates characters, settings and events. Several critics have suggested that Pohl's books are characterised by pessimism. Attention is paid in the reading to the view of life, optimistic or pessimistic, expressed in each novel and to whether or not the novels are of a deterministic character. At the same time attention is paid to how the novels as a whole show the importance of society and those most closely concerned with the individual with regard to that individual's possibility to influence his or her situation. Much of the material in Pohl's novels is based on his own early diary entries, which, in the sense that they are based on reality, creates the impression of autobiography or documentary. The texts which are analysed are the tales "De Stora Penslarnas Lek" (1989), descriptions of childhood, "Regnbågen har bara åtta färger" (1986) and "Medan regnbågen bleknar" (1989) as well as the teenage novels "Vilja växa" (1994), "Vi kallar honom Anna" (1987) and "Klara papper är ett måste" (1998). A close reading follows the main character and development of plot; it also considers a variety of themes, such as longing, friendship, sorrow and guilt, and their function. Interpretation of the text takes place in a psychological and socio-psychological context. Symbols, allusions and intertexts are elucidated in connection with the analysis of themes and motifs. From a narratological perspective the narrative is considered with particular regard for focalization and narrator reliability. I also examine various levels of narrative and temporality. The theories and methods of Gérard Genette, Mieke Bal and Staffan Björck in particular are applied.}},
  author       = {{Friman, Wiveca}},
  isbn         = {{91-970946-5-X}},
  issn         = {{1651-2367}},
  keywords     = {{Allmän och jämförande litteratur; literary theory; literature criticism; General and comparative literature; temporality.; focalization; narrator; intertextuality; growth and development; view of life; teenage novels; childhood; Peter Pohl; children’s literature; litteraturkritik; litteraturteori; Scandinavian languages and literature; Nordiska språk (språk och litteratur)}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Critica Litterarum Lundensis}},
  title        = {{Växandets gestaltning i Peter Pohls romansvit om Micke}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}