ATT KOMMA TILL INSIKT. En marxistisk läsning av Martha Sandwall-Bergströms Kulla-Gullasvit

Abstract

This thesis examines the seven books in Martha Sandwall-Bergströms “Kulla-Gulla” series, published between 1945 and 1951, with the aim to analyse the books’ portrayed economic power structures and its relation to the portrayal of children’s vulnerability. This raises the question: What is the correlation between the books’ portrayed economic power structures and the books’ portrayal of children’s vulnerability? The correlation between these has been examined to see if it is portrayed critically, and if the books portray alternative structures of power. The theoretical perspective of this thesis is taken from Raymond Williams Marxist writings on culture and literature. The concept of ’hegemony’ has been of importance. A couple of scenes throughout the series, where power is used against children have been analysed, to see if the usage of power is established by the dominant hegemony. The analysis found that the Kulla-Gulla series thematically portrays how a hegemony works. This done in scenes where power is expressed by violence, often towards children. The victims of the violence do not question it but instead find it a natural part of life. This idea, created by the dominant hegemony, is hard to break. Through the life of the protagonist Gulla the books portray what it takes to break free from this and other aspects of the hegemony, so that new and better structures of power can be created.