Deadly Desire : A Psychoanalytical Reading of Desire and Death in the Poetry of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas' work is often explored in light of the poet himself, and he has been referred to as modernism's l'enfant terrible or even described as a late romanticist. The aim in this essay is to explore the poetry without regard to his personal life as well as highlight previously ignored oedipal elements in said poetry. The main goal is to assert Thomas' place amongst the modernist literati, of which most were heavily influenced by Freud, as well as to be an acknowledgement of his work without considering his biography.

Mio i folksagan och karnevalen : En tolkning och narratologisk studie av Astrid Lindgrens verk Mio, min Mio

The purpose of the study is, based on a narratological perspective, to analyze and interpret the novel written by Astrid Lindgren: Mio, min Mio. It is based on the legacy of the folktale tradition, which is also the basis for carnival concept according to Bachtin. The study is based on a narrative model of Gérard Genette. Mio, min Mio is told as a first person narrator and can be interpreted as Bo tells it to himself. It is a frame story in which the outer story is the reality, while the inner story is the structure of the folktale where Mio embarks on a predetermined mission to fight against evil. Carnival concept involves a timed up-and-down-turn that is sanctioned and controlled, this fits well with this story seen from this interpretation. In the fantasy world everything has an idealized counterpart and Bo is, via Mio, in this world for a limited time. Children in our society are powerless, but are allowed to be mighty in children's literature. The story gets a subversive effect as it shows that adult standards are not absolute. Even if Bo turns back to his foster parents, he goes through this inner battle processing his thoughts and feelings. The love Bo will experience in imagination gives him the power to manage his real situation.

The Music Salon in Falun During the 19th Century

The aim of the project is to examine the music salon in Falun as a part of the mining community and in the historical context of European salon culture. A specifc goal is to develop a deeper understanding about the salon when it comes to education and pedagogic ideas. Of a certain interest is Johan Henrik Munktell’s (1804-1861) education travelling (bildningsresor). Inspired by Mendelssohn’s music salon in Berlin and the early salons in Upp-sala he created his own salon in Grycksbo. A letter collection from J.H. Munktell to his father J.J. Munktell in 1828-30 can be considered a unique historical material, which places the salon in Falun in a continental context of culture, education and industrial pretensions. The results have potential to extend the knowledge of Nordic salon culture and how it has infuenced general pedagogy and music education.