Stereotypes below the Surface : A Comparative Study of Three Popular Young Adult Novels in the Romantic Fantasy Genre

In recent years, the young adult genre has become increasingly popular and is experiencing a "second golden age.” It might be expected in such novels, when written by women and featuring gifted female heroines, to find some kind of a feminist message. Indeed, the heroines are often perceived as strong and capable. However, they fall in line with several old gender stereotypes. The three novels chosen for this study are: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I will show that women, although perceived as strong and capable on the surface, often conform to stereotypes. In order to do this I analyse how women are portrayed from different perspectives. Women are often perceived as passive in romantic situations, and objectified through the normative male gaze. It is interesting that also in novels written by women for women, the male gaze is prominent. Through this the female reader gains the desire to be objectified, implicitly from the narrative, which is something that works against women’s empowerment in society. Furthermore, the female protagonists rarely, or never, threaten patriarchy in any way and generally work toward reinstating patriarchy which is perceived as the only sensible option. Women in power, who do threaten patriarchy, are portrayed as sadistic witches.

Sublima ristningar : Sökandet efter bronsåldersideologi i hällristningsområden kring Enköping, Norrköping och Skåne

The aim of this study has been to revaluate Bronze Age society using rock art as an archaeological material. It has also sought to question certain prevailing interpretative trends within the research of rock art; ascribing it as ritual practices, expression of a social elite and the adoption of symbols from cultures along the Mediterranean Sea. This has chiefly been made possible through the application of Slavoj Žižeks ideas about the ideological fantasy and the sublime object of ideology. The thesis proposes a connection between art and ideology. A selected sampling of rock carvings from three areas in Sweden has been made in order to further investigate the relationship between different figurative motives both at a regional level, as well as a local. This study claims that rather than having been under the control of an elite, rock art has been accessible for the majority of the population both to produce and view. The depiction of human representation as rock carving does not depict a clear social stratification. It is also argued that the idea of images displayed on the rocks having roots in the imagery of Mediterranean civilizations is a construct of current western ideology, as the symbolic connection between the cultures is tenable at best, according to this study.