Ragnfrid Trohaug i den nynorske skriftkulturen. Ein studie av kulturell frisetjing og vaksenbarnet som motiv i samtidslitteratur for barn og unge.

Abstract

Theme: Ragnfrid Trohaug in the New Norwegian written culture. A study of cultural liberation and the adultchildren as a motive in contemporary literature for children. The main purpose of this master´s thesis is to examine and discuss contemporary literature for children within the New Norwegian written culture. The Norwegian female author I am discussing in this text is Ragnfrid Trohaug. I will use two of her children´s novels to discuss how the contemporary literature for children is radical both in theme, genre and language compared to the traditional literature for children. The two novels I am discussing are "Okkupert kjærleik" (2000) and "Frå null til no" (2001). Both of the novels consider and highlight how teenagers search for their true identity in a postmodern society where traditions and norms are dissolving. I will also look closer into how the absence of adults in the youths’ lives affect their development, and how they choose to live their lives in a fragmented society. In addition to this, I will discuss Ragnfrid Trohaug´s relationship to the New Norwegian language and see how she identifies with this culture. For this purpose I have conducted interviews with her. My method in reaching these above-mentioned aims, involves discussing the theme in the texts and compare them to theories of social and family structures in a poststmodern society, focusing in particular on the history in our contemporary time in order to view these texts as reflections of our own time. I have also included a literary analysis of the two novels, focusing in particular on the thematic part. Finally I take a closer look into how the children´s literature has developed towards a more aesthetic orientation.