The course examines a number of theoretical approaches which have been dominant in both Swedish and international literary research in recent years. They are introduced in a concrete manner in connection to various issues that have been significant in the history of literature and literary studies: The formal and thematic representation of the human subject in literary texts, the structure and function of literary discourse and the relationship of a literary text to a socially, historically and culturally determined context.

Three aspects of literature are examined: Human characters in literature, language in literature and the representation of reality in literature. The first part examines theories regarding the formal and thematic manifestations of human subjects in a literary text. The second part examines theories regarding the structure and function of literary language and how it relates to other types of discourse. The third part examines theories concerning the way in which literary texts relate to contexts of a social, historical and cultural nature. In order for students to become methodologically aware the course focuses on theoretical texts with analytical or practical applications.

The students will also be given the opportunity to apply literary theory on autonomously chosen texts.

The course is included in the Master of Arts programme in Literature – Culture – Media. It is also offered as a single course.