Lesbianism in Swedish Literature An Ambiguous Affair [Hardcover]

Here, Bj?rklund shows that Swedish literary discourses on lesbianism provocatively contrast with a widely accepted view that attitudes toward homosexuality have gradually become more tolerant. The lasting power of negative discourses upends the assumption that Sweden's progressive laws reflect progressive attitudes toward homosexuality.Introduction 1. The Political Scene of Love: Agnes von Krusenstjerna and the 1930s 2. Sexual Revolution? Annakarin Svedberg and the 1960s 3. Challenging the Image of Sweden: Louise Boije af Genn?s, Mian Lodalen and the Turn of the Millennium 4. Conclusion: The Literary Discourse on Lesbianism

Jenny Bj?rklund traces the theme of lesbianism in Swedish literature in a beautifully systematic way, covering the developments of the past seventy-five years. As the book itself claims, there are many assumptions about Sweden regarding its progressiveness on gender issues, and Bj?rklund provides valuable political and historical contexts in order to both correct and support some of these assumptions. - Susan Brantly, Professor of Scandinavian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

Jenny Bj?rklund is an Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Uppsala University, Sweden.