Browsing by Subject "fiction"
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(2017)Motivation. The motivation for this research was to analyse the everyday life of Tove Jansson´s Moomin family through the components of the activity theory. The study is theoretically based on the concepts of everyday life and family research on home, family, the everyday life and division of la-bour between family members, and on the Korvela´s (2003) home economic based interpretations of Yrjö Engeströms´s (1987) activity system diagram. The homemaking activities of the Moomin family are looked at through these concepts and interpretations. The aim of the study is to analyse the repre-sentation of everyday life in a work of fiction by using the methods of scientific research, and gather up a description of everyday life which can be compared to theoretical framework. The research question is: What is the activity system of the Moomin family? Methods. The research data was distinguished from the first two chapters of the book Comet in Moominland and includes 21 situations where homemaking activities of the Moomin family are de-scribed. The situations were distinguished from the story through following criteria: Two or more members of the family must be in active interaction with each other, or at least one member whose activity constructs home as a physical and emotional space. The research was directed by the research data, and elements of activity system – object, subject, mediating artefacts, rules, community and di-vision of labour – were used as a keys to gather and analyse data and to examine the results. The re-search data was reconstructed in table format, which helped to distinguish the everyday life activities and the possible repetitive activities of the Moomin family from the data. The results were collated with the theoretical framework, which outlined the everyday life system of the Moomin family. Results and conclusions. The Moomin family life is the like any family with children. Moominmam-ma carries the expressive role and main responsibility of the homemaking chores. She is the heart, which keeps everyday life running fluidly on all levels. Moominpappa fills the instrumental role in the family. He takes care of construction work requiring physical strength, and ensures the safety of the family by placing himself between the family´s operational environment and the outside world. The son, Moomintroll, and adopted son, Sniff, live everyday life of children, developing their identi-ties through play and shared interactional relationship. The boys´ growing independency expands the family´s operational environment and drives the family´s everyday life. By taking both children in equal consideration both through actions and communications, Moominmamma in developing a sense of community between herself and Sniff and the rest of the family. The arrival of the Muskrat brings with it the end of the world, which represents a new object to the family’s everyday activities. The family reacts both as individuals and as a community, but finally they respond to the challenges and changes in their operational environments as a co-operating unity.
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(2016)Former studies have shown that reading fiction has an effect on our opinions and actions and how we view ourselves and other people. Therefore, it is relevant to observe the identity formation of fictional characters also from an educational point of view. The data of this study is from the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - the first book in one of the favorite series of the 21st century youth. The objective of this thesis is to describe and analyze the identity trajectory of a Gryffindor boy Neville Longbottom. This study examines the focal interaction moments of Neville’s trajectory. The essential research data was narrowed down to 14 events, which formed a linked pathway. The novel was also read as a whole to examine the world of wizards created by J. K. Rowling and, hence, to understand the context. The interaction events were analyzed by employing the social identity theory by Wortham (2006) and a discourse analysis method (Wortham & Reyes, 2015) based on it. The focus of this research was to analyze the signs of identity that occurred in the characters’ speech and behavior in selected data. The events were observed both separately and as a continuous pathway. The systematic analysis divided Neville’s identity formation in four chronological phases: the definition of the premises and expectations, the growth into a ‘poor member of Gryffindor’, the growth of agency and the recognition of Neville as a Gryffindor. The essential types of identity signs – deictics, reported speech and evaluative signs – referred to in this study oc- curred in every phase of the trajectory. However, the way these signs were used defined the direction Neville’s identity developed towards. In the beginning of the trajectory Neville’s identity was presented as worthless and outside of the group and his own speech placed him in a passive position. Later on Neville used reported speech to build a positive Gryffindor identity. Furthermore, deictics and evaluative signs were used by other charac- ters to recognize him as a Gryffindor. Compassion and encouragement from peers were crucial factors in the change of direction of the trajectory.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2