A tomboy and a sensitive boy child: T

The gender expression in Astrid Lindgren's fantasy literature

Abstract

Through a comparative, queer theoretical approach, in this article I describe how Astrid Lindgren subverses gender conventions in her fantasy narratives Bröderna Lejonhjärta (1973) and Ronja Rövardotter (1981). By including concepts from Judith Butler and Jack Halberstam amongst others, I analyze the main characters as complex, gender-arbitrary individuals who both aesthetically and psychologically possess characteristics from the traditional domains of the opposite sex. The analysis shows that titular Karl 'Skorpan' Lejonhjärta and Ronja Rövardotter stand in opposition to a binary understanding of gender and instead possess a queer being that can be described as a tomboy and a sensitive boy child, respectively.