Ät min hjärna. Spelberättandet i förhållande till klassisk och kognitiv narratologi i gymnasiets svenskämne

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute with knowledge about games as fictional literature in relation to the Swedish subject in the Swedish upper secondary school. My theoretical framework draws from classical and cognitive narratology as well as game studies, and the notions of defamiliarization and genre are also central. I use this framework to perform a literary analysis of the zombie-survival game The Last of Us, and then I compare this to the Swedish curriculum to understand which possibilities and differences games can bring to the classroom.

My conclusions are the following: It is possible to use The Last of Us as a literary work to teach literary analysis and central concepts in literary studies. But only using classical narratology is not enough. Cognitive narratology and game studies are also needed to be able to fully encompass the game as a work of fiction. The usage of this game is also, in some aspects, more time consuming than other types of literature, and the teacher must broaden his or her knowledge to be able to teach about the game. Games in general also require a different type of reading comprehension than typographic literature, and therefore the teacher needs to talk about new reading strategies. It is up to each teacher to decide if they are willing to spend the additional time the game requires. If the teacher so chooses, he or she must also be prepared to discuss the violent and disturbing contents of The Last of Us with the students. The teacher must also take into consideration the risk of colonizing the students’ leisure time