Poesiintresserade unga i Sverige

Abstract

Poetry reading is since 2011 part of the core content in the subject of Swedish at both primary and secondary level. However, to date there is little research on poetry pedagogy that may provide guidance to teachers and poetry reading pedagogy for secondary students is an especially understudied area. Early research has developed knowledge on poetry reception in class but little is known about how secondary students read and use poetry in their spare time. Knowledge of the leisure uses of poetry could have implications for pedagogy. The aim of this study is to map and develop knowledge of how keen readers of poetry became interested in the genre and use poetry today in their spare time. The material consists of 21 semi-­structured online interviews. The analysis shows that participants tend to come from families that read and value literature. The participants generally develop an interest in poetry during late adolescence. Reading is the most common leisure activity. There is little online activity with poetry in the group. Many read poetry to be inspired and integrate what they read in other texts, images and music. Participants tend to prefer lyric poetry and a male western canon is dominant in their examples of favourite poets.