Summary literature Perfect Self(ie)
Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) – Positioning the Self ......................................................................................2
Key concepts ........................................................................................................................................2
Short summary of the text ....................................................................................................................3
Summary of the text .............................................................................................................................5
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Researching Reading and Identity ...................................................................................................6
Narratives of Reading and Identity ..................................................................................................8
A Typology of Women’s Magazine Reading as a Reflexive Practice ..........................................10
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................12
, Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) – Positioning the Self
Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) Positioning the Self, Feminist Media Studies, 14:2, 237-252, DOI:
10.1080/14680777.2012.713867
Key concepts
Personal Filters for Interpretation:
- Readers like Andrea and Mona use their own identities and life experiences as filters
when interpreting women’s magazines.
Andrea’s Perspective:
- Subscribes to women’s magazines.
- Enjoys magazine reading as a pleasurable pastime.
- Values relaxation, reward, and ritual in magazine reading.
- Emphasizes the direct value of information found in magazines.
- Critical of magazines’ depictions of women’s lives, favoring realism.
- Desires magazines to mirror the lives of “ordinary” women.
Mona’s Perspective:
- Expresses ambivalence toward women’s magazines.
- Views magazine reading as a guilty pleasure.
- Believes reading magazines is frivolous compared to reading “proper books.”
- Criticizes certain aspects of magazine journalism.
- Describes magazines as sources of daydreams and escape from reality.
Shared Interpretation:
- Both readers view women’s magazines as separate from everyday life.
- They position themselves differently within this magazine sphere.
Discourses on Magazine Reading:
- Legitimacy Discourse: Most informants, including Andrea, see women’s magazine
reading as a legitimate and justifiable pleasure.
- Guilty Pleasure Discourse: Occasional readers of gossip magazines acknowledge a
sense of indulgence and guilt.
Evaluation of Magazine Content:
- Information Discourse: Some readers, like Andrea, appreciate practical information
relevant to their lives.
Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) – Positioning the Self ......................................................................................2
Key concepts ........................................................................................................................................2
Short summary of the text ....................................................................................................................3
Summary of the text .............................................................................................................................5
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Researching Reading and Identity ...................................................................................................6
Narratives of Reading and Identity ..................................................................................................8
A Typology of Women’s Magazine Reading as a Reflexive Practice ..........................................10
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................12
, Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) – Positioning the Self
Brita Ytre-Arne (2014) Positioning the Self, Feminist Media Studies, 14:2, 237-252, DOI:
10.1080/14680777.2012.713867
Key concepts
Personal Filters for Interpretation:
- Readers like Andrea and Mona use their own identities and life experiences as filters
when interpreting women’s magazines.
Andrea’s Perspective:
- Subscribes to women’s magazines.
- Enjoys magazine reading as a pleasurable pastime.
- Values relaxation, reward, and ritual in magazine reading.
- Emphasizes the direct value of information found in magazines.
- Critical of magazines’ depictions of women’s lives, favoring realism.
- Desires magazines to mirror the lives of “ordinary” women.
Mona’s Perspective:
- Expresses ambivalence toward women’s magazines.
- Views magazine reading as a guilty pleasure.
- Believes reading magazines is frivolous compared to reading “proper books.”
- Criticizes certain aspects of magazine journalism.
- Describes magazines as sources of daydreams and escape from reality.
Shared Interpretation:
- Both readers view women’s magazines as separate from everyday life.
- They position themselves differently within this magazine sphere.
Discourses on Magazine Reading:
- Legitimacy Discourse: Most informants, including Andrea, see women’s magazine
reading as a legitimate and justifiable pleasure.
- Guilty Pleasure Discourse: Occasional readers of gossip magazines acknowledge a
sense of indulgence and guilt.
Evaluation of Magazine Content:
- Information Discourse: Some readers, like Andrea, appreciate practical information
relevant to their lives.
