THE SERIES NOVELS AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY –A COMPARISON BETWEEN JAPANESE AND SWEDISH NEWSPAPERS

The development of newspapers in Japan and Sweden follow radically different paths. The newspapers fulfilled quite different roles in the two countries and were to an extensive degree reflecting the societies in which they were produced. This paper will start by giving a short overview of the development of the newspaper industry in Japan and in Sweden. A comparison will be made between the types of newspapers that were produced as well as to their content. We will then continue with a comparison of the popular press, the koshimbun in the Japanese case, a small format paper produced for a larger audience largely containing news of a sensational type as well as entertainment, with similar publication in Sweden. Special attention will also be given to the type of series novel that was published by the papers of both countries at the time.