The aim of this thesis is to study what conceptions of literature that are present in the teacher magazine Svenskläraren between the years 1985 and 2012. In other words: what is the underlying view on literature's value as a teaching aid and why should we study it in school? I relate my analysis to previous research about the use of fiction in education. A critical methodology has been used to study the material. In my results I distinguish three conceptions of literature that are present in Svenskläraren. The first can be described as a position in which literary texts in themselves have a universal meaning and that some literary texts are or should be mandatory for all to read. The second conception is based on an essentialist view on knowledge production where a common historical and cultural-heritage framework is seen as unproblematic. From this view, literature serves a function as an assimilating tool. The third conception is more self-reflective and based on a view of knowledge as a social and political practice.