The purpose of this study is to summarize and analyze the swedish reception and public discussion of the book The Capital in the Twenty-First Century by the french economist Thomas Piketty. Reviews and articles from printed mass media are discussed and reflected upon with help from the reception theory developed by Hans Robert Jauss. Three conclusions are presented in the study. The first conclusion is that the comments and the critique of Piketty’s book depend upon other comments and critical points expressed in the collected reception. The second conclusion is that the swedish reception is heavily influenced by how the book by Piketty has been read and discussed in an anglo-american context. The third and final conclusion is that the swedish reception can be divided into two historical phases which differs in terms of how the book is perceived.

Hans Robert Jauss is a professor of literary criticism and romance philology at the University of Constance in Germany. Jauss co-founded the University of Constance and the Constance group of literary studies. Hans Robert Jauss's version of reception theory was introduced in the late 1960s, a period of social, political, and intellectual instability in West Germany. Jauss's reception theory focused on the reader rather than the author or text. The original reception of a text was compared to a later reception, revealing different literary receptions and their evolution. Jauss's Rezeptionsgeschichte (history of reception) illustrated the evolution of the reception of texts and the evolving paradigms of literary criticism that they were a part of. However, Jauss's essays proved to be more of a provocation for change in literary criticism than the foundation for the next literary paradigm. The empirical studies discussed in this thesis reveal the.idealism of Jauss's theory by testing main ideas and concepts. The results show the inapplicability of Jauss's theory for practical purposes. The intent of this study is to illustrate the origins, development and impact of Jauss's version of reception theory. The interrelationship between the social environment, the institutional reforms at the University of Constance, and the methodology of reception theory are also discussed. The new social values in West Germany advocated individualism and questioned status quo institutions and their authority. This facilitated the establishment of the University of Constance, which served as the prototype for the democratization of German universities and the introduction of Jauss's reception theory. With the democratization of the university, old autonomous faculties were broken down into interdisciplinary subject areas. The Old Philology and New Philology department were made into the sciences of language and literature and ultimately introduced as the all-encompassing literaturwissenschaft. Five professors from the Slavic, English, German, Classics and Romance language departments gave up direction of these large departments to work together under the Constance reforms in an effort to form a new concept of literary studies. The result was the socalled theories of "reception" and "effect" which they continue to research.

Understanding Gilgamesh – brokenly – is to understand life brokenly. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the narrative of life. It records the full cycle of the nerve and aplomb of youth, of the doubt and crisis of midlife, of the acceptance and quiescience of maturity. Moreover, this understanding is a broken understanding. It starts with the clay tablets that are broken in a literal sense of the word. Further, the narrative is a narrative of broken-ness – the story ends in tears. A man has lost his last chance of obtaining life everlasting. Yet he manages to recuperate despite his failure. The first part of this thesis examined the world of Gilgamesh. Initially he was known as the Sumerian king Bilgames. He makes his appearance in the form of oral compositions that are recited or sung in the royal courts of kings during the Sumerian period: sheer entertainment, nothing really serious. At his side is his loyal servant Enkidu who supports his master in everything he does. Akkadian gradually ousts Sumerian as vernacular, yet the latter continues to dominate as the language of culture and court. Bilgames survives the reign of the Sargonic dynasty, and even revives during the glorious Ur III period of Shulgi and of Ur-Nammu. Sumerian Bilgames-poems are recorded in writing. However, by the time that Hammurapi draws up his legal codex, the Sumerian Bilgames is known as the vibrant Akkadian king Gilgamesh. His servant Enkidu is elevated to the status of friend. Together they defy men, gods, monsters. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes even further in search of life everlasting. He reaches Uta-napishtim the Distant in order to learn the secret of eternal life. The optimism of the Old Babylonian Kingdom is replaced by the reflection and introspection of the Middle period. Life is difficult. Life is complex. The Gilgamesh Epic is once again re-interpreted and supplemented by a prologue and an epilogue: both begin and end at the same place, at the walls of Uruk. Here Gilgamesh looks back and forward to his life and contemplates about the meaning of life in general. The second part of this thesis dealt more specifically with the story – the literary aspects of the Epic. Genette’s theory illuminated several interesting literary devices with regards to the rhythm and pace of the narrative. However, much of the reflective nature of the Epic was also revealed. There were moments of looking forward, and looking backward: after Gilgamesh broke down in tears at the end of the Epic, he suddely gained perspective on life. Somehow a broken narrative focused into a meaningful whole that may just make future sense. Jauss’s theory illuminated why Gilgamesh refuses to be forgotten, why he is once again alive and well in the twenty first century. Although he was buried in the ruins of Nineveh for a thousand plus years, he is suddenly back on the scene – and not for academic reasons only. Not only scholars of the Ancient Near East take an interest in the old Epic, but also people from all sectors of life. Somehow Gilgamesh seems to respond to questions that are asked even by those who understand nuclear physics – but who grapple with the paradox of living meaningfully. Understanding Gilgamesh – brokenly – understands life. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Ancient Languages / unrestricted

This study strives to chart the occurrence of mystic and kabbalistic influences inthe textual liturgic material of Jewish prayer books - siddurim - in Stockholm,during the 19th century as well as of today. Two prayer books, both focusing onthe prayer service for sabbath and festivals, were studied and compared to amaterial corresponding to a more traditionally inclined ashkenaz liturgy. Alongsidethis comparative method, the study made use of the hermeneutics of Hans-GeorgeGadamer in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the backgroundleading up to the selection of materials within the Swedish siddurim. This involveda broad historical research of Jewish mysticism, Jewish liturgy and Jewish life inSweden. Furthermore, the reception history theory of Gadamer and Hans-RobertJauss was employed to analyze the reception of mystic and kabbalistic influencesupon the Swedish prayer books, taking in account the ways in which religioustexts are viewed within a certain tradition, depending on theological agendas,historical context, and the intercommunion between these, especially taking thereformist wave of Judaism in the 19th century under consideration. The results andanalysis came to show that, although there had been an extensive purge of explicitkabbalistic materials in the 19th century, texts with very clear connotations tomerkavah mysticism still remained. The siddur in use today has also reintroducedkabbalistic material to the liturgy. Through the lens of reception history theory,mystic and/or kabbalistic influences are shown to be a part of Jewish liturgy inStockholm, sometimes understood as an integral part of a wider liturgic tradition,sometimes as a devotional - but not explicitly esoteric - addition to the prayerservice.

Cette thèse porte sur la Trilogie du Futur du Théâtre du Futur, compagnie basée à Montréal. Ces trois pièces imaginent un futur où le Québec serait devenu indépendant et examinent, du même coup, les problèmes sociétaux qui resteraient à régler à la suite de la réussite d’un tel projet politique. Cette thèse pose que les problèmes sociétaux explorés dans la Trilogie du Futur sont liés à des réminiscences de l’ancienne survivance canadienne-française, dont les principales caractéristiques, telle que définies par Éric Bédard dans Survivance : histoire et mémoire du XIXe siècle canadien-français (2017), sont le récit sur soi, le messianisme compensatoire et l’évitement de la question du régime. Le récit sur soi désignerait la nécessité ressentie par un peuple perdant de l’Histoire de se créer un récit national où il se présenterait plutôt comme gagnant de l’Histoire. Le messianisme compensatoire, pour sa part, est ici compris comme la nécessité d’un peuple conquis à se trouver des guides (c.-à-d des figures messianiques), ceci afin de sauver la nation de la disparition. L’évitement de la question du régime, enfin, recouvre le fait d’empêcher d’envisager un état politique autre que le statu quo et d’ainsi éviter la question, toujours problématique, de la place de la francophonie dans une Amérique majoritairement anglophone. Pour mener à bien cette analyse, la thèse emprunte sa structure comme une partie de son cadre théorique à la triple mimèsis développée par Paul Ricœur dans le tome un du monumental Temps et récit (1991). Dans cet ouvrage, Ricœur examine la mise en intrigue du bagage culturel préalable nécessaire à la compréhension d’un récit ainsi que sa réception par le lecteur. Au terme de cette analyse, la thèse arrive à la conclusion que la trilogie chercherait à transcender ces réminiscences de la survivance canadienne-française par une série de renversements, souvent carnavalesques, des lieux de mémoire passés (hérités du Canada français) ainsi que des topoï québécois contemporains, souvent issus de la politique ou de la culture populaire, et qui sont disséminés à même ces récits du Théâtre du Futur.