I uppsatsen beskrivs två praktiker för lyrikläsning med 14–18–åriga skolelever:klassrumssamtal samt ett formulär för kreativ analys. Dessa praktiker ställs mot ettinteraktionellt synsätt som företräds av disciplinen receptionsestetik så som denna beskrivs avWolfgang Iser, ett transaktionellt synsätt som företräds av disciplinen reader–response theorymed Louise Rosenblatt som förgrundsfigur, samt disciplinen kognitiv poetik såsom dennabeskrivs av Peter Stockwell. Praktikerna jämförs också med rön inom forskningsområdetlitteraturpedagogik och –didaktik. I uppsatsen diskuteras interaktionella begrepp som tomrum, luckor ochläsanvisningar samt transaktionella begrepp som estetisk och efferent läsning. Den kognitivapoetiken jämförs framförallt med det transaktionella synsättet. Stort utrymme ges åt fråganom texten som responsförberedande struktur är gemensam för alla läsare. Begrepp från denpedagogiska och didaktiska forskningen som diskuteras är lässammanhang ochtolkningsgemenskap liksom autentiska och icke-autentiska frågor respektive öppna ochslutna. Tolkningsgemenskap ställs mot de informella maktstrukturer eller hierarkier somverkar i klassrumsdynamiken. Till sist behandlas frågan om hur litterär kompetens kanutvecklas.

The essay critically examines Stanley Fish’s reader-response reading of Paradise Lost.In particular Fish’s main thesis that John Milton’s sole purpose in Paradise Lost is toeducate the reader on their position as fallen.The essay then examines two key claimsthat Fish employs to arrive at his conclusion, namely: (1) Fish’s notion of intendedreadership and authorial intent for Paradise Lost; and (2) Fish’s claims of readerresponse to Paradise Lost in two selected contexts (i) the reader response to Satan in thebeginning of Paradise Lost (ii) the reader response to an aspect of narration in ParadiseLost i.e. the poem’s epic voice. Based on the analysis of these two key claims the essayfinds Fish’s thesis unsubstantiated and in need of further argument.

This thesis investigates adult readers’ experiences of pleasure reading. The view of reading taken in this thesis is derived from reader-response theory. The theoretical framework consists of the idea that reading is a transaction between the reader and the text. Through semi-structured interviews with five readers, the role of pleasure reading in the context of the reader's life is explored. The thesis examines both the contribution that pleasure reading makes to the reader's life and, on the other hand, how the reader's life context and personal experiences affects the reading experience. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results confirm that the readers’ lives and personal experiences has a great impact on the reading experience and what the reader derive from reading. Interview responses show, in line with previous research, that the readers’ own preoccupations work as a filter so that the reader pays particular attention to parts of the text that address their lives. The results show that, when describing a good reading experience, readers highlight narrative or language in varying degrees. Also, the results show that through reading for pleasure a person's mindset and ideas can be transformed.

This thesis explores why readers insist on interpreting Zehra Çirak's texts in light of her Turkish German background when she claims that her texts have little to do with her Turkish heritage and are more universally applicable. While readers can interpret her texts without considering the author's biography, thereby obtaining insights into their own personal identity, I suggest that it also makes sense for readers to interpret her texts with the author's biography in mind because of current events and the history of Turkish migrant labor in Germany. To explore different possible interpretations of her texts, I have categorized Çirak's poetry, found in four of her volumes of poetry, Vogel auf dem Rücken eines Elefanten (1991), Fremde Flügel auf eigener Schulter (1994), Leibesübungen (2000), and In Bewegung (2008), into two broad groups. First, I look at the few poems in which Çirak overtly addresses alterity by discussing the alienation of Turks. In these texts, the speakers use Turkish words or images that link the texts to Çirak's biography. Then I turn to look at poems that can only metaphorically be interpreted as addressing Turkish German integration into mainstream German society and discuss how even though the figurative language Çirak employs make her texts applicable to other situations or interpretations, the texts lend themselves to being read in light of multiculturalism. In both of these categories of poetry, Çirak uses metaphor to address alterity without pandering to stereotypes or setting categorical limits on Turks, Germans, or other members of her readership.

The intricate and complex writing style of Machado de Assis’ novel Dom Casmurro create a unique and powerfully engaging reader experience. While much has been discussed with regard to narratology and reader-response theory in Dom Casmurro, Machado’s writing recalls many principles found in the cross-disciplinary field of experience design. Through an analysis of the novel using flow and co-creation theories, we see that Machado designs an extraordinary reader experience through narrational scaffolding and co-creative invitations. These elements engage readers in challenging and immersive ways, ultimately encouraging readers to develop their reading capacity throughout their contact with the novel. In Dom Casmurro, Machado’s experiential writing enables readers to work together with the author to create two significant products: both the novel itself and—perhaps most important—the co-creative experience the novel facilitates.

Villette (1853), Charlotte Brontë's last novel, is famously riddled with ambiguity: its narrator-protagonist, Lucy Snowe, avoids disclosing details about her childhood, fails to reveal to readers the identity of characters she recognizes from her past, and, at the end of the novel, refuses to confirm if her love interest, M. Paul, has died at sea after a storm. Believing Lucy's ambiguous narrative style to be a tool she uses to train readers to better understand her, many critics have focused their efforts on trying to interpret Lucy's silences and evasions "correctly," thereby turning themselves into Lucy's or Brontë's "ideal" authorial readers. However, throughout her life, Lucy has resisted being read by people who assume they can fully know her and fit her into their worldview. Unwilling to impose her views on others, Lucy's autobiography encourages readers to make their own meaning without deciphering how she intends for it to be read. In this way, she maintains that she is ultimately unknowable to her readers, just as they are to her, and preserves, rather than erases, the distance that exists between reader and author. By constructing an authorial reader who does not seek to think as Lucy does, Villette invites readers to enter into an ethical relationship with Lucy, one in which otherness is respected and intimacy is possible despite differences.

Within the past three decades, Star Wars has become nothing short of a household name. The millions of dollars gained from the films and various products, as well as the enjoyment and enthusiasm generated among fans, shows that Star Wars' value and significance in the realm of entertainment is substantial. In addition to this value, there are also many religious and mythological elements that are embedded within each of the movies. However, these elements do not carry the same prominence or interest that the plotline has with the audience. In an interview, Lucas stated that it was not his intent to use Star Wars to create a new religion or ideology. Nevertheless, the movie series has raised questions regarding its ability to attain such a devoted following. Consequently, the thesis will look into the dynamic between authorial intent and reader response. In addition, this thesis will investigate the religious themes and mythological elements of the Star Wars series and use this analysis to corroborate the position that Star Wars both resembles traditional religion and functions as religion for the fans. This thesis will analyze the religious elements and myths that are embedded in the general story, as well as those that are unique to the individual movies, by highlighting a family resemblance/functionalist approach to religion that focuses on not only the resemblances to traditional religion but also the religious effects that Star Wars has on its fans and society; namely, moral issues and the sense of meaning and belonging it inculcates among the fan base.

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