The present thesis operates within the framework of a macro-structural and descriptive approach to Translation Studies, examining aspects of a type of literature that has traditionally been marginalized within the polysystem, namely oral narrative. The thesis investigates translation as one element in a larger, interactive system; it does not regard 'translation' only in its traditional function as a linguistic act between two different national languages, but one that includes a conception of translation between two variants of one language. The case study in question is a nineteenth-century collection of Norwegian folktales Norske Folkeeventyr, collected and retold by P. Chr. Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe, first published in 1841. This publication came to have a considerable linguistic and literary impact on the Norwegian polysystem. The thesis aims to show how macro-structural factors governed the creation of the corpus through 'translation' from oral to literary mode, and from diverse dialects to a standardized language, and how the resulting product had a significant impact on the standardization of the one of the emerging Norwegian language forms. The thesis seeks to describe in detail which historical, political, literary and linguistic factors, in the national as well as supra-national framework, have affected this process of translation and text-production as a whole. It further aims to demonstrate how this process took shape in the context of, and indeed how it was instrumental in the shaping of, an emerging Norwegian national identity after the country's independence from Denmark (1814) and Sweden (1905). The thesis thus illustrates, through detailed description, how a specific corpus of texts has been formed in a dialectic process with the readership and the target culture, both adapting to and influencing prevailing literary and linguistic norms.

The goal of this thesis is the phonological analysis of a corpus of runic inscriptions in order to reconstruct the vocalic system(s) of the West Germanic dialects spoken in the Continental interior between the 5th-7th centuries A.D. The thesis presents a brief outline of the late Proto-Germanic vocalic system and of the principal sound changes involved in the development of the later dialects of the region (Old High German and Old Saxon). The main part of the thesis surveys the data retrievable from the runic inscriptions in an attempt to determine to what extent (if any) these sound changes are in evidence. In many respects, the data are consistent with the anticipated developments attested in OHG and OS; but for some of the sound changes – particularly those affecting the diphthongs – the existing models do not satisfactorily account for the data. There is also some evidence for processes not normally identified in accounts of the phonological background of the later dialects. The project endeavours to be rigorously empirical in approach; to avoid making unnecessary assumptions and prejudgements about the nature and content of the runic texts; and to resist the rejection of an interpretation unless it can be shown to be implausible. From this standpoint, we are confronted with the limited power of any conclusions based on such a small dataset, and with the more general problem of the imperfect correlation between written and spoken forms. If the makers of runic inscriptions cannot be relied on for phonological accuracy or orthographic consistency, to what extent is it possible to make inferences about spoken language from the texts which they created?

This study developed from an initial interest in the literature of the German exiles in which canon Klaus Mann's work between 1933 and 1945 figured prominently. This in turn evoked a curiosity toward this still relatively unknown son of Thomas Mann, intensified not least by the pathos of a life characterised by early promise, fame and prominence that ended in obscurity, despair and suicide. Yet these aspects of Klaus Mann's life appeared to have been overlooked by British scholars and with them the early and later years of Mann's career. The years of Mann's exile have been well documented and researched and place Mann's fiction of this time within the canon of Exilliteratur. Those texts which went before, however, have received only scant attention. Yet it is precisely in the novels and essays from the Weimar Republic that Mann developed and refined the techniques and themes that would define his later works. To overlook them is to suggest that the decisive moment of exile represented a caesura in Mann's career, thus masking the underlying continuity within Mann's oeuvre. For this reason, this study concentrates primarily on the early years of Mann's career, on the period from 1924 to 1933, to illustrate the progression and development within his work that would culminate in the novels of his exile. While Mann's prose dictates the approach I have taken, this is not exclusively 'literary' to the exclusion of all other concerns and potential external influences on his work. It assesses the complementary characteristics of Mann's fiction and his essayistic prose, much of which has only become readily available in the last five years, against the context of their creation during the Weimar Republic. In consequence, this work embraces the cultural, political and social context of this age, embracing its contradictory nature where progression and experimentation battled against the endemic regression and reaction of the Republic's institutions. However, it does not intend to provide a detailed discussion of the complexities that underlie this period of German history. For this I refer the reader to the body of research which deals specifically with this topic.

The aim of this thesis is the visual analysis of the corpus of Viking Age Scandinavian memorial stones that are decorated with figural images. The thesis presents an overview of the different kinds of images and their interpretations. The analysis of the visual relationships between the images, ornamentation, crosses, and runic inscriptions identifies some tendencies in the visual hierarchy between these different design elements. The contents of the inscriptions on runestones with images are also analysed in relation to the type of image and compared to runestone inscriptions in general. The main outcome of this analysis is that there is a correlation between the occurrence of optional elements in the inscription and figural images in the decoration, but that only rarely is a particular type of image connected to specific inscription elements.

This study investigates the experience of students of German when reading German texts for academic purposes. Research into reading in a second or foreign language has focused predominantly on English as a Second or Foreign Language but there have been more studies recently exploring reading in languages other than English. The research community has acknowledged a greater need for studies in this area, particularly with focus on reading in a foreign language for academic purposes. Indeed, there has been a call for thorough qualitative research that responds to the complex activity of reading in a foreign language, which, as has been recognised, is influenced by a multitude of sociocultural factors, factors pertaining to the process of language acquisition, factors that impact the imminent reading situation as well as individual learner factors. This investigation into students' experience of reading German for academic purposes looks at the individual learner experience, with an attempt to take into account various factors that influence the individual student's approach to texts. The goal of the study is to gain a more detailed insight into students' reading processes and to provide suggestions for a teaching approach that guides students towards developing their strategic competence in reading for academic purposes. The study is based on social-constructivist principles (discussed in chapter 3) and incorporates a focused review of research into foreign and second language reading and reading strategies (chapter 2). Students' reading processes were investigated using a multiple stage and method approach to data collection conducted over the course of three academic years at a German Department of a British university. This included a pre- and post-module reading comprehension test and questionnaire, a questionnaire on reading for academic purposes which included a four-tiered reading comprehension test, and a think-aloud study with two student cohorts incorporating both paired and individual think-aloud sessions. The pre-and post-module questionnaire and the think-aloud study were directly related to my teaching of the applied linguistics module Fachsprachen im Alltag aimed at developing students' text analysis skills. In an effort to apply constructivist principles and respond to student feedback. I revised the module to develop a more student-led and cooperative teaching approach. Its impact on student performance was tested in the post-module questionnaire as well as the think-aloud sessions. The questionnaire on reading for academic purposes investigated students' attitudes and motivations towards reading and allowed them to assess the role of the university as well as their own reading abilities. Chapters 4 to 7 discuss the results of the data collection. Chapter 4 looks at students' self-evaluation of reading comprehension skills and strategy use. Chapter 5 investigates the role of the university as well as students' attitudes towards reading for academic purposes. Chapter 6 focuses on self-recorded strategy use based on the four-tiered self-administered reading comprehension test that formed part of the questionnaire study. Chapter 7 discusses the results of the think-aloud study, which allowed insight into students' actual strategy use as could be observed in the think-aloud sessions. Findings reveal that students are capable of evaluating their own performance and have the ability to assess their strategy use, demonstrating meta-cognitive awareness. Students are also cognizant of the apparent gap that exists between studying German at A-Levels and studying German at university, and of the problems that this gap creates for them. Related to this is their expectation that the university is to take on a certain level of responsibility to bridge that gap and for developing students' reading comprehension skills by offering the necessary support. With regards to students' reading comprehension skills and strategy use, this study provides evidence that students understand the purpose of reading academic texts in German as 'reading to learn', i.e., to construct new knowledge and apply a critical approach to working with the text. They tend to apply mainly those types of reading strategies that help them understand the text at word and sentence level but their approach can often be tedious and inefficient. Students seem to lack a sufficiently advanced set of reading strategies that they can apply flexibly and effectively. Results of the reading comprehension tests also provide evidence that students struggle with linguistic features that are typically and frequently used in German texts for academic purposes. Finally, an analysis of the think-aloud protocols allows the conclusion that a teaching approach that promotes students' responsibility for their own learning, both as individuals as well as in collaborative settings, is beneficial to developing students' reading strategy repertoire.

This thesis focuses on the novels of Hermann Burger. It considers the experimental nature of Burger's writings as a form of opposition, or 'Verweigerung', to the restrictive discourses of Swiss nationhood expressed in the notion of 'Enge'. A central tenet of the argument advanced here is that Hermann Burger is both a very self-consciously Swiss author, and, at the same time, very self-consciously experimental; a constant tension between these two aspects of his writing is manifest in all his work. Burger was not a provincial Swiss writer. Rather, he was an eclectic writer, and this thesis will examine the manner in which his work is framed by a broad spectrum of literary and philosophical ideas current in the wider international context of literary debate which serve to challenge the narrowness of intellectual discussion and forms of representation in Switzerland. To extend the discursive possibilities of the individual within the cultural space of the nation, Burger's novels involve a radical play with form and language which blurs the boundaries between the real, the unreal and the surreal, in order to challenge notions of the 'real'. A conflict between normative modes of expression and the desire for self-expression develops which is thematically central in Burger's work. His novels present the reader with a complex set of inter-related issues: national identity; national culture; Art; nature; literature and representational strategies; art and life. The methodology adopted in this thesis reflects the belief that Burger's work is best appreciated as an eclectic mix of ideas. As Burger engages with the multifarious aspects of life and seeks to give them form, so his work is considered in relation to a broad range of theories which, taken together, provide insights into his work.

This thesis is concerned with Siegfried Kracauer’s response to the challenges of modernity as exemplified by the Weimar Republic and its culture. A consideration of the literary dimension of Kracauer’s work is a central aspect of my approach. Beginning with a brief examination of Kracauer s early, epistemological writings, which adopt an anti-modem tone, my thesis then examines his shift towards a materialist critique of modernity. Using his essay 'Das Ornament der Masse' as a key example, I argue that Kracauer assumes the stance of a flâneur vis-à-vis the culture he examines. While this is consistent with his role as a Feuilleton journalist, the flâneur's detachment compromises Kracauer's political position. Here, and throughout the thesis, Kracauer's narrative approach and its effects are drawn out through comparisons with contemporary literary texts. In the remaining three chapters of my thesis, I analyse the novels Ginster and Georg, as well as the sociological study Die Angestellten. Here, I suggest, Kracauer attempts to transcend the limitations imposed by the flâneur's detachment. In Ginster he critically reflects on his own personal and political development while Die Angestellten is an attempt at social intervention. In Georg, finally, Kracauer returns to exploring crucial factors of Weimar (political) culture and considers his own role, as a journalist, within them.

This thesis examines plays written in the period from 1923 to 1933, whose subject matter is the rise of right wing radical forces and ultimately the rise of Hitler. Twelve plays, including those of well known authors such as Ernst Toller, Georg Kaiser, and Oedön von Horväth, as well as plays of minor authors, were chosen solely on the grounds of their antifascist stance. An attempt was made to interpret and analyse their contribution to the theory of fascism. The economic, socio-political and psychological issues raised in each individual play are examined in close reference to the historical events of the Weimar Republic and related to current thoughts on fascism. Although individual plays attack different outward signs of a rising tide of right wing radicalism and judge from different political view points, some common factors could be established. The rise of Hitler is largely seen as the culmination of an active counter-revolutionary movement starting the day the Republic was created. The driving force behind counter-revolution and National Socialism is seen as the economic interests specifically of the former privileged social groups and industry. Those plays which acknowledge a mass following of National Socialism see it again as motivated by economic considerations. On the whole both Hitler as Führer and National Socialism as a mass movement were underestimated. The inability of the Weimar Republic to create a just economic climate and democratically orientated institutions, specifically in the judiciary and the army, are seen as factors contributing to the rise of Hitler.

Ernst Toller (1893-1939) wrote a substantial body of poetry which has received negligible critical attention. This thesis argues that the poetic styles he adopted enabled him not only to examine past experiences but also to evolve strategies for the challenges he faced. His early poetry (1908-1915) shows his attempts to come to terms with love and his enthusiasm to participate in the First World War. The poetry provided him with emotional models which were then revised in the light of experience. The early Expressionist poetry (1915-1919) documents his disillusionment with the war and furnishes insights into his growing political awareness. Toller then adopted the sonnet form (1919-1921), principally in order to express the vicissitudes of prison experience in a controlled manner, and this contributed to his adjustment to incarceration. Das Schwalbenbuch (1922-1924) combines this formal control with a growing sensitivity to the potential of Expressionist verse and delivers insights into his metaphysical thinking. Vormorgan (1924) summarises his experience of war, revolution and imprisonment, in verse of considerable richness and suggestivity, indicating the positive values he intended to apply to his life on release. After its publication, Toller practically ceased to write poetry except for a very few isolated examples, one of which ('Am Fluss, an unpublished poem) points to the possibility of a sixth and masterful poetic phase of which, apart from this one poem, there is no record. This study puts forward explanations for the apparent cessation of his poetry writing after 1924, arguing that his lyrical tendencies nonetheless found expression in his writing in other genres. The thesis provides an index of Toller's entire poetic production and a collection of the unpublished poems and those no longer easily accessible.

This thesis examines forms of autobiographical writing in the 21st century which are located at the intersection of autobiography and fiction. The literary sources selected question established genre boundaries, while also reflecting contemporary cultural discourses and creating particular images of their authors. My analysis investigates the new literary strategies emerging in Charlotte Roche’s Schoßgebete (2011), Stephan Wackwitz’s Ein unsichtbares Land (2003), Felicitas Hoppe’s Hoppe (2012) and David Wagner’s Leben (2012) in order to identify how texts such as these combine autobiography and fiction. Using a range of literary theories my textual analysis shows that autobiographical writing in the 21st century is more extensive than critical approaches such as ‘autofiction’ and ‘life writing’ suggest. The thesis demonstrates how genre hybridisations, intertextual combinations and inter-discursive conjunctions in the texts also move beyond Philippe Lejeune’s differentiation between autobiography and the novel. By combining characteristics of fictional narratives with features of factual texts such as the essay, the parody of academic biography or specifically context-related factual, in this case medical texts, these life stories reflect our understanding of identity in significantly new ways. Moreover, my investigation proves that the new forms of autobiographical writing engage with contemporary issues such as the role of the media and celebrity culture, national history and memory discourses, transculturalism and the significance of writing in the 21st century, medical developments and their consequences. The texts’ contribution to these discourses also constructs the authors’ self-presentation. Strategies and techniques identified range from provocative self-staging through positioning within a framework of national and family history, to outlining autobiographical poetics, or presenting different private and public facets of the author’s persona. My thesis addresses not only the effects of the increasing (public) interest in the private life of authors in contemporary autobiographical writing but also contributes to wider research on autobiography, genre and intertextuality.