This dissertation examines the complex story of Korah’s rebellion found in Numbers 16 and 17 utilizing narrative critical theory. This study is first grounded in the context of historical questions surrounding Israel’s emergence as a nation and the narrative’s potential for historical veracity. Many narrative critics do not feel the theoretical necessity to establish the connection between an autonomous text and a historical context. This study does seek to collaborate with historical research, but only as permitted by the data. Though only biblical and tangential evidence supports the historicity of the wilderness sojourn, the narrative accounts should not be repudiated because of philosophical bias or the lack of corroborative extra biblical evidence. Especially important to a literary interpretation of this narrative is the work of source critics who during their own enquiries have identified the fractures and transitions within the story. In considering the text of Numbers 16 and 17, the hermeneutical approach employed in this study carefully endorses a balanced incorporation of the theoretical constructs of the author, text, and reader in the interpretive enquiry. From this hermeneutical approach recent literary theory is applied to the texts of Numbers 16 and 17 focusing particular attention on three narrative themes. First, the narrator’s point of view is examined to determine the manner that information is relayed to the reader so as to demur the rebellion leaders. Though features of characterization are often meager in biblical narratives, there remains sufficient data in this rebellion story to support the aims of the Hebrew writers and does not undermine the reader’s engagement with the story’s participants. Finally, the three separate plotlines in this narrative sustain the dramatic effect upon the readership holding attention and judgment throughout and beyond the story. In sum, this dissertation highlights the powerful contours of this ancient narrative by appropriating the theoretical work of narrative critics. The strategies employed in the writing and editing of this story uniquely condemn the rebels and at the same time serve to elevate God’s chosen leader Moses. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

This study focuses on meaning construction as it occurs in the reading act. It explores and challenges the view that the reader usually uses language to construct meaning in a referential way. This study envisages that the reader who engages in a literal reading of the text may encount~r serious epistemological and ontological problems which ensue from such a narrow reading of the text. In the context of the dynamics of meaning construction, this study subsequently problematizes the notion of language vis-avis the notion of subjectivity and representation. It challenges the taken for granted assumption that meaning is pre-ordained and which has to be extracted by a sovereign and authoritative reading subject. The question of precision and correctness of grasping textual content is addressed by exploring those views which seek to go beyond Cartesian representationalism. This study therefore critically explores an alternative reading theory by examining the pioneering dialogical views of earlier theorists to include, ultimately, those subversive attempts of radical theorists. The latter group clearly seeks to subvert and even displace the dialogical reading practices of their predecessors. This study ultimately proposes the notion of a differential reading discourse. Such an integrative theory postulates an alternative theory of reading which in fact provides a more expansive, yet inclusive, framework of reading. This would entail a form of reading which would combat the mere consumption of meanings and acquiescence into ideology-building. It would be a reading framework that is more in keeping with our socio-political reality in South Africa, in which people can enjoy a far more critical and comprehensive view of themselves and of the society in which they operate. / Information Science / D.Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Les théories et pensées de la lecture ont, au tournant du XXIe siècle, valorisé des approches pragmatiques de la lecture et de l’expérience qu’elle procure. De manière synchrone, le récit contemporain français réinvestit les figures de la lecture et du lecteur. Habituellement rattachées à une tradition parodique et anti-romanesque, elles constituent en fait une force de relance narrative et permettent de repenser les imaginaires littéraires et critiques de la lecture. À l’heure où la démocratisation des outils numériques semble transformer le rapport des sujets au livre et aux savoirs, interroger ces représentations dans les textes littéraires permet de mettre en évidence l’influence du numérique sur les pratiques de lecture comme les attitudes de la réception. Par leur manière d’impliquer le lecteur, de mettre en récit ou en abyme la lecture, et d’accueillir dans le livre de nouvelles figures de la réception, les textes du corpus dessinent et déclinent différents arts de lire. En faisant un objet de fiction du rapport des sujets aux signes qui les entourent ou les traversent, ces récits mettent à distance les méthodes de déchiffrement héritées des théories du texte et du moment formaliste de la théorie. Une pensée de la lecture s’élabore ainsi depuis les textes littéraires. Matière fictionnelle et narrative, elle fonctionne comme relance romanesque, et fait ressurgir la tentation critique d’une parole théorique des écrivains / Theories of reading and reader-response criticism have, since the turn of the 21st century, emphasized pragmatic approaches to reading and the reading experience. Meanwhile, contemporary French fiction has also been focusing on representations of reading and the reader. Although such representations are usually seen as part of a parodic, anti-novelistic tradition, they have in fact had a revitalizing impact on contemporary narratives and suggest new ways of looking at fictional and critical visions of reading. At a time when the democratization of digital tools seems to be revolutionizing the reading subject’s relationship to books and knowledge, a study of the representations of reading in literary texts can illuminate the impact of digital data on reading practices and reception. By devising new strategies of reader involvement and new embodiments of reception in the text, as well as by their fictionalization or mise en abyme of reading, the narratives of our corpus evolve and express new and diverse “arts of reading”. They turn our relationship to the signs in our world and in ourselves into fiction and thus call for a rethinking of our interpretive processes, away from classical hermeneutics and from formalist-inspired theories. Innovative thoughts and imaginings about literature are thus produced by literary texts themselves. They have a re-energizing impact on contemporary fiction and also explain why writers of fiction are once again lured into adopting theoretical discourses

This essay argues that literature enhances the discussions of sensitive issues in a Swedish EFL classroom. Building on reader-response theory and Judith A. Langer's envisionment building, the themes affinity, suicide and discrimination found in Sue Monk Kidd's novel The Secret Life of Bees could be discussed. The reader-response theory gives the pupils an emotional outlet that the envisionment builds on. However, the identified themes also need to be critically analysed to create rewarding discussions, and to be able to fulfil Langer's envisionment. This will hopefully make the pupils think more deeply about these social issues and question their own possible prejudices.

The Batman media franchise (comics, movies, novels, television, and cartoons) is unique because no other form of written or visual texts has as many artists, audiences, and forms of expression. Understanding the various artists and audiences and what Batman means to them is to understand changing trends and thinking in American culture. The character of Batman has developed into a symbol with relevant characteristics that develop and evolve with each new story and new author. The Batman canon has become so large and contains so many different audiences that it has become a franchise that can morph to fit any group of viewers/readers. Our understanding of Batman and the many readings of him gives us insight into ourselves as a culture in our particular place in history.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka kommentarsfälten på svenska litteraturbloggar, och diskursanalys används för att avgöra hur diskursen ser ut. Diskussionen i kommentarsfälten ställs i relation till forskning om traditionella läsgrupper, för att se om och hur fenomenen kompletterar varandra. Uppsatsens frågeställning är ”Hur diskuteras och tolkas litteratur i bloggkommentarer?”.Uppsatsens resultat visar att en tiondel av de 165 kommentarer som studerats innehåller tolkning. Detta innebär att de läsare som söker sig till de studerade litteraturbloggarnas kommentarsfält inte huvudsakligen gör det för att tolka litteratur. Diskursen präglas av utvärdering av böcker och läs-ning. Kommentatörerna har ett behov av att uttrycka sina känslor om litteraturen de läser snarare än att söka efter verkens betydelse eller författarens intention.Det finns en livlig interaktion mellan olika kommentatörer, vilket gör att relationer skapas mellan kommentatörer och även mellan olika litteraturbloggar. Traditionella läsgrupper består ofta av en bestämd grupp som träffas vid bestämda tider, medan vissa av kommentatörerna i undersökningen endast deltagit med en enda kommentar. Det finns samtidigt kommentatörer som återkommer i flera kommentarstrådar. Kommentarsfälten kan knappas anses vara en ersättning till den traditio-nella läsgruppen, men dock ett komplement för läsare som vill diskutera sin upplevelse och söker ett socialt utbyte i flera gemenskaper. / The aim of the essay has been to examine commentaries on Swedish literature blogs. Discourse analysis has been used to determine the nature of the discourse. The discourse has been compared to research on traditional reading groups, in order to determine if and how the phenomena sup-plement one another. The question of the essay is: “How is literature discussed and interpreted in blog commentaries?”The results show that one tenth of the 165 commentaries that have been studied contain interpre-tation. This means that the readers who visit the blogs do not mainly do this to interpret literature. The discourse is characterized by evaluation of books and reading. The commentators have a need to express their feelings about the literature they are reading rather than search for the meaning of the work, or the intention of the author.Among commentators, the interaction is active. As a result, relationships are created amongst commentators and different literature blogs. Traditional reading groups often consist of a set mem-bership that meet on fixed times, while some of the commentators in the study have participated only with one entry. The blog commentaries can hardly replace the traditional reading group, but it can however be a complement for the reader who wants to discuss his or her experience and search for a social community in which to do so.

The question of the appropriateness and effectiveness of students' personal writing is a longstanding one in the academy. In composition studies, the ideological fight over personal and academic writing is most often represented by the oft-studied but rarely changed Bartholomae/Elbow debate. In literary studies, reader-response critics in particular have wrestled with the problems and possibilities of subjective interpretation. Yet despite scholastic interest in issues of personal writing, discussions have remained primarily theoretical and have relied mainly on anecdotal evidence. While small-scale case studies valuably illuminate the processes of an individual student or two, the conversation would be profoundly bolstered by empirical data. How common are personal responses, really? Further, while many believe that any presence of first-person pronouns signals personal, subjective writing, anecdotal cases suggest that there are several categories of personal writing, and that these different types of expressivism produce a range of rhetorical effects. The current study attempts to name and refine these categories--using the distinctions of General claim, Writer-based prose, Personal experience, and Personal claim—to begin to fill in this empirical gap. Is it a mistake to lump all use of personal reference into the category of "personal writing"? Would helping students distinguish between these varying types of personal references inform their stylistic and rhetorical choices? By reviewing a sample of 30 short papers written by college students in a general requirement literature survey course, I will examine how frequently--and in what ways--students reference themselves when responding in writing to a work of literature. / text

The purpose of this research study was to explore the possibilities of using children's and adolescent literature with lower-level students of Spanish. The study investigated second-semester students' perceptions of their experiences reading children's and adolescent literature in Spanish and the relevance of reading this literature on their acquisition of Spanish and their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture. Seventy-eight students enrolled in three second-semester Spanish courses in a large Southwestern university read two children's books in Spanish as part of the course curriculum; sixty-eight of these students agreed to participate in the research study. Quantitative data concerning students' periodic self-ratings of their communicative abilities in Spanish were collected via questionnaires. Qualitative data concerning students' perceptions of their experiences reading the children's books were collected through journal entries, surveys, focus-group interviews, and compositions. Students indicated that their communicative skills in Spanish increased throughout the course of the semester. Students in Classes #1 and #2 believed that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to novice-high. Students in Class #3, however, concluded that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to the intermediate-low. Students affirmed that reading the children's books helped them see Spanish vocabulary and grammar in context and reinforced the vocabulary items and grammatical features of Spanish they previously learned in the course textbook. Many students indicated that reading and discussing the children's books contributed to the development of their reading ability as well as other communicative abilities in Spanish. Students' opinions varied concerning the extent to which curricular engagements supported or impeded their comprehension of the children's books. Additionally, students asserted that the children's books contributed to their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture and that the books supported the development of their intercultural competence. A number of research and pedagogical implications of the study are included along with avenues for further research.

This study examines booktalk, that is, teacher-led group discussions about books for children in a Swedish school. The empirical data comprise 24 hours of videorecorded booktalk in grades 4–7. In total, 40 children (aged 10–14 years) were recorded during 24 sessions. The present approach diverges from previous readerresponse studies in that it draws on authentic data, and in that it examines talk at a micro level, applying an approach from discursive psychology. By focusing on authentic book discussions, the study contributes to the development of readerresponse methods. All eight books applied in the booktalk sessions involved some type of  existential issue: freedom, separation, loyalty, and mortal danger (Chapter 4). Yet, such issues were rarely discussed. An important task of the present thesis was to understand why such issues did not materialise, that is, what did not take place. In Chapter 5, a series of booktalk dilemmas were identified. The booktalk sessions were generally lively and informal. Yet, booktalk as such was often transformed into other local educational projects; e.g. time scheduling, vocabulary lessons or reading aloud exercises. Gender was invoked in all booktalk sessions (Chapter 6). In line with predictions from reader-response theory, progressive texts were, at times, discussed in gender stereotypical ways. The findings also revealed a generational pattern in that the pupils discussed fictive children in less traditional ways than adult characters. The interface between texts and life was invoked in all booktalk sessions (Chapter 7). There was, again, a generational pattern in that children entertained ideas other than those of their teachers concerning legitimate topics in a school context. Also, the discussions revealed a problem of balance between pupils’ privacy, on the one hand, and engaging discussions on texts and life, on the other.

The Batman media franchise (comics, movies, novels, television, and cartoons) is unique because no other form of written or visual texts has as many artists, audiences, and forms of expression. Understanding the various artists and audiences and what Batman means to them is to understand changing trends and thinking in American culture. The character of Batman has developed into a symbol with relevant characteristics that develop and evolve with each new story and new author. The Batman canon has become so large and contains so many different audiences that it has become a franchise that can morph to fit any group of viewers/readers. Our understanding of Batman and the many readings of him gives us insight into ourselves as a culture in our particular place in history.