This literature review aims to investigate, expose and explain August Strindberg's religious position in his partly autobiographical work Inferno, published in Swedish in 1897, in relation to Peter Berger's socialization theory. Strindberg says in the beginning of Inferno that he goes from being an atheist, occultist and Swedenborgian to finally return to his ancestral religion, Christianity. This is questionable, as Strindberg seems to be religious in its atheistic era, and occultist during his Christian period. Strindberg's own religious views seem not always match what he portrays, compared to what he writes in his correspondence and diary entries. This literature review aims to highlight the influences of Strindberg affected to clarify his religiosity which is implicitly and explicitly depicted in Inferno. This thematic epicanalysis has revealed several religious perplexities which Strindberg depicted in his literary works. Strindberg describes in the beginning of the work his alchemy and the occult tendencies that flourish around him and how it affects his scientific experiments. There is a time where Strindberg feels anxious and extremely mentally ill, something that gets better as Strindberg learns Emanuel Swedenborg's religion. Inferno ends with a description of Strindberg's conversion to Christianity, which has sought to be explained by various researchers.

The aim of the essay is to analyze destructivity and the aspiration of artistry in August Strindberg´s debut novel Röda rummet. By the method of close reading the thematic analysis is performed. The method is also based on an hermeneutic way of looking at literature. A historical context is adapted and the characters are compared to historical descriptions of artists such as bohemians, decadents and dandys. The artists of the novel prove to be, like the bohemians of the 19th century, standing outside and against society, although the presence of relations and cultural exchange seem to be just as important. There is also an ambivalence to be found in their relationship with the city and it´s lifestyle. The question at issue is how the development of the characters´ artistry come about, and in what ways the characters are influenced. The essay focuses on the downward heading movement that leads the characters from positions of elevated status to alienation, to poverty, to drunkenness, bitterness, death, madness or reversion to the upper or middleclass. The thesis of the essay and the initial interpretation is that the aspirations of artistry lead the characters into a destructive way of living. Although the analysis shows that it is rather the society and its conventions, and the artists dependence on the bourgeoisie to purchase the art, that creates the destructive pattern.

Akademisk avhandling--Uppsala, 2007. / Bibliogr. p. 281-299. Résumé en anglais.

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"Substantially the same as ... (the author's doctoral dissertation: The impact of French naturalists and psychologists on August Strindberg's plays of the 1880's and early 1890's ... (with)--additional material." / Bibliography: p. [178]-186.

Diss. : Literatur : Aachen : 1978. - Bibliogr. p. 295-310. -

"Substantially the same as ... (the author's doctoral dissertation: The impact of French naturalists and psychologists on August Strindberg's plays of the 1880's and early 1890's ... (with)--additional material." / Bibliography: p. [178]-186.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1977. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-207).

Thesis (M.F.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-99).

The following thesis is an examination into August Strindberg's mode of dramatic expression following his so-called "naturalistic" phase. This study will focus on Strindberg's means of expressing his subjective vision of the world around him as it is developed in one of his last plays, The Ghost Sonata,(1907). First, we will view the failure of naturalism as it applies to Strindberg's dramatic objectives; for naturalism as prescribed by Zola proved to be a too restrictive form of poetic expression, limiting the artist to the presentation of objectively verifiable external realism. Strindberg sought to explore the reality of the internal world, or life as it affects the very soul of the dramatist. This he accomplished through the creation of the dramatic dream form where visions and hallucinations merge with past and present objective events into a world of psychological reality. The form and techniques for creating such hallucinatory visions of reality are not new, but a fusion of these into a single dramatic work has been of seminal influence in 20th century drama. Second, we will turn to Strindberg's creative process which bears a remarkable similarity to Freud's explication of the nature of the "dream-work" in Traumdeutung. Furthermore, the dream form of The Ghost Sonata employs the various techniques that comprise the various stages of the dream-work. But these techniques are parallel to certain literary developments of which Strindberg was aware and consequently on which he molded his work. This becomes the basis for the third area of examination which covers the naturalistic, symbolistic and surrealistic techniques as they are applied to the structure of The Ghost Sonata. The conclusion of this examination demonstrates Strindberg's perfect fusion of these previously established literary techniques into the dream-form. Even though none of the separate entities can be attributed to Strindberg’s creative innovations; the use, adaption, expansion and fusion of these techniques into the dream-form serve admirably as a projection of the artist's personal vision of life into dramatic form. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate