(O)begriplighetens mantel. En studie i Gösta Oswalds den andaktsfulle visslaren

Abstract

This essay examines the (in)comprehensiveness of Gösta Oswald's modernist poetry collection den andaktsfulle visslaren (1946). By applying a heuristic as well as a hermeneutic way of reading, as described by Michael Riffaterre, the aim is to take into account both the mimetic and metaphoric dimensions of the opus. In addition to Riffaterre's ideas on referentiality and the literary phenomena, the analysis draws on Roland Barthes' thoughts on the relationship between modern poetry, nature and reader. The main focus of the essay is how conceptions of space and human subjects correspond to the imagery of Oswald's poetical language. In discussing den andaktsfulle visslaren, this essay argues that the alleged incomprehensiveness of a literary work is determined by realistic logic.