Att det skämtas betyder inte att det är ett skämt - Om satiren i Martin Kochs Vattendroppen
Martin KochVattendroppenSatirSatiriska framställningssättImplicit författareAllegoriAllegoreNykterhetslitteraturNykterhetsrörelsenArbetarlitteratur
This essay examines the poetry of the Swedish writer Ivar Conradson (1885-1968). Itanalyzes his work in the context of the European literary scene of the late 19th century, inparticular symbolism and impressionism. Conradson has been considered a symbolist and amysticist by critics and scholars, who claim that his poetry expresses a strong religious ethos,influenced by biblical rhetoric as regards style.While this study does not refute the common view of Conradson, it argues that his earlyworks differ from his later works, where indeed religious and mystical themes can be found.This difference can thus be seen both on stylistic and thematic levels. Using the structuralistmethod of Roman Jakobson and Jurij Lotman, and a phenomenological analysis based on thephilosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Hannah Arendt, this study examines bothsymbolist and impressionist stylistic devices and themes in Conradson?s literary debutSkyarne (1906). The main conclusion is that in Skyarne, one finds a contradictory pattern: onthe one hand mood and transcendence, i.e symbolism, and on the other hand perception,scepticism and alienation, i.e impressionism.Conradson has also been regarded as a modernist pioneer in Swedish poetry and literature.However this claim has never been closely examined. This study makes a comparisonbetween Conradson?s poetry and some common concepts of modernism and Swedishmodernist poets, such as Pär Lagerkvist, Gunnar Ekelöf and Karl Vennberg. The conclusionhere is that Conradson is not using a typical modernist metaphorical style, but instead utilizesa certain form of free verse. His style is simple but fragmentary, avoiding striking andcomplex metaphors, using a subtle and ?unpoetic? poetic language.