Folkbildaren: Nils Liljas populärvetenskapliga insats i den romantiska kontexten

Sammanfattning: This essay is written with the intention to analyze in what way Nils Liljas published works Menniskan och Kärleken, can be seen as works with the intention to popularize science. What language and linguistic techniques he use in his texts will be examined, to motivate the thesis that he wrote these to reach out to a bigger crowd, than that of the academic circles in the society. With a theoretical ground-base inspired by James Secords ”Knowledge in Transit” and Johan Östling and David Larsson Heidenblad, the work is focused on in what way the text can be understood as translations. Translations in the sense of the differences in languages, depending on the receiving counterpart, and the underlying factors of understanding the text. Words like ”kunskap”, ”cirkulation” and ”översättning” will be key to understand the intent of the texts that has been examined. The context of the environment Lilja got his education in will be presented and used to find answers to the question the essay is built upon. Elias Fries and Carl Adolph Agardh are two prominent academic professors, and intellectuals inspired by the Romantic philosophy. Here, Liljas relations to the two of them will be presented, and used to position Lilja in the same context. Then the words in which Lilja presents the natural philosophy of Schelling and the Romantic era will be presented, and examined in accordance with the theoretical mindset.