This article describes a series of Scandinavian studies in reader response from 1968 to 1990. Studies chronologically discussed in the article are: (1) "Rhythm in Poetry"; (2) "The Esthetic Experience"; (3) "Meaning in Literary Texts"; (4) "Tension"; (5) the "Ram" study; (6) the "Fairytale" project (discontinued); (7) a continuation of the "Ram" study; and (8) the "Folktale" project, a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary study of the experience of literature. The article's final section, "Reading Crossnationally: A Discussion," concludes that, so far, theses studies have shown that narratives change according to situational contexts, and that there is a multiplicity of aspects to which readers can relate even at some vaguely intersubjective level. (Nine illustrative diagrams, 1 table of data, and 15 footnotes are included.) (RS)