Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
When confronted with laws that ignore, reinforce or legitimise violence, the possibility to judge seems to be put into question, since there are no rules to rely upon to avert that violence. On the...Show moreWhen confronted with laws that ignore, reinforce or legitimise violence, the possibility to judge seems to be put into question, since there are no rules to rely upon to avert that violence. On the other hand, judgment is crucial since it might be a way to counter such circumstances of corrupt law and stop ongoing injustice. This paradoxical issue is prominent in the case study of this thesis, the documentary film "The Act of Killing" (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012). Dealing with the mass killings of Indonesia in 1965/66, the film opens a case that has been concealed since its occurrence and never taken to court. This is despite the events being characterised as ‘crimes against humanity’ by human rights organisations. I propose that by documenting how the perpetrators of the killings re-enact their deeds by means of stage-play, the film poses a theatrical trial that at the same time evokes, eludes and performs judgment or evaluation of the killings. Drawing back on theory by Hannah Arendt and Gilles Deleuze, I argue that the film stimulates political judgment that is informed by the tension between critical distance and affect, which may be a productive method for citizens to deal with mass atrocities and present corruption. Moreover, exceeding the realms of structured societies, the film as a work of art performs an ‘immanent evaluation’ that acknowledges victims and perpetrators equally and challenges clear boundaries in favour of a continuous becoming of bodies. As such it allows us to productively and reparatively rethink the notion of judgment outside the confinements of law as ambiguous and ongoing process.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
What makes it possible to turn science, a field that is supposedly grounded in fact and objectivity, into a topic that untrained readers can engage with and enjoy? Connecting science with art,...Show moreWhat makes it possible to turn science, a field that is supposedly grounded in fact and objectivity, into a topic that untrained readers can engage with and enjoy? Connecting science with art, popular science writing relies heavily on the evocation of affect as a rhetorical strategy. In works that are written for children, and not intended as textbooks, creating an affective bond with the work is necessary in order to entice a child to voluntarily engage with the object outside the classroom. I have investigated Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles’s Horrible Science series (1997-present) as a case study, as the long-lasting international success of these works indicates the effectiveness of their rhetorical strategies. The ways in which the authors attempt to evoke an affective response ranges from the direct evocation of positive affects such as enthusiasm, to employing negative affect such as disgust. Such affective responses are an effective way to mark reading the book as different from engaging with knowledge in the classroom, which in its turn is marked as tedious and dull. The affect theories of Silvan Tomkins in psychology and Gilles Deleuze in philosophy might at first sight look dissimilar, but both make the distinction between positive and negative affects a centrepiece of their theories: Deleuze calls this ‘joy’ and ‘sadness’. The Horrible Science series problematises this distinction, as it employs the evocation of negative affects to strengthen the bond with the reader, a method that at first sight seems to be counterintuitive. Therefore, I will look at what defines whether an affect is considered positive or negative, and to what extent it is a rhetorically effective strategy to evoke what at first sight seems to be a negative affective response in the young reader.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis attempts to link certain aspects of literary analysis, i.e. character development and rising/falling action, to the phenomenon of the literary epiphany. After providing a general...Show moreThis thesis attempts to link certain aspects of literary analysis, i.e. character development and rising/falling action, to the phenomenon of the literary epiphany. After providing a general definition of epiphany and listing various types of literary epiphany, the thesis focuses on one specific type: the epiphany which comes after a prolonged period of mounting tension culminating in a personal crisis. A new working model is introduced: a logical progression of states of mind or being, moving towards an epiphany which has a lasting effect on the character. Though the visionary moment may be spontaneous, it does not occur haphazardly but rather is the result of a series of consecutive events which lead up to the point of epiphany. This progression can be perceived as an upward spiral representing a mental development towards a wider consciousness, a better understanding of the self and the other, and a greater degree of self-realization or self-actualization. In discussing the phenomenon of the epiphany, some indispensable links are made to the field of psychology, without straying too far from the literary implications. Thus, the literary notions of rising and falling action and character development are tied in to a dynamic rather than a static epiphanic model. It is noted that epiphanies are not an end in themselves, but rather an inherent part of the transitions in life. The thesis explores some of the theoretical background to the literary epiphany, as discussed by Morris Beja, Ashton Nichols, Robert Langbaum, Philipp Wolf, Christel van Boheemen-Saaf, and Wim Tigges. It also attempts to counter Paul Maltby’s postmodern critique and deconstruction of the epiphanic literary tradition. To support the thesis, the various stages in the progression toward epiphany are illustrated with developments in two works of primary literature: James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Far more succinctly, the proposed model is tested on key developments in three other novels: Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Walker’s The Color Purple. This thesis expresses a professed belief in the mental and moral evolution in man, based on a deep conviction that “truth will out” and that mankind is, in a moral sense, upwardly mobile. Character development is, in this model at least, a development for the better.Show less
