This thesis examines the Gothic representation and symbolic function of the Scottish natural environment in two works by Robert Louis Stevenson: the short story “The Merry Men” (1882), and the...Show moreThis thesis examines the Gothic representation and symbolic function of the Scottish natural environment in two works by Robert Louis Stevenson: the short story “The Merry Men” (1882), and the adventure novel Kidnapped (1886). The Gothic aesthetics in Stevenson’s writings – such as the notion of the sublime, the personification of nature, and the past versus the present – highlight the themes that the author expresses through his description of the Scottish landscape and seascape. By analysing the depiction of the Scottish natural environment in “The Merry Men” and Kidnapped, and by comparing these images with the aesthetics characteristic of the Gothic genre, I will demonstrate that the Scottish natural environment is not only Gothic in description, but also symbolises the themes and motifs of the narratives involved, such as heritage, memory and identity. Moreover, in the two narratives, the idea of Scotland as a nation as well as its specific physical environment becomes dark and mysterious, affecting both the characters’ and the readers’ sense of place. Since one’s sense of place is closely connected to one’s state of mind, this thesis also critically explores the extent to which the Scottish landscape and seascape influence the state of mind of the protagonists.Show less
This thesis analyzes the depiction of Abraham Lincoln in two novels of the previous decade that include elements of the supernatural: Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) by George Saunders, and Abraham...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the depiction of Abraham Lincoln in two novels of the previous decade that include elements of the supernatural: Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) by George Saunders, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (2011) by Seth Grahame-Smith. With a focus on Lincoln's images as Savior of the Union and as The Great Emancipator, this thesis demonstrates in what ways the novels use the supernatural in their portrayal of the President and how this use contributes to the cultural memory of Lincoln that continues to exist in the United States today.Show less
This thesis explores some of the different ways that scholars and authors have dealt with the Arthurian legends when working within different cultural contexts. The aim of this thesis is to analyze...Show moreThis thesis explores some of the different ways that scholars and authors have dealt with the Arthurian legends when working within different cultural contexts. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the use of Arthurian legends over time and to compare the relevance of those legends in cultures familiar with the story, such as America, and cultures less familiar with the story, such as Japan. The comparison will be aimed at shedding light on how differences in the interpretations of Arthurian legends between America and Japan reflect, or are caused by, differences in each culture’s familiarity with said legends.Show less
This thesis examines the expression of female same-sex relations and desire, or queer in union, in early modern England by considering the poetry of Katherine Philips and Aphra Behn each other. To...Show moreThis thesis examines the expression of female same-sex relations and desire, or queer in union, in early modern England by considering the poetry of Katherine Philips and Aphra Behn each other. To achieve this, this thesis first establishes the cultural categories within which, or outside of which, early modern women could formulate and define their relations with one another and develop a sexual subjectivity by examining various literary and non-literary texts available to early modern women. From these texts, the two contrasting figures of the ‘chaste’ female friend and the ‘monstrous’ tribade emerge. Building on Valerie Traub’s argument, who has shown that these two figures came to be combined during the development of the later perception of ‘lesbian’ identities in the eighteenth century, this thesis illustrates the earlier confluence of these two figures in the poetry of Philips and Behn. While Philips draws on the figure of the ‘chaste’ female friend and Behn on the tribadic or hermaphroditic body, both women writers can be seen to use the same adaptation and reclamation strategies. Going against the early modern perception of female same-sex relation, desire, and sexual acts as impossible, unnatural, and monstrous, Philips and Behn create a preferable, alternative pastoral space in which (sexual) relations can be expressed free from arbitrary, gendered constraints.Show less
A textual analysis of three case studies taken from twenty-first century rock and metal music in order to analyse the use of rhetorical appeals in lyrics and video. The analysis is aimed at...Show moreA textual analysis of three case studies taken from twenty-first century rock and metal music in order to analyse the use of rhetorical appeals in lyrics and video. The analysis is aimed at exploring the combined use of different rhetorical appeals in the two media forms, in order to investigate the hybrid appeals that results from this combined rhetorical effort.Show less
This thesis explores the existence of Old English elegiac elements in Breton Lays from Medieval England. These Breton Lays include Marie de France's "Lanval" and "Chaitivel", as well as "Sir Orfeo"...Show moreThis thesis explores the existence of Old English elegiac elements in Breton Lays from Medieval England. These Breton Lays include Marie de France's "Lanval" and "Chaitivel", as well as "Sir Orfeo". The thesis examines the existence of elegiac elements in Old English poems, and refers to "The Wanderer", "The Seafarer" and "The Ruin" to delineate markers in Old English elegiac poems.Show less