This thesis explores the depiction of the ‘other’ and foreignness in Stoker’s Dracula by examining the representation of the Dutch Abraham Van Helsing and the American Quincey Morris, rather than...Show moreThis thesis explores the depiction of the ‘other’ and foreignness in Stoker’s Dracula by examining the representation of the Dutch Abraham Van Helsing and the American Quincey Morris, rather than focusing on the titular character.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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In this thesis I analyse director Guillermo Del Toro's film The Shape of Water, comparing it to Beauty and the Beast tales and the classic monster movie. I do this using theories of melodrama,...Show moreIn this thesis I analyse director Guillermo Del Toro's film The Shape of Water, comparing it to Beauty and the Beast tales and the classic monster movie. I do this using theories of melodrama, looking, and the (monstrous) Other/other.Show less
This thesis examines the differences between Camus and Levinas on the topic of interaction with the Other, and what these differences ultimately mean for their philosophies from the focal question...Show moreThis thesis examines the differences between Camus and Levinas on the topic of interaction with the Other, and what these differences ultimately mean for their philosophies from the focal question of ‘how can we interact with the Other?’. My claim is that the symmetry in Camus’ understanding of the relationship with the Other results in an interaction which allows for the creation of meaning between the subject and Other that Levinas does not leave room for. I first do a basic comparison of their philosophies, then detail the use of the term ‘transcendence’ in order to establish a ground upon which the comparison between them can be made, since their approaches and terminology are quite different. I then lean on Derrida to criticize Levinas’ concept of Otherness, and end by discussing how Camus evades these pitfalls by having a concept of the Other which allows for a symmetrical relationship.Show less
In the western philosophical tradition, the notion of ‘freedom’ has been approached as a ‘concept’. A concept is a philosophical tool to establish a definite representation of the addressed notion....Show moreIn the western philosophical tradition, the notion of ‘freedom’ has been approached as a ‘concept’. A concept is a philosophical tool to establish a definite representation of the addressed notion. In this sense, the conceptual approach to freedom has, in the modern era, led to the formulation of two dominant concepts of freedom, i.e. positive and negative concept of freedom. The conceptual approach to freedom holds sway over the current legal, political, sociological, and philosophical debates. This methodological study puts the adequacy of this approach into question. As such, the main task of this research is to articulate a complex method, whereby one could rethink the notion of ‘freedom’ from the standpoint of the other. This method of inquiry will be cultivated, through the exploration and examination of Heidegger’s phenomenological method, Wittgenstein’s account of linguistic meaning and Castoriadis’s social-historical approach. The dialogical composition of these three perspectives enables us to give birth to a new complex method, by which one could investigate the notion of ‘freedom’ from the standpoint of the other.Show less
