This is a study of the Old Bailey Session Papers to find evidence for sexist language in nineteenth-century court depositions. Historical research found evidence for a bias against men among the...Show moreThis is a study of the Old Bailey Session Papers to find evidence for sexist language in nineteenth-century court depositions. Historical research found evidence for a bias against men among the Late Modern populace, specifically, the widely-held belief that men were the reason for a supposed crime problem. This thesis employs language analysis software to find out whether this belief translated into sexism in the courtroom. Non-violent theft depositions between 1800 and 1899 available through the Old Bailey Proceedings Online were divided into two corpora, one for male defendants and one for female defendants, and analyzed in SketchEngine. The data showed no linguistic bias against men, instead there was a clear bias against women. The language used was in line with common sexist stereotypes and gender expectations for women. The recommendation is for further research to carry out similar data analysis for different groups of men, to see if the belief of a male crime problem targeted any specific group of marginalized men instead.Show less
This thesis presents a comparison between the translations of Beowulf by David Wright, Michael Alexander, Seamus Heaney and J.R.R. Tolkien. With the help of a base translation the grammar and...Show moreThis thesis presents a comparison between the translations of Beowulf by David Wright, Michael Alexander, Seamus Heaney and J.R.R. Tolkien. With the help of a base translation the grammar and vocabulary of the four translations are analysed. Then on the basis of the differences between the translations, a conclusion is made concerning which translation is best suited for a certain audience.Show less
In the genre of Contemporary Romance, there is a certain pattern of characterization of male and female protagonists that is reminiscent of the medieval convention of Courtly Love. Characteristics...Show moreIn the genre of Contemporary Romance, there is a certain pattern of characterization of male and female protagonists that is reminiscent of the medieval convention of Courtly Love. Characteristics of traditional medieval romantic narratives include idolatry of the female protagonist, who oftentimes fulfills a passive role despite her idealization. While the role of female characters in Contemporary Romance novels has become exponentially more active, certain popular characteristics might be traced back directly to their medieval ancestor.Show less
By choosing characters with a similar background, this thesis will focus on the women mentioned above within the framework of medievalism and gender theory to explore how traits and characteristics...Show moreBy choosing characters with a similar background, this thesis will focus on the women mentioned above within the framework of medievalism and gender theory to explore how traits and characteristics rooted in the notion of femininity and masculinity has shifted within literature in the course of time. I ultimately intend to argue that in modern-day fiction, traditional gender roles have blurred, and as a result of that, women have acquired more dynamic roles.Show less
This thesis explores the ways in which gendered language related to love and marriage can illuminate aspects concerning the themes of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma...Show moreThis thesis explores the ways in which gendered language related to love and marriage can illuminate aspects concerning the themes of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma. A literature review has been provided in order to support the investigations conducted in this thesis, and it summarises the areas of gendered language which have been selected for analysis. In the subsequent sections, a study of the data collected with the use of the application WordSmith focuses on the ways in which patterns of gendered language uttered by various characters highlight fundamental features of different ages and classes. Key elements of age and class differences were uncovered, with extremely varying perspectives on love and marriage by the older generations and those of the higher upper classes, as opposed to the younger generations and members of lower positions in society. A reading of the two novels together has allowed for a wide analysis of Austen’s themes across her works, and it has led to the discovery of interesting parallels between Pride and Prejudice and Emma.Show less
Studies on Charlotte Brontë have focused on her personal life (Peters, 1975; Thörmahlen, 2012), her letter writing (Brontë, Smith ed., 1995–2000) and her work as an author. Her novel Jane Eyre ...Show moreStudies on Charlotte Brontë have focused on her personal life (Peters, 1975; Thörmahlen, 2012), her letter writing (Brontë, Smith ed., 1995–2000) and her work as an author. Her novel Jane Eyre (1847) was even included in a study investigating the use of the progressive during the nineteenth century (Arnaud, 1998). Although Arnaud’s study incorporated both novels and personal correspondence of contemporary authors, it excluded her letters. This thesis examines Brontë’s usage of the progressive in her letters exchanged with four members of her social network. Moreover, the investigation considers other contexts, such as formal and informal relations, as well as the gender of the recipients. Instances of the progressive were measured in terms of density, a method of normalization. This study finds evidence which supports the notion that the author’s use of the ‘be +-ing’ construction was likely to have been influenced by her second social network. Moreover, it indicates that her usage became more systematic during the final period of her life. The gender comparison shows that she used most progressive forms in letters addressed to women, than to men. Such usage of the construction correlates with female progressive usage of the nineteenth century (Arnaud, 1998, p. 131). However, the low use of the progressive in letters to men might indicate that Brontë adopted male ‘linguistic behaviour’ (Tieken-Boon van Ostade, 2009, pp. 114–115) as a result of her work as an author and her interaction with multiple social networks.Show less
Death is featured extensively in Anglo-Saxon literature, however, it has never been researched to its full extent in the elegiac poems The Wanderer, The Wife’s Lament and The Seafarer. This thesis...Show moreDeath is featured extensively in Anglo-Saxon literature, however, it has never been researched to its full extent in the elegiac poems The Wanderer, The Wife’s Lament and The Seafarer. This thesis aims to explore the theme of death in these poems and will further delve into the possibility whether the thought of suicide is present in them. Elegiac poetry, featuring an implied deeper meaning of sorrow and grief towards the state of the soul and the earthly existence, has been a subject of research for many decades, especially for its deeper poetic meaning. By looking at relevant interpretations of the Anglo-Saxon elegies that have been suggested by scholars, this thesis will try to answer the question whether death, which is a recurring motif in Anglo-Saxon literature, is also present in the elegies. In addition, it will be shown how the theme of death comes into play when linked to the poet’s discomfort of the soul, and whether the thought of suicide can also be discovered in these poems. It is to be expected that the conflict of the mind in these ‘sad poems’ can be linked to the thought of death, thus proving that suicide is a theme that occurs in these elegies as well.Show less
This thesis will examine changing gender roles and the ideal of equality in marriage during the Middle Ages using two medieval tales: The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and Chaucer’s Wife...Show moreThis thesis will examine changing gender roles and the ideal of equality in marriage during the Middle Ages using two medieval tales: The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale. In both tales, the figure of the loathly lady is an important character who overthrows traditional gender roles and embodies a new kind of ideal woman. She defies the gender binary by not conforming to her expected gender role and by conveying the message that women want sovereignty over their husbands. The ultimate goal, however, is not for a woman to be superior to a man, but for both to live as equals in marriage. In this thesis I will apply medieval gender theories to both The Wedding if Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle and The Wife of Bath’s Tale in order to show the inferior position that women were expected to take, especially in marriage, and how the loathly lady proposes a new ideal of equality by claiming that what women actually want is to have power themselves.Show less
The portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the...Show moreThe portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the newest Disney films they can be the hero. Although the Middle English romances "Sir Launfal" and "Sir Gowther", the fairytale "Snow White" and the Disney films "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Brave" share several motifs and themes like courtly love and chivalry, there has been a shift concerning their portrayal of women. It can be concluded that the portrayal of women in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is in line with its direct predecessor, Snow White, as well as with the medieval romances “Sir Launfal” and “Sir Gowther”. The female characters in these tales are described in a rather passive way. Brave, on the other hand, presents Merida in an active way and, therefore, breaks with the ‘anti-feminist’ tradition. This newest film has become in favour of women who take control over their own future by pursuing their dreams.Show less
