This thesis is a comparative analysis, viewing Terry Pratchet's Wyrd Sisters as a parody of Macbeth. The topics of comparison are the Macbeths versus the Felmets, Shakespeare's witches versus...Show moreThis thesis is a comparative analysis, viewing Terry Pratchet's Wyrd Sisters as a parody of Macbeth. The topics of comparison are the Macbeths versus the Felmets, Shakespeare's witches versus Pratchett's witches, and the fantasy elements present in both stories. This thesis aims to prove that Pratchett, and by extension comedy and fantasy, should be considered worthy of serious academic study, which has not been done much so far.Show less
While much scholarly work has been done on American Cold-War science fiction, John Wyndham’s work has received relatively little attention from literary scholars. Only a handful of sustained...Show moreWhile much scholarly work has been done on American Cold-War science fiction, John Wyndham’s work has received relatively little attention from literary scholars. Only a handful of sustained literary discussions of his work have been published. An unfortunate event, since many of his books give a representation of post-war developments in the form of (post)-apocalyptic stories, and these narratives reflect the society’s fear of what humankind was able to invent, and how these inventions could be harmful to its very existence on a global scale. By embedding non-fictional post-war developments in his science fiction, Wyndham created stories that – even today – can be read as warnings against such dangers. This thesis examines the ways in which post-war social, political and economic developments are embedded in Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Kraken Wakes (1953), The Chrysalids (1955), and The Outward Urge (1959), and what rhetorical force his stories have. Moreover, the thesis concentrates on how the science fiction genre enabled Wyndham to warn his readership for the possible fatal consequences of the Cold War parties’ behaviour and how the genre facilitated Wyndham in expressing criticism of these two power blocs. Furthermore, it focuses especially on Cold War elements that affected British society, such as the nuclear threat, the Space Race, and the changing social position of women.Show less
In 2010 the BBC launched a new series called Sherlock, a contemporary adaption of the Holmes stories. In this recent adaption created by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis, the original characters are...Show moreIn 2010 the BBC launched a new series called Sherlock, a contemporary adaption of the Holmes stories. In this recent adaption created by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis, the original characters are presented with a modern twist. Gattis and Moffat are known for their work on the BBC series Dr Who, a programme with a central character himself notably indebted to Holmes. The villains in the BBC series Sherlock challenge Sherlock to commit wicked deeds, and therefore perhaps to become a villain himself. This thesis will argue that in this way the show sets out to destabilize and call into question notions of an essential distinction between heroism and villainy.Show less
This thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as...Show moreThis thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as Lakoff (1973) suggests. The Introduction gives an overview of the field and the relevant issues and literature and the concepts of gender roles (particularly the phenomenon of the ‘power woman’) and the High Rise are explained. The Methodology for the research consists of two tests. First, five minutes of speech of twenty women in Dutch media were analysed for frequencies of the End Rise. The two women who displayed the highest and lowest frequencies were then subjected to further research (with transcribed speech samples consisting of ten minutes) to investigate the nature and context of their End Rises and whether these End Rises constitute occurrences of the High Rise. The results for both tests, which show that there is little correlation between the High Rise and assumed insecurity, are presented in the Results chapter. In the Conclusion, the results are discussed in relation to the research questions and the implications of the research and its results are also discussed.Show less
In this thesis I have analysed the linguistic features that are used to distance oneself from members of the outgroup, and how these features show change when a character redefines the social self...Show moreIn this thesis I have analysed the linguistic features that are used to distance oneself from members of the outgroup, and how these features show change when a character redefines the social self by breaking away from the ingroup, making use of Eve Harris’ novel The Marrying of Chani Kaufman (2013) as a corpus. The framework of Critical Discourse Analysis was applied, and adapted for use in fictional literature in terms of analysed features and interpretational dimensions. The features that were analysed focus on the use of locational cues (e.g. deixis), framing of time (e.g. narration time, tense and aspect), and choice of diction (e.g. adjectives, adverbials). For the interpretation of the results I deviated from Fairclough's commonly used three dimensional analysis structure (Jørgensen & Phillips, 2002, pp. 81-86), which is more suitable for use of non-fictional works in their relation to extratextual links and other cultural elements. Instead I made use of an interpretation that extrapolates the dimensions to aspects of the individual as they show in fiction: ideology, constructing reality, and social inequality. In sum, the analysis reveals that features with regard to social inequality, especially thought representation, demonstratives and focalisation, change when Rivka identifies herself increasingly with members of the outgroup.Show less
This thesis sets out to discover how Achilles is portrayed in modern literature, more specifically in the way his duality (mortal and divine) is depicted, in comparison to Homer’s epic. This will...Show moreThis thesis sets out to discover how Achilles is portrayed in modern literature, more specifically in the way his duality (mortal and divine) is depicted, in comparison to Homer’s epic. This will be done by close-reading Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011), Elizabeth Cook’s Achilles (2001), and Wolfgang Petersen’s film Troy (2004). In analysing these texts, I will focus on moments which spark an emotional reaction from Achilles. By comparing the moments from the three contemporary texts both to each other and in relation to the Iliad, in the translation made by Robert Fagles in 1990, I wish to explore in what way Achilles’ divinity and humanity is depicted. This will be done by using the methodological frameworks of intertextuality and the notion of adaptation and appropriation.Show less
Novels Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Falling Man by Don DeLillo and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid all engage with the individual and collective traumas...Show moreNovels Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Falling Man by Don DeLillo and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid all engage with the individual and collective traumas of 9/11. They do so in different ways and from different perspectives, but each struggles with the desire for (or impossibility of) achieving narrative closure. My thesis will use Mieke Bal’s theory linking trauma to the impossibility of closure in order to analyze the novels’ strategies to address the trauma of 9/11. I will argue that the level of healing achieved is directly related to the degree of narrative closure each novel reaches. Oskar, the child protagonist of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (year), addresses the trauma of losing his father in the attacks by going on a quest and keeping a scrapbook in which he collects his memories of his father’s life and death. This process allows him (and the novel) to achieve closure. Falling Man (year) collects the fragments of the lives of direct and indirect New York victims of the attacks, and tries to reassemble them. Here, the trauma is addressed on a more collective level than in the case of ELaIC, sometimes successfully, in other cases less so. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (year) is a novel from the other side: its speaker and main character is a Pakistani activist, whose trauma consists of his rejection by American society after 9/11. Changez and the other characters function as metaphors for the national traumas incurred. These remain unresolved and the novel accordingly does not reach narrative closure. Together, these novels suggest that individual 9/11 traumas may be worked through successfully, but that there remains an unresolved collective or even global trauma.Show less
Making use of trauma theory and Erin H. McGlothlin's concept of the third-level narration, this thesis will discuss how Vladek's trauma and its transmission to Artie are visually and narratively...Show moreMaking use of trauma theory and Erin H. McGlothlin's concept of the third-level narration, this thesis will discuss how Vladek's trauma and its transmission to Artie are visually and narratively represented. An analysis of particularly the third level of narration in Art Spiegelman's "Maus" shows that Vladek and Artie do not succeed in fully working through their traumas.Show less
The use of 'you' and 'thou' in Early Modern English texts compared to their use in spoken language of the time has been subject of debate for many years, but no consensus has yet been reached....Show moreThe use of 'you' and 'thou' in Early Modern English texts compared to their use in spoken language of the time has been subject of debate for many years, but no consensus has yet been reached. Several case studies and comprehensive studies of various text types have been performed, but hardly any of the previous studies compared different text types with each other. By combining statistical analysis with a detailed interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and comparing the results to those found in sixteenth century court records and letters, a new attempt has been made to uncover a general model for the use of 'you' and 'thou' in spoken language of the Early Modern English period.Show less
This thesis discusses the role of film and star persona in relation to the dominant ideology of the 1950s. Judy Holliday is used as an example in this matter to demonstrate in what ways a female...Show moreThis thesis discusses the role of film and star persona in relation to the dominant ideology of the 1950s. Judy Holliday is used as an example in this matter to demonstrate in what ways a female star persona reflected cultural expectations for American women in film.Show less
This thesis examines the influence that the English language has on Dutch advertising. In this communicative process, lexical choices are fundamental. Code switching is a commonly-used resource...Show moreThis thesis examines the influence that the English language has on Dutch advertising. In this communicative process, lexical choices are fundamental. Code switching is a commonly-used resource when it comes to the objective of consumer persuasion. In the Netherlands, businesses often choose to use English loanwords in Dutch context to communicate a more dynamic sales pitch to the consumer. Nonetheless, the effects that the use of a non-native language has on brand evaluation are still quite indefinite. For this research, a group of 126 Dutch-speaking adolescents were brought together to fill out a questionnaire, to explore the involvement of educational levels in brand evaluation by consumers. For this purpose, the respondents evaluated different language versions of commercial advertisements. The results indicate that Dutch adolescents prefer the English language in advertising to their native tongue, as it yields more positive connotations. In conclusion, this study offers empirical support for the strategic choice of English language in advertisements that are targeted to an adolescent Dutch audience.Show less
This thesis attempts to determine whether adults who were raised with simultaneous bilingualism and live in a monolingual country still know two languages in a native-like manner, even if one of...Show moreThis thesis attempts to determine whether adults who were raised with simultaneous bilingualism and live in a monolingual country still know two languages in a native-like manner, even if one of the two has become more dominant in daily life. Twenty simultaneous bilinguals were asked to carry out a picture-naming task. For this test, the bilinguals had to name objects in Dutch and English and the time it took them to switch between languages was measured. In general, an L1 is suppressed more severely than an L2 when the other language is spoken, and it therefore takes more time to switch from an L2 to an L1 than vice versa. The participants did not take significantly longer to switch from one language to the other than vice versa, suggesting that simultaneous bilinguals are capable of retrieving both of their languages in a native-like manner even if they live in a monolingual environment.Show less
