This thesis argues that rather than adopting one consistent standpoint, Austen’s novels are equally critical of extreme conservatism and radicalism. In each of the three novels, Northanger Abbey,...Show moreThis thesis argues that rather than adopting one consistent standpoint, Austen’s novels are equally critical of extreme conservatism and radicalism. In each of the three novels, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion, Austen positions herself politically, by complexly connecting themes of community, mobility, and rootlessness. Methodologically, the thesis offers close-readings of passages from the novels in relation to motifs belonging to these themes. It situates these readings in political and cultural contexts, connecting Austen’s exploration of these matters to the arguments put forward by her contemporaries. It also shows how Austen’s views changed towards the end of her writing career, and demonstrates that her political ideals adapted to historical changes and were not fixed either to a doctrinaire conservatism or radicalism.Show less
The potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847)...Show moreThe potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). This thesis will examine to what extent these novels perpetuate the romanticised ideal of women as the moral and spiritual saviours of men. Through their portrayal of abusive, oppressive or otherwise problematic relationships, the Brontës explore how much influence a woman truly holds over a man’s behaviour. In doing so they navigate different perspectives on whether this ideal makes women submissive or empowered. Rather than subverting the idea of female moral authority, I argue that Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall reshape the idea to include the possibility for female agency and independence instead of self-sacrifice, whereas Wuthering Heights rejects the concept of moral authority as gendered.Show less
Jonathan Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” is a chronological, retrospective account of Edwards’ spiritual life interposed with comments and reflections on his experiences with the Divine. He describes...Show moreJonathan Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” is a chronological, retrospective account of Edwards’ spiritual life interposed with comments and reflections on his experiences with the Divine. He describes multiple powerful, highly emotional encounters as he recounts his religious development from his childhood to the present. It stands as a central text of eighteenth-century spirituality, a touchstone of religious thinking in this period. This thesis argues that concerns with the fallibility of language are central to Jonathan Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” (c.1740), as he struggles adequately to describe spiritual experience in words even as that experience is said to go beyond language, including in its emotional and bodily effects.Show less
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is, among many other things, a play that subtly criticises the patriarchal society in which it is set, advocating a more equal society instead, and...Show moreWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is, among many other things, a play that subtly criticises the patriarchal society in which it is set, advocating a more equal society instead, and this interpretation is confirmed and built upon by Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten in their respective operas based on the play.Show less
This thesis explores the web-series Frankenstein, MD, an adaptation for YouTube of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein set in contemporary times. This provides the opportunity for a modern-day...Show moreThis thesis explores the web-series Frankenstein, MD, an adaptation for YouTube of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein set in contemporary times. This provides the opportunity for a modern-day interpretation of the story in which the themes of Shelley's critique on her society, the position of women in that society, the dangers of knowledge, and the idea of the 'monster' are still relevant. Although the series and its critique appears flawed, it shows that Shelley's story is still relevant today.Show less
This thesis investigates how Henry James’s The Princess Casamassima, George Gissings’s Demos and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy address contemporary social anxieties about class...Show moreThis thesis investigates how Henry James’s The Princess Casamassima, George Gissings’s Demos and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy address contemporary social anxieties about class and gender identity by exploring the themes of inheritance and social mobility in relation to the idea of the gentleman. In all three novels the male main character tries to improve his own social position while at the same time he tries to deal with social inequality. Driven by their ideals Hyacinth Robinson, Richard Mutimer and Cedric Errol all try to make positive contributions to the society they live in. Their attempts are not equally successful.Show less
Animals that dress up like children, but lose their clothes when they are in danger: how far does the anthropomorphism go in Beatrix Potter’s stories? Potter made her animal characters to resemble...Show moreAnimals that dress up like children, but lose their clothes when they are in danger: how far does the anthropomorphism go in Beatrix Potter’s stories? Potter made her animal characters to resemble children, but she deliberately let them keep many of their natural animal instincts, too. These wild, animalistic characteristics are also seen in the pictures, which are naturalistic and scrupulously accurate. Because of the obvious presence of nature in the stories, it is hard to pin down the line between the human and the animal. But the animals in Potter’s stories were never meant to fully substitute for humans as in the traditional fable. They have kept their natural instincts and basic habits, and behave only like humans until they have to face a danger that is natural for animals of their kind, for example predators. The moment their instinct takes over, they tend to lose their clothing, and they start walking on four legs again. The role of mothers seems to be the key to anthropomorphism. They provide the link between the animal world and the human world, as in both they are wearing clothes (presumably), and are trying to teach their children good behaviour, according to the social class they are in. The clothing that Potter’s characters are made to wear by their mothers are mainly for them to look socially acceptable, which suggests middle or upper class, as in the lower classes the clothing was of smaller importance.The anthropomorphism is projected onto the child animals by their mothers, who seem determined to raise them correctly, exactly as human mothers in their time and class would have done. Thus we come back to Cunningham, with his suggestion that in order to understand the child, we should focus on the cultural construction of ideas concerning childhood, which in this case means the social class system of the 1900s.Show less
An exploration of the adaptation of Norse mythology, as presented in the Eddas, by Marvel Studios in their films Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), and Thor: The Dark World (2013).
This thesis analyzes how the representation of Anton Chigurh in Joel and Ethan Coen’s neo-noir film No Country for Old Men (2007), translates a postmodern obscurity of good and evil and how this...Show moreThis thesis analyzes how the representation of Anton Chigurh in Joel and Ethan Coen’s neo-noir film No Country for Old Men (2007), translates a postmodern obscurity of good and evil and how this phenomenon characterizes a post 9/11 American society. While analyzing various aspects of the film, most importantly its dramatis personae, it becomes evident that representations of serial murder as the portrayal of serial killer Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, alongside Ed Tom Bell and Llewelyn Moss, in addition to the film’s narrative and dialogue, contribute to the ambiguation of the dividing line between good and evil, leaving the serial killer at a borderline state. The confusion surrounding the serial killer is in an era that has been marked by a postmodern ambiance of unpredictability, angst, and perplexity. As such, representations of the serial killer epitomize and challenge the complexities and the growing moral dilemma in contemporary post 9/11 American society.Show less
This is a thesis that analyses several Dr Who serials in relation to concepts such as Colonialism, Empire, Fascism, and Humanist values. As such it treats its popular-culture subject seriously and...Show moreThis is a thesis that analyses several Dr Who serials in relation to concepts such as Colonialism, Empire, Fascism, and Humanist values. As such it treats its popular-culture subject seriously and shows how such long-running TV serials are much more than just commercial entertainment.Show less
This thesis will examine the way women are presented in Elizabeth Gaskell’s works Mary Barton (1848), North and South (1854). The thesis will argue that the portrayal of women in these novels...Show moreThis thesis will examine the way women are presented in Elizabeth Gaskell’s works Mary Barton (1848), North and South (1854). The thesis will argue that the portrayal of women in these novels reveals the role of women in different layers of society within the context of the Industrial Revolution and rejects the traditional expectations of women as simple, emotional creatures only suitable for being wives and mothers. Gaskell portrays her women as strong female characters and uses them as agents at all levels of society. The novels present their leading ladies as smart, independent women who are allowed to be both strong and emotional, and who are permitted to have their own mind free from the expectations of society. Firstly, I will look at the cultural and social-historical context in which the novels are placed and what the traditional role was for women in different levels of society. My research will also explore what the Industrial Revolution meant for women in British society, and the impact of new ideas regarding the possibility that one could rise in their station. Secondly, I will look at how each woman protagonist within the novels deal with these expectations. I shall also examine the novels in comparison to each other, and look at the differences and similarities between the female characters in each novel. For this part of my research, I shall make use of articles by Brown, Davis, Elliot’s ‘The Female Visitor’ and ‘Servants and Hands’, Pike, and Surridge, as these recent critical interpretations are central to current discussion of the novels and the ways in which they represent mid-nineteenth-century society.Show less
