Recent developments in adaptation studies have found influence in poststructuralist studies, and prioritise a non-hierarchical, open approach to adaptations, rather than the previous comparative...Show moreRecent developments in adaptation studies have found influence in poststructuralist studies, and prioritise a non-hierarchical, open approach to adaptations, rather than the previous comparative approaches that determined the framework for adaptation studies. This new perspective, in line with the poststructuralist de-emphasis of the figure of the literary author, diminishes the role of the literary author in the meaning of a literary text. This allows the adaptation to be examined in relation to the adapted text. Which aids the acknowledgement of their interconnection, without discrediting the adaptation, and encourages the examination of the respective cultural and social contexts of the adapted text, and the adaptation. However, images of literary authors return throughout pop culture, even in cinematic adaptations. This thesis is concerned with the portrayal of literary authors in cinematic adaptations of their literary works. In relation to Barthes' 'The Death of the Author' and other theories on literary authorship, this thesis examines the potential function of a representation of the literary author in an adaptation of their literary text.Show less
Sentiment analysis is the method of computationally recognising opinions stated in a piece of text, particularly to identify if the writer has a positive, negative, or neutral attitude towards a...Show moreSentiment analysis is the method of computationally recognising opinions stated in a piece of text, particularly to identify if the writer has a positive, negative, or neutral attitude towards a given topic. Although sentiment analysis is commonly used to analyse short texts on social media platforms, its application in literary research has gained traction in recent years. The emergence of sentiment analysis tools, such as Syuzhet, has notably expanded the research possibilities in this field. However, despite these advancements, there remains a need to further explore and understand the strengths and limitations of sentiment analysis in the context of literary analysis. The aim of this thesis is to further the body of knowledge about the use of sentiment analysis as a technique for plot extraction. Throughout this thesis, I experiment with a modified form of the social media analysis tool VADER. While this method proofs to work as an effective tool for extracting sentiment from linear stories, it still shows limitation on a sentence-to-sentence basis. Moreover, I use this tool to replicate an often-cited study by Reagan et al., where it was stated that the majority of stories can be categorized in six basic ‘plot shapes’. I argue that while most of these shapes can still be identified using an alternative sentiment analysis technique, this technique occasionally classifies a story into a different shape than Reagan et al.’s analysis did. I conclude by giving a critical evaluation of sentiment analysis as a tool for plot extraction. Since the ‘plot’ of a story is a multifaceted concept, we cannot simply argue that a sentiment analysis graph displays the progression of plot. Nonetheless, modifications can be made to get a fuller understanding of the narrative of a story.Show less
In recent decades, our understanding of archives has evolved beyond the familiar, institutional archive carefully tended to by a small group of trained professionals. Movements such as...Show moreIn recent decades, our understanding of archives has evolved beyond the familiar, institutional archive carefully tended to by a small group of trained professionals. Movements such as postcolonialism and postcustodialism, combined with the digital turn, have allowed interest in other, less conventional forms of archiving to emerge. As such, the concept of an archival continuum (that is, the understanding of archives as evolving and participatory systems rather than fixed institutions) has been accepted by archival scholarship. This thesis investigates whether printed family memoirs that incorporate visual material from family archives can be placed along said archival continuum. Four such memoirs – The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010), In Memory of Memory (2018), Heimat: A German Family Album (2018), and Letters to Camondo (2021) – have been selected as case studies by which to examine their potential archival and evidentiary value. Each memoir is a work of postmemory – following Marianne Hirsch, the authors are processing generational trauma passed down as a result of the Holocaust. I argue that it is not only the narratives that lend them archival value, but also their inclusion of archival material. As I will show, understanding published memoirs as archives supports an expanded recognition of non-professional memory work as archival. Importantly, the increased accessibility of published memoirs to a general audience versus that of conventional archives allows for greater interaction with the preserved objects, and so aids in supporting the societal memorialization of the Holocaust. By focusing on the paper editions of the books, I am able to examine the unique benefits and challenges of the printed book as a form of accessible archive and memory object.Show less
The era of Western colonialism and slavery has ended, but racism and discrimination still exist and the privileged position that White people still have in Western society makes it difficult for...Show moreThe era of Western colonialism and slavery has ended, but racism and discrimination still exist and the privileged position that White people still have in Western society makes it difficult for people of colour to trust them, no matter these White people’s often good intentions. Similarly, but also in a more visibly extreme way, the struggle against racism in South Africa did not end with the abolition of Apartheid. Scholars think differently about what the appropriate response would be of White South Africans to their dark history. Should they withdraw in silence and humility? Alternatively, should they play an active role in the future of the country? And how? From her position as a White Dutch woman, Zijlstra has explored the issues of race, identity and progressive change in South African literature. For White South African authors, silence was never an option, but they were nonetheless aware of their ambiguous position. With the analysis of three novels from such authors (Burger’s Daughter (1979) by Nadine Gordimer, The Rights of Desire (2000) by André Brink, and The Promise (2021) by Damon Galgut), this thesis aims to contribute to a nuanced view on both the controversy around the position of well-intentioned White people in a position of privilege, and their possibilities to take responsibility. The theorists who inform the analysis are Michael Rothberg (2019) with his concept of the implicated subject, Melissa Steyn (2001) with her research on the fragmentation of White identity in South Africa after Apartheid, Shannon Sullivan (2006) with her theory on unconscious racial habits, and Zoë Wicomb (2018) with her critical eye on myths of traditional culture and identity, as well as on the responsibility of literary authors.Show less
This thesis is focused on the portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in post 9/11 war films and television shows. The case studies used to do research on this topic were the popular and mainstream...Show moreThis thesis is focused on the portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in post 9/11 war films and television shows. The case studies used to do research on this topic were the popular and mainstream productions: The Kingdom (2007), Lone Survivor (2013), and Homeland (2011). The aim of this research was to examine how Arabs and Muslims were depicted in these productions and identify the underlying causes of these portrayals. The analyzation reveals that the majority of Arab/Muslim characters were portrayed as violent and dangerous, reinforcing negative stereotypes that originated from orientalism and have been incorporated in films since the beginning of the twentieth century. The stereotypes that have been identified within the case studies include: the Islamic rage boy, the savage and violent terrorist, the sex-deprived Muslim, and the portrayal of Islam as a violent religion. In order to be as thorough as possible, the following sub-questions have been answered: (1) How was the connection between the U.S. Military and Hollywood constructed, and what did it entail before 9/11? (2) How did the combination of a jingoistic sense of national identity, desire for retribution and the relationship between Hollywood and the Ministry of Defense, create the ideal circumstances for the vilification of Arabs and Muslims in the wake of 9/11? (3) In which way were Arabs and Muslims depicted/portrayed in in post-9/11 war films and television such as The Kingdom, Lone Survivor and Homeland? The first sub-question has displayed why it was “normal” for Hollywood producers to meet up with the people from the U.S. government by describing the history of the relationship of Hollywood and the U.S. military. The second sub-question was focused on how the American society reacted towards the 9/11 attacks and what kind of rhetoric was popularized as a consequence. This rhetoric created the ideal circumstances for the vilification of Arabs and Muslims. In the last sub-question, analyzed scenes, visuals, and dialogue from the case studies showcase that Arab and Muslim characters were depicted in a negative light. The latter meant that the events of 9/11 still had a substantial influence on the productions and it showed that Matusitz, Bayraktaroğlu and Westwell were wrong by claiming that the tone of post 9/11 cinema had a turnaround from 2004 onwards as a result of the Abu Ghraib scandal, because the negative stereotypes were still very prominent within the case studies.Show less
Preprints are complete scholarly manuscripts that have not (yet) been through a formal peer review process and are made publicly available, often by uploading them to a preprint server, which can...Show morePreprints are complete scholarly manuscripts that have not (yet) been through a formal peer review process and are made publicly available, often by uploading them to a preprint server, which can be accessed without any limitations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, preprints gained popularity because they allow for rapid dissemination of research, which was vital at that point. Yet, this increased popularity of preprints does not appear to have lessened since the recent end of the pandemic and it is not expected that it will rapidly diminish either. Instead, it has even spread to fields that have arguably had little to do with COVID research. It would appear that the pandemic was the boost preprints needed to become more widely accepted across many academic fields. Now, many contemporary critics argue that preprints are becoming ‘a common part of the scholarly publishing process’ and are referring to preprints as an ‘important tool’ in scholarly publishing, a way to ‘complement’ the current system. This thesis analyses which functions of academic publishing are complemented by preprints and in what way they prove to be important tools within the existing system. In order to do so, the thesis commences with a comparative analysis of five separate theories regarding what the functions of (academic) publishing are and builds a new theoretical framework with which to analyse preprints and their role.Show less
In the course of the twentieth century, digital multimodal longform journalism has grown to become one of the most consequential genres of online writing. From being a peripheral genre in the 1990s...Show moreIn the course of the twentieth century, digital multimodal longform journalism has grown to become one of the most consequential genres of online writing. From being a peripheral genre in the 1990s, it is now an essential part of most news outlet’s digital platforms. The genre’s ascent, its connection with the digital advances of the last two decades, and its effect on readers has been closely followed and widely analyzed by media scholars. This thesis is especially concerned with the latter topic as it primarily explores what affordances of the digital multimodal longform genre contribute to immersion.Show less
This thesis explores how literature has represented AI and evaluates the effectiveness of computers in assisting us to answer this question. This representation is studied starting from the period...Show moreThis thesis explores how literature has represented AI and evaluates the effectiveness of computers in assisting us to answer this question. This representation is studied starting from the period just before it was born as a scientific discipline in 1956, and ending in 2015. It first sets out to examine both the optimistic and the fatalistic view of AI and traces the sources of the fear of AI, and then continues to use computational methods to research the portrayal of AI in fiction. To facilitate the analysis, 39 speculative fiction books were filtered and a file was created that contained sentences on AI in the books. This enabled a study of animacy, sentiments, emotions, and synonyms of ‘helpful and ‘doom’ across the corpus. During the study, the flaws of computational analysis are highlighted, especially its lack of interpretation skills and inability to fully understand context. Consequently, this provides difficulty in drawing definitive conclusions about AI’s representation specifically. Still, despite its limitations, the study is able to conclude that most AI-themed fiction conveys a positive message to the reader.Show less
De bron is van cruciaal belang voor de journalist. Alleen door gebruik te maken van betrouwbare bronnen, is de journalist in staat om het publiek te voorzien van betrouwbare en verifieerbare...Show moreDe bron is van cruciaal belang voor de journalist. Alleen door gebruik te maken van betrouwbare bronnen, is de journalist in staat om het publiek te voorzien van betrouwbare en verifieerbare informatie. De bron voorziet de journalist van de informatie waarop nieuwsverhalen zijn gebaseerd. Bronnen spelen daarnaast een rol in het werk van de journalist. Dat blijkt onder meer uit het feit dat geïnterviewde bronnen de kans krijgen om teksten na te lezen voor publicatie. Deze studie poogt bloot te leggen welke macht bronnen hebben in de lokale journalistiek. De leefwereld van de eindredacteur van de lokale krant is daarbij het uitgangspunt, gezien hij de kwaliteit van de krant dient te bewaken. Voor de kwaliteit van lokale journalistiek wordt al langere tijd gevreesd. Zo zorgen financiële tekorten sinds de digitalisering van het nieuws voor een redactiekrimp en een stijgende werkdruk. Het werk van de eindredacteur veranderde daardoor ook. Er bestaan in onderzoek zorgen over hoe dit ook het brongebruik in de lokale journalistiek beïnvloedt. Veelal zouden lokale kranten te weinig bronnen gebruiken, persberichten meteen doorplaatsen en moeizaam de lokale samenleving representeren. Dit heeft tot gevolg dat de lokale krant tekortschiet in het vervullen van haar drie functies: informeren, controleren en verbinden. Dat is onwenselijk, want lokale burgers moeten goed geïnformeerd zijn over de politiek zodat ze onder meer weloverwogen beslissingen maken bij de lokale verkiezingen. In eerder onderzoek naar bovenstaande problematiek spelen vier onderwerpen een grote rol. Deze zijn ook van belang voor deze studie: de bron, de lokale journalistiek, het nieuwsproductieproces en de eindredacteur als kwaliteitsbewaker. Om vast te stellen welke rol de bron speelt in het nieuwsproductieproces op lokale redacties volgens de eindredacteur, zijn twaalf interviews afgenomen met eindredacteuren bij lokale kranten in Zuid-Holland. Uit de resultaten kwam naar voren dat de macht van de bron groot is. De lokale inwoner is de belangrijkste bron van de lokale eindredacteur. Daaronder vallen de lezers, institutionele bronnen en mensen uit het verenigingsleven. Deze bronnen voorzien de lokale eindredacteur van veel nieuwsonderwerpen. Eindredacteuren selecteren wekelijks uit honderden mails en persberichten welke onderwerpen er in de krant komen. Bij deze ‘in-kant’ van het nieuws, zitten ook verzoeken tot interviews. Eindredacteuren bevestigen dat bronnen hen meestal benaderen voor een interview. Aan het einde van het nieuwsproductieproces krijgen bronnen de kans om artikelen voor publicatie na te lezen. Ze mogen suggesties doen om feitelijke onjuistheden aan te laten passen, maar gaan vaak een stap verder dan wat eindredacteuren verstaan onder ‘feitelijk onjuist’. Zo nemen bronnen uitspraken terug of herschrijven ze quotes. Daarbij geeft de eindredacteur niet-institutionele bronnen met persoonlijke verhalen meer vrijheid dan institutionele bronnen en mensen met belangen. Bronnen zijn ten slotte doorgaans bekenden van de eindredacteur. Dit komt doordat de eindredacteur zelf onderdeel uitmaakt van de lokale gemeenschap of doordat hij de bron eerder sprak voor een interview. De eindredacteur bij lokale media is namelijk verantwoordelijk voor het volledige nieuwsproductieproces van een krant, en neemt dus ook zelf interviews af. Echter, de eindredacteur vindt het belangrijk om verschillende bronnen in de gemeenschap te spreken om representatief te zijn. Daarnaast zou hij geen mensen uit zijn nabije omgeving interviewen in verband met belangenverstrengeling. Hoewel dus blijkt dat de macht van de bron groot is, blijft het voor de eindredacteur belangrijk om een onafhankelijke kwalitatieve krant te maken. Hierbij is het voor hen voornamelijk belangrijk dat de lokale journalistiek ‘voor en door bewoners’ wordt gemaakt.Show less
