In The Secret Garden the religious aspects of the text are subtle, and not to be understood as being rigorously either Christian or pagan. This thesis explores the idea that Burnett’s The Secret...Show moreIn The Secret Garden the religious aspects of the text are subtle, and not to be understood as being rigorously either Christian or pagan. This thesis explores the idea that Burnett’s The Secret Garden presents ‘nature’ as a Christian presence, but in fact the text suggests that a syncretism between the pagan and the Christian aspects heals the two children, Mary and Colin, physically and emotionally. In order to argue this syncretism, it is important to understand the cultural context regarding symbolism, paganism and Christianity.Show less
Although the target audience of Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, consisting of Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000) might seem to be children...Show moreAlthough the target audience of Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, consisting of Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000) might seem to be children and young adult readers, the books have also attracted numerous adult readers. In this fantasy story Pullman addresses important questions regarding issues such as religion, the existence of God and the function of belief, love, and death. But beyond all these controversial and difficult discussions, this thesis argues that the story itself is best understood as permeated by a sense of loss. In each part of the trilogy, a character ends up losing a loved one, be it a parent, child, sibling, daemon or lover. In the final book, the Authority, Pullman’s vague god figure, is also killed off, resulting in a collapse of religion and the Church as an institution. His two young protagonists, Will and Lyra, travel through the world of the dead and eventually free all the souls trapped there, and these souls dissolve into elementary particles and become part of the physical world. This leads to the question of what really happens after we die, if there is no Heaven, and we simply return to the state that we were created from. This idea completely undermines what we are taught by religions such as Christianity and Islam, that there is a life after death and one will go to heaven or hell depending on their actions and choices of this life. Thus, besides a physical loss caused by death, there is also a loss of faith. Finally, this thesis will argue that through his portrayal of religion, death and love in the trilogy, Pullman presents loss as a defining element of life, and this prevalent sense of loss enables him to redefine the meaning and function of religion, death and love in the 21st century, while also putting forward a new myth that might compensate for such losses.Show less
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
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
When creating his main character, Arthur Conan Doyle could never have thought that centuries later the detective stories would still invoke such strong reactions. Although Sherlock Holmes has...Show moreWhen creating his main character, Arthur Conan Doyle could never have thought that centuries later the detective stories would still invoke such strong reactions. Although Sherlock Holmes has indeed been a commercial success over the past hundreds of years, it has had its struggles dealing with its popularity. The 19th century audience already practically forced Doyle to write a sequel to the novel. Since then Sherlock Holmes’ audience and their surroundings obviously have changed dramatically. Technological advancements are not the least important influencers of the original detective stories. The most recent adaptations are the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law and the BBC series Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Both have again reached millions of fans worldwide resulting in a growing demand of new episodes. With that comes a third technological development, the Internet, where an enormous fan base was created and Sherlock Holmes got an online identity of its own. The question arises how a character and his detective stories can still be so popular today. Apart from using facts and numbers that indicate its popularity, this thesis will investigate the developments in British television that has supported the reinvention of the character of Sherlock Holmes.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
The 21st century film iteration of Batman was created by Christopher Nolan who reimagined the character and his story in The Dark Knight Trilogy by adopting a darker, grittier, more serious tone....Show moreThe 21st century film iteration of Batman was created by Christopher Nolan who reimagined the character and his story in The Dark Knight Trilogy by adopting a darker, grittier, more serious tone. This thesis will explore how the shift in tone moved the films away from fantasy into what might be termed a heightened reality, thereby allowing for the creation of a more complex, Batman-orientated narrative. Moreover, this thesis will demonstrate how these changes deepened the superhero genre and brought to the foreground the ambiguous, morally gray nature of the main protagonist, which resulted in the redefinition of how a superhero can be presented and understood, and lifted the ‘superhero film’ above being mere escapist entertainment.Show less
In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling combines the tradition of the fairy tale with her reinvention of it. She reinvents the fairy tale in several different ways. Firstly, she reconstitutes the...Show moreIn The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling combines the tradition of the fairy tale with her reinvention of it. She reinvents the fairy tale in several different ways. Firstly, she reconstitutes the place of magic in the traditional fairy tale, changing it from an impediment that often hampers the hero or heroine to one that helps them to achieve their goal. Connected to this, Rowling also re-invents the role of women in fairy tales, incorporating feminism into her fairy tales. On the other hand, Rowling holds on to the moralising nature of fairy tales. In this thesis, I will explore J.K. Rowling’s re-invention of the fairy tale by looking at the interconnection of magic, feminism and (un)virtuous behaviour and its rewards in her stories.Show less
“One needs a lot of courage, to live”, observes Jean Rhys in Good Morning Midnight (1939) (16). It may just be the credo of her protagonist, Sasha Jansen, but could as easily have been that of Lady...Show more“One needs a lot of courage, to live”, observes Jean Rhys in Good Morning Midnight (1939) (16). It may just be the credo of her protagonist, Sasha Jansen, but could as easily have been that of Lady Brett Ashley in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises (1926). In fact, it is the very observation that implies the scorn and ridicule that the modern woman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century faced as she pushed the boundaries of a male-dominated world. The ‘New Woman’, as she was called, spread out from the United Kingdom to Western Europe and the United States and demanded the right to vote, an equal share in jobs and education, and sexual freedom. She drove herself into public visibility and in turn made way for the ‘vamp’ and the ‘flapper’. In this essay I will take a closer look at the New Woman of the twenties and thirties and explore her different types through an analysis of Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen. In doing so I attempt to determine where the New Woman could flourish and where she could not, what her internal, psychological problems were, which external challenges she met and how the texts represent these matters. Ever since their existence, Brett and Sasha have been critically and often acerbically labelled and categorised. “Bitch woman”, “prostitute” and “failure”, are just a few of a long list of derogatory terms that have been applied by their contemporaries and critics up to date. In this essay I will counteract such descriptions and argue that Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen are, in fact, each in their own way, a late version of the ‘New Woman’ pushing the limits of their restrictions and struggling with the contemporary difficulties they encountered in this role. While the term New Woman is associated with a more serious and intellectual activist, concerned with education and politics, both the flapper and vamp connote fun. Both types take an aspect of the New Woman’s endeavours and magnify it. For the vamp this is seduction, for the flapper it is post-war hedonism in its broadest sense. It is no coincidence, then, that it is precisely this pursuit of pleasure that connects Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen. Neither Brett nor Sasha pursues a structured path or noble purpose, neither aspire to a career, both, in fact, do whatever they want, whether society approves or not. However, in doing so Brett and Sasha do contribute to the process of women’s liberation. Not because they participate in feminist campaigns or operations – they don’t – but purely because they live how they choose to live. With their chosen acts both women rebel against male domination in general and the prevailing social norms of their respective decades. For Brett, the norms are a product of Victorian heritage, for Sasha they are the standards of a sober and sensible thirties conservatism.Show less