Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
Starting with his first translation in 1976, Allen Ginsberg has been popular among Turkish readers, and since then many young Turkish poets have considered him and his poetry a great influence....Show moreStarting with his first translation in 1976, Allen Ginsberg has been popular among Turkish readers, and since then many young Turkish poets have considered him and his poetry a great influence. Though his poetry has been translated by different publishing houses in different periods, Ginsberg’s recognition has increased in the early 90s with the establishment of the 6:45 publishing house, which started as an underground press with a particular focus on the Beat Generation writers. In this thesis, I will examine the 1976, 1991 and 2008 translations of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg as published by different publishing houses, and the tripartite relation between the domestication of the source text, the aim of the translator and the perception of the poet by the reader as the text is manipulated by the translation.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This research incorporates my analyses, based on close-readings, of cultural representations of the posthuman, each of which embodies different anxieties and power-relations. I depart from the...Show moreThis research incorporates my analyses, based on close-readings, of cultural representations of the posthuman, each of which embodies different anxieties and power-relations. I depart from the assumption that there are three dominant anxieties represented here: the fear of disembodiment; the fear of a loss of human uniqueness; and a fear of totalitarian control in relation to technology’s dehumanizing potential. By close-reading Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell (1995) I address issues concerning the representation of the female cyborg as disembodied. Philip K. Dick’s Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) and the novel’s adaptation into Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner (1982) are analysed as challenging ideas about human nature and human uniqueness as based on more affective notions such as empathy. The analysis of the game We Happy Few (Compulsion Games, 2016) focuses on how the game thematises concerns about the dehumanizing potential of technologies in relation to notions of control and state-regulation. The aim of this research is to achieve a better understanding of the social and economic influences that shape different representations of humans and posthumans, and to demonstrate how definitions of what it means to be human are produced and represented in order to conceal their inherent fabricated, artificial character. I will demonstrate that fears and anxieties surrounding potential dystopic outcomes of human enhancement are all informed by (a fear of the loss of) power and control, and ideas of inequality and potential social disruption already present in society today.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is mainly known for his Victorian novels. However, Dickens pursued a lifelong relationship with the theatrical world. This thesis aims at exploring this relationship,...Show moreCharles Dickens (1812-1870) is mainly known for his Victorian novels. However, Dickens pursued a lifelong relationship with the theatrical world. This thesis aims at exploring this relationship, taking into account two theatrical adaptations of Dickens’ novel "Bleak House" in 1853: James Elphinstone and Frederic Neale’s "‘Bleak House’, a drama in two acts", performed at the City of London Theatre in June 1853, and George Dibdin Pitt’s "The Bleak House, or the Spectre of the Ghost Walk", performed at the Royal Pavilion Theatre, also in June 1853, before the final instalments of the novel had been published. The main focus of this analysis is the investigation of Gothic motifs present in Dickens’ novel, and how they were represented in these two productions. The conclusion is that these Gothic elements were enhanced on stage by means of textual selections, set arrangements and plot focused on the Dedlocks’ Ghost legend, illustrating the sensationalist character of the nineteenth-century melodramatic theatre. Furthermore, the focus on spectacle also resulted in an impoverishment of the social criticism layer present in Dickens’ novel, demonstrating the productions’ focus on entertainment, in accordance with the theatres’ purposes and target audience in the East End area in London in the nineteenth century.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
It is simply undeniable that Jean-Jacques Rousseau played his vital part inspiring the world to modernisation, including China. There is also no gainsaying the fact that he had countless ...Show moreIt is simply undeniable that Jean-Jacques Rousseau played his vital part inspiring the world to modernisation, including China. There is also no gainsaying the fact that he had countless ‘apprentices’ in late Qing China, and apparently many Chinese intellectual elites during that period thought so as well. In the field of literature, Émile, ou de l'éducation inspired Chinese intellectual circle, especially realms of literature and publication, and stirred up a trend of ‘novel of education’. In addition, Rousseau’s writings and his image frequently appeared in the new-styled prints in late Qing China. Yet if we make a general survey of Chinese history evolving towards the point of modernisation and afterwards, the course of history in China was essentially advancing forward in its own way. All in all, I will claim that the interpretation, misinterpretation and internalisation of Rousseau’s thoughts in China was a highly complex progress. The new community of modern intellectuals in late Qing China took and adapted what they needed from Rousseau without pursuing Rousseau’s original intention, and such tendency and the transformation of the men of knowledge themselves were underlain by both the macro framework of Chinese society and the internal development within Chinese society that had started several centuries before the Western impact.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis focuses on an under-researched element of Seamus Heaney's oeuvre, namely his four poetry anthologies. Adopting a 'bottom-up' approach, it analyses the anthologies themselves, combining...Show moreThis thesis focuses on an under-researched element of Seamus Heaney's oeuvre, namely his four poetry anthologies. Adopting a 'bottom-up' approach, it analyses the anthologies themselves, combining narratological and paratextual analysis with the close-reading of poetry in order to do so. Following this, it moves to consider their possible significance within different contexts related to Heaney's work more generally.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Humor is so present in XVIIIth century libertine literature that it could be considered an essential part of its reading experience. However very few critics have shown interest in this fundamental...Show moreHumor is so present in XVIIIth century libertine literature that it could be considered an essential part of its reading experience. However very few critics have shown interest in this fundamental aspect of these texts, concentrating either on their serious or erotic content. This thesis aims to buck this trend and show the importance and value of humor in XVIIIth century libertine literature and how to better represent it in literary criticism. To this aim, the libertine texts are read against the backdrop of the main critical currents between the XVIIIth and the XXIst century, attempting to show which aspect of humor have been favored or ignored. A postmodern “ironic reading” of libertine literature is proposed as a way to offer a newer perspective on these works and show nuanced and more complex degrees of humor in the XVIIIth century texts. As a result, it is made clear that though seriousness has been a guiding principle for literary criticism so far, humor deserves a place in the study of libertine literature, especially today as postmodern tools allow a refinement in the understanding of the humor in these texts.Show less
