Young adults are continually confronted with instability and crises, as well as traumatic events at large. Considering that literature, and Young Adult literature specifically, can be seen as a...Show moreYoung adults are continually confronted with instability and crises, as well as traumatic events at large. Considering that literature, and Young Adult literature specifically, can be seen as a reflection of the lived experience, it is expected that the existence of such trauma influences the novels written. The ability of Young Adult literature to reflect the lived experience, and the necessity for it to do so, is also discussed by columnist and author Michael Cart in 2016, literature researcher Bruce Carrick in 2017 and literature studies researcher Amy Elliot in 2015. However, they do not specifically note on the place of trauma in this reflection. This thesis considers how trauma affects the narrator’s voice. To do so, Canadian author Sebastien de Castell’s fantasy Young Adult novels Way of the Argosi and Spellslinger were taken as a case study. Ferius and Kellen, the respective protagonists of the aforementioned novels, are confronted with traumatic experiences, such as torture and genocide. Due to perceived commonalities in the situations of the protagonists, and their communities, to that of Indigenous communities, knowledge of the latter is used to make sense of the former. Similarly, knowledge of the Holocaust was used to contemplate the fictional narrative. Knowledge on trauma in these real world communities was gained from articles by, among others, psychologists Sarah Panofsky et al. (2021) and social worker Elizabeth Fast and psychologist Delphine Collin-Vézina (2010). Due to the influence trauma can have on the lived experience, there was a need for discussing the reliability of the narrator of each novel. As a result, this thesis looked to the articles on unreliable and fallible narrators by religious studies professor Catherine Caufield, published in 2021, and cultural studies researcher Greta Olson, published in 2003. A close reading of the novels found trauma to affect not only the narratorial style, such as through narrative fragmentation, but also the narrator’s reliability and tone of voice. Though the narrators of Way of the Argosi and Spellslinger were not affected similarly in narratorial style, with the former’s narration being more fragmented as opposed to the linear narration of the latter, the tone of voice is comparable. In both cases, there is a clear influence of fear and resentment on the narrator’s voice. The reliability of the respective novels narrators is also similarly fallible, though due to different reasons. The insight provided by the novels to the readers allow for a fostering of understanding between different real-life cultures, histories and life-journeys.Show less
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
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 studies Patricia Lockwood's novel No One Is Talking About This and Maxime Garcia Diaz' poetry collection Het Is Warm In De Hivemind in search of an understanding of the forms of affect...Show moreThis thesis studies Patricia Lockwood's novel No One Is Talking About This and Maxime Garcia Diaz' poetry collection Het Is Warm In De Hivemind in search of an understanding of the forms of affect that arise in an online/offline dynamic. It brings this affect in conversation with theories of metamodernism and postdigitality. It puts forth a sensibility called the postdigital, metamodern sensibility in which the poles of postmodern irony and cynicism and modern enthusiasm and naivety exist in a fluid dualism with eachother, as opposed to in the oscillation proposed by the metamodern school.Show less
This thesis explored the Afropessimism framework for examining the dynamics of race and racial inequality in the United States and Brazilian contexts and its potential for advancing racial justice...Show moreThis thesis explored the Afropessimism framework for examining the dynamics of race and racial inequality in the United States and Brazilian contexts and its potential for advancing racial justice efforts. It examined and answered the following questions: How does the critical perspective of Afropessimism impact the experiences and identities of individuals of African descent in the Americas, specifically in the U.S. and Brazil? How does Afropessimism critique the effectiveness of the human rights framework in securing racial justice for individuals within the African diaspora? To examine the translatability of Afropessimism to a different cultural context other than that of the U.S., I researched whether this theoretical framework could also accurately explain the historical and contemporary experiences of Black individuals in Brazil. These questions aimed to evaluate the extent to which Afropessimism, departing from other racial theories, such as intersectionality, questions the efficacy of the human rights framework in transforming society and its social institutions, as a means of irrevocably achieving racial justice.Show less
This thesis questions how discursive practices in different adaptations of the same fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood, reflect social and ideological values of their time and place, with regard to...Show moreThis thesis questions how discursive practices in different adaptations of the same fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood, reflect social and ideological values of their time and place, with regard to gender ideologies and gender representation. This analysis is guided by poststructural theories of feminism that consider gender as a socially produced category, predominantly through language. This allows for the reading of “girlhood”, as a contested category involving various and often competing discourses of femininity. Additionally, this research relies on critical discourse analysis, which allows for a close reading of the authors’ linguistic choices that are potentially significant, as they encode and promulgate particular ideologies.Show less
Human beings make sense of the world through the stories that they tell. Contemporary media is still predominately postmodern, but there are signs that there is a shift towards a new ‘post...Show moreHuman beings make sense of the world through the stories that they tell. Contemporary media is still predominately postmodern, but there are signs that there is a shift towards a new ‘post-postmodern’ paradigm. In this thesis I will analyze this shift through the figure of the literary vampire, introducing the concept of the hauntological dominant of post-postmodernism.Show less
Authors of books on minimalism often frame a simple lifestyle as a countercultural mode of resistence to a society made unbearable by consummerism. Decluttering and deciding to severely limit one's...Show moreAuthors of books on minimalism often frame a simple lifestyle as a countercultural mode of resistence to a society made unbearable by consummerism. Decluttering and deciding to severely limit one's purchases are seen as reliable ways to achieve happiness and to live more sustainably. What this thesis argues is that, far from proposing alternatives to a late-capitalist system that is alienating and environmentally disastrous, narratives of lifesyle minimalism fully embrace a neoliberal ethos of personal responsibility, individualization and faith in the free market. These recurring themes, together with a thoroughly depolicized view of social engagement, emerge over and over again in my analysis of two central topics in minimalist how-to literature: the pursuit of happiness and the attempt to reduce one's environmental footprint.Show less
A throrough analysis of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011), Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2018) and Nathalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships (2019) as rewritings of Homer's Iliad, in...Show moreA throrough analysis of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011), Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2018) and Nathalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships (2019) as rewritings of Homer's Iliad, in order to establish their influence as contemporary rewritings on our (newfound) interpretation of Homer's Iliad.Show less
In this thesis I will discuss the notion of unreliability in the narratological environment of Ian McEwan’s novels Enduring Love and Atonement, in relation with the formalism theory and a cognitive...Show moreIn this thesis I will discuss the notion of unreliability in the narratological environment of Ian McEwan’s novels Enduring Love and Atonement, in relation with the formalism theory and a cognitive approach, respectively. The effects of traumatic experiences along with the concept of memory as an unreliable narrator will be considered as focal points in my analysis. In McEwan’s novels what constitute an unreliable narrator are his specific characteristics derived from the personality of the fictional character/narrator and the narratological setting. The research questions examined are how narrative is used as a way of making sense of the world, which narratological techniques in the aforementioned novels result in unreliability, and what the effects of unreliability are for the characters and the reader.Show less
Because contemporary network science is predicated on the assumption that similarity breeds connection, it transforms what seems to be an open web into poorly gated communities that propagate...Show moreBecause contemporary network science is predicated on the assumption that similarity breeds connection, it transforms what seems to be an open web into poorly gated communities that propagate already-existing forms of prejudice and discrimination. If the algorithmic fabric of social media platforms pushes people with the same views and interests towards each other, what does this mean for queer individuals in Beirut inhabiting a city whose very urban fabric segregates and limits their interaction in public space? What possibilities can the digital realm provide queer lives in a cyberspace unhinged by the geography of residence and the materiality of the body? I attempt to answer those research questions by relying on Sara Ahmed’s Queer phenomenology (2006) and on Wendy Hui Kyong Chun’s (2016) concept of “homophily”. Those theoretical lenses will guide my use of auto-ethnography and close visual analysis to explore the outputs and social media strategies of two case studies of visual activism in Lebanon: Beirut By Dyke and Kikafilmadina. My personal experience as a member of civil society groups in Beirut and my positionality as the creator of Beirut By Dyke orient me, to borrow Sara Ahmed’s term, towards these pages as cultural objects. The concept of the social media accounts, which revolves around the narrativization of queer inhabitance in space, propels me toward Sara Ahmed’s theory around sexuality as residence. Conversely, the social impact generated by both social media accounts on collective imaginations and social participation in cyber and physical space leads to me to question how “homophily” (Chun 2016) can be used to challenge the neoliberal assumptions it was built on. My aim is to counter existing literature around gender and digital culture whose understandable focus on the capitalistic and behaviorally predictive valence of social platforms is grim and dystopic (Goldberg 2016). Instead, I suggest that the study of platforms like Instagram offers a resource for queer studies insofar as it “emphasizes the importance of lived experience, the intentionality of consciousness, the significance of newness, or the role of repeated habitual action in shaping bodies and the world” (Ahmed 57). It is specifically the power of repeated habitual actions that I want to focus on in exploring digital possibilities. In a context where systemic oppression is difficult to dismantle and social change impossible to imagine, the creation of new paths is, after all, a labor of repetition.Show less
In the last few decades, there has been an emergence of feminist texts that relate themselves to Homer’s renowned myths, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Inspired by these feminist narratives that...Show moreIn the last few decades, there has been an emergence of feminist texts that relate themselves to Homer’s renowned myths, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Inspired by these feminist narratives that revolve around the centring of the female characters within a myth, this thesis poses an analysis of the emergence and importance of mythmaking by women writers. In my research, I have focused on Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls Madeline Miller’s Circe, two of the most recent examples of feminist mythmaking. Both Barker and Miller are able to give a voice to women that have often been silenced in ‘classic’ myths: Briseis and Circe. The texts foreground the complexity of their female protagonists by relating their stories to the patriarchal world surrounding them. Building onto this, both texts reflect on mythmaking and storytelling on an overarching level, thereby offering us a subtle critique on the way myths have been written and read in the past. Strikingly, scholars have recently studied these feminist mythmakings as mere ‘rewritings’ or ‘fictionalisations’ of Homer’s ‘classics’. The effect is a limiting analysis in which the true intertextuality of the stories gets lost in a restricting methodology. In this thesis, I propose a new way to analyze these mythmakings in an appropriate and respectful way, by using the concept of ‘mosaic mythmaking’.Show less
A theoretical debate between three thinkers on the future of literature in the age of new media shows there is dissent regarding whether literature’s narrative and new media’s database forms can...Show moreA theoretical debate between three thinkers on the future of literature in the age of new media shows there is dissent regarding whether literature’s narrative and new media’s database forms can productively coexist or that the latter will supplant the former. To make sense of these different views, this thesis will consider the question of how reading skills change on the basis of interrelations between literature and new media. The case-study, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, seems to have a proto-database form while being essentially narrative. It may, therefore, be considered a hybrid between old and new media as well as a reflection of media-literature evolution itself. The novel builds a signification structure into the text that directs the reading direction nonlinearly, allowing for a plurality of voices and ways of looking at the world. Interpreted nonlinearly, Infinite Jest offers an allegory not for reading but precisely for the impossibility thereof. It self-consciously reflects on postmodernism and, specifically, its central thematic of illegibility: it is a novel self-aware of its own impossibility. Infinite Jest diagnoses the illegibility of texts in the age of postmodernism, where one can no longer rely on clear-cut strategies for reading but must employ a creativity in learning how to read as a production rather than a discovery of meaning. Novels like Infinite Jest, it appears, serve as mental practice for new media reading, which requires the reader to switch between reading strategies, or what I coin the modulation proposal, to deal with the phenomenon of ‘information overload.’ Infinite Jest shows that hybridization of narrative and database, or of literature and new media, is a viable – and, hopefully, long-term – possibility for the literature of the future. Literature is right now in the process of adapting itself by borrowing elements from new, digital media, and, re-inventing itself as a form of art that transcends the medium of the book, i.e., literature becomes transmedial. To stay relevant in the age of digital media, literature needs to reinvent itself time and again.Show less
This thesis focuses on African American hip-hop music. How does this music form produce a connection between black people and how does it create a community? Hip-hop music has a performative...Show moreThis thesis focuses on African American hip-hop music. How does this music form produce a connection between black people and how does it create a community? Hip-hop music has a performative function in producing a collective identity based on race, and now that new generations of African Americans are growing up in a world steeped in hip-hop culture, it is important to try and understand this performativity. How does hip-hop music produce a construct of blackness? And how is this performative function complicated by the many contradictions in hip-hop: commercial hip-hop balances on a fine line between emancipating African Americans and reproducing negative stereotypes of African Americans.Show less
This thesis discusses three contemporary feminist dystopias that have been published between 2016 and 2018. It argues that feminist dystopian fiction can contribute to the understanding of the...Show moreThis thesis discusses three contemporary feminist dystopias that have been published between 2016 and 2018. It argues that feminist dystopian fiction can contribute to the understanding of the female struggle in the United States by reflecting on reproductive rights and body politics in a dystopian setting. Through three thematic studies, language, genre and imposed boundaries on the female body, this thesis shows how the feminist dystopian genre places the female body in the midst of political and social disturbances. Amid the current political environment that seeks to restrict reproductive health care and rights for women, these novels challenge its readers' perception of their realities. This helps instigate change and a critical attitude towards current social issues and anxieties that are affecting the safety and health of women nationwide.Show less
