Technology has rapidly progressed since the Industrial Revolution in the medical, political and environmental fields. It has become an element that is essential and unavoidable at the present time....Show moreTechnology has rapidly progressed since the Industrial Revolution in the medical, political and environmental fields. It has become an element that is essential and unavoidable at the present time. Although technological enhancements have their positive influences, there is the reality of negative consequences tied to this progression. The recurring debates regarding positive and negative influences of technology on society is still prevalent. These concerns and consequences have been reflected and portrayed in numerous science fiction series and films. This includes the popular British series, Doctor Who, which explores the consequences and concerns tied to technological enhancements. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the manner in which Doctor Who presents the dire consequences tied to technological enhancements within the posthumanism and transhumanism frameworks. The social and ethical notions are challenged by presenting technology at its most extreme. This is done by analyzing the recurring villain, the Cybermen, who are the epitome of the fusion between man and machine. The analysis is based on episodes both from the Classic Who era and the NuWho era to provide a detailed insight into the changes the Cybermen have undergone, and the manner in which they reflect the cultural zeitgeist. The study discovered that the representation of the Cybermen challenge the notions of posthumanism and transhumanism. The increasingly blurred boundaries between man and machine are a realistic, albeit fictional concern resulting in the prevalance of the debate concerning the rapid progression of technological enhancements.Show less
In this thesis, I examine the gothic and metafictional genre elements of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves.' Chapter 1 is split into two sections: section 1.1 contains an analysis of the...Show moreIn this thesis, I examine the gothic and metafictional genre elements of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves.' Chapter 1 is split into two sections: section 1.1 contains an analysis of the gothic elements present in 'The Navidson Record' central to the novel and, in section 1.2, I proceed to examine the novel's metafictional characteristics and how metafiction and Gothicism are intertwined in the text. In both preceding sections, the reader's knowledge gap—referred to in my thesis as the epistemological gap—is prevalent in my reading of the novel. Consequently, in Chapter 2 I explore this knowledge gap further, relating it to the gothic and metafictional elements analyzed in the preceding chapter. Lastly, I argue that the audience might fill the epistemological gap by projecting their own personal interpretations of the text onto it. One of the main characters inside the narrative, Johnny Truant, projects his childhood trauma onto the text and processes it in his annotations to 'The Navidson Record.'Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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Perceptief activisme laat zien welke rol de perceptie van de dode en verloren natuur speelt in Joy Williams’ roman Harrow (2021). De roman beschrijft hoe een klimaatcatastrofe heeft geleid tot...Show morePerceptief activisme laat zien welke rol de perceptie van de dode en verloren natuur speelt in Joy Williams’ roman Harrow (2021). De roman beschrijft hoe een klimaatcatastrofe heeft geleid tot pessimisme en leegte in de mentale belevingswereld van de personages. Een bespreking van Felix Guattari’s The Three Ecologies (1989) laat zien hoe de nauwe banden tussen de ecologische omgeving, het individu en de maatschappij ook leidt tot het verval van deze laatste twee. Tegelijkertijd wekt de interpretatie en beleving van levende elementen in de natuur ook hoop op, en biedt het de ruimte voor een nieuwe manier van leven in de post-natuur. Dit wordt uitgewerkt aan de hand van Isabelle Stengers concept ‘the art of paying attention’ uit haar werk In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism (2015). De thesis onderzoekt hoe de tekstualiteit van het landschap hierin een belangrijke rol speelt. Vooral het hoofdpersonage en haar vermogen om deze ecologische leegte als betekenisvol en levendig te zien maakt duidelijk hoe perceptie een activistisch potentieel krijgt. Ondanks het onvermogen om maatschappelijke verandering teweeg te brengen, blijft dit perceptief activisme toch krachtig, juist doordat het binnen een precaire situatie de omgeving als waardevol blijft zien. Dit wordt beargumenteerd via een bespreking van Terry Eagletons Hope Without Optimism (2015) en een analyse van schaaleffecten binnen de roman. Via close-readings van Harrow richt deze thesis zich voornamelijk op het narratologisch concept focalisatie, de manier waarop literaire beschrijvingen gevormd worden binnen de visie van een personage. Hierdoor leidt de perceptie van het hoofdpersonage tot een herwaardering van de natuur, en vecht zo de ideologische krachten van Harrows kapitalistische maatschappij aan. Door zich open te stellen voor de indrukken van haar leefomgeving, vormt ze een nieuw wereldbeeld dat zich bewuster is van de invloed van de ecologische omgeving op het individu en de maatschappij. Dit vormt de basis voor een nieuw mens-zijn voorbij het destructieve maatschappelijk klimaat in Harrow.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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In this thesis I examine the complexity of the Irish literary canon through an in-depth analysis of Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth’s seminal Anglo-Irish work. My study seeks to understand how...Show moreIn this thesis I examine the complexity of the Irish literary canon through an in-depth analysis of Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth’s seminal Anglo-Irish work. My study seeks to understand how Castle Rackrent exemplifies the fragmented and disunited Irish literary identity and what its inclusion in the Irish literary canon reveals about the intersection of colonial dynamics and narrative representation in postcolonial discourse. Building on a comprehensive historical overview of Ireland's colonial experience and the evolution of Anglo-Irish literature, as well as a new close reading of Castle Rackrent this thesis highlights and examines the complex dualities and identities that existed in 19th century Ireland. In its close reading of Castle Rackrent, this thesis examines Edgeworth's use of narrative techniques, characterisation and thematic elements, focusing in particular on the portrayal of class conflict, power dynamics and cultural identity A running example throughout will be the perspective and narrative voice of the loyal servant Thady, because it provides the most clear and fruitful insight into the important social and political context of publication/writing. By placing Edgeworth's work in the broader framework of postcolonial theory, the thesis sheds light on the role of the novel in reflecting on and criticizing Ireland's colonial reality. This thesis also explores and critically assesses the implications of including Castle Rackrent in the Irish literary canon. By combining insights from postcolonial theory with a literary analysis of Castle Rackrent, this thesis examines the colonial dynamics present and represented in this “Irish” novel are examined. It highlights the need to reappraise historical and cultural contexts to appreciate the nuanced perspectives embedded in Anglo-Irish works, such as Castle Rackrent. The ultimate aim being to enrich the debate on Irish literary identity and postcolonial studies.Show less
This thesis explores representations of women in three of William Shakespeare's festive comedies. It demonstrates how temporal transformations and the subversion of gender roles enable female...Show moreThis thesis explores representations of women in three of William Shakespeare's festive comedies. It demonstrates how temporal transformations and the subversion of gender roles enable female characters to assert agency, in defiance of societal norms and pre-determined life courses for women.Show less
This thesis explores intertextuality and palimpsest in adaptation on Shakespeare's Hamlet in the case of Lyndsay Faye's adaptation of Hamlet, The King of Infinite Space, and its context.
This thesis examines the concepts of populism and fascism as fodder for satirical themes in literature and as a device for warning of impending populist and fascist surges. Populism is a group...Show moreThis thesis examines the concepts of populism and fascism as fodder for satirical themes in literature and as a device for warning of impending populist and fascist surges. Populism is a group response to individual grievances and differences, and when compounded by social insecurities like ethnic and cultural insecurity and economic insecurity, can lead to a justification of fascism and the rise of authoritarian leaders. I will demonstrate the relevance of populism and fascism in a comparative literature analysis of Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street (1920) and Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here (1935).Show less
This thesis offers an analysis of some of the lyrics of Andrew Byrne Hozier, also known by his stage name “Hozier'', one of the most popular Irish artists in the current pop music scene. One of the...Show moreThis thesis offers an analysis of some of the lyrics of Andrew Byrne Hozier, also known by his stage name “Hozier'', one of the most popular Irish artists in the current pop music scene. One of the distinguishing features of his work is the many intertextual allusions to myth and literature,. There are three sources from which Hozier draws most of his textual inspiration: ancient mythology, Dante’s Inferno and Irish literature and history. Whilst fans often analyse his texts on websites such as Genius.com, there has not been any large-scale textual analysis of his lyrics in the academic field, which, according to this thesis, has to do with an academic negative bias towards such lyrics. However, Hozier’s intertexual strategies can be seen as bridging the gap between ‘ high’ and ‘ low’ culture. This thesis offers an intertextual anlaysis of some of the lyrics against the abckground of Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, and emply’s Boot’s notion of the difference between poems and lyrics. Chapter 1 considers the presence of classical mythology and Dante in Hozier’s lyrics, with a focus on “Swan Upon Leda”, read here partly as a political comment on the overturning of the Roe vs Wade ruling in the US. But the thesis casts its nets wide and includes connections to famous paintings depicting the myth, to W.B. Yeats and to H.D. The chapter ends with demonstrating the presence of Dante’s Inferno in Hozier’s work. Chapter 2 focuses on the use of Irish language and culture against the background of the decline of knowledge of the language throughout the decades. Here a useful comparison is made between the period of the Celtic Twilight and the modern age, and the theory by Gramsci is used to explain the position of Irish culture vs. British culture.Show less
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is compared with a couple of books from the popular self-publishing website, Wattpad. It is examined whether Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fit the archetypes...Show more"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is compared with a couple of books from the popular self-publishing website, Wattpad. It is examined whether Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fit the archetypes of 'good girl" and "bad boy" respectively and whether their relationship can be classified as "enemies to lovers."Show less
This thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a...Show moreThis thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a historically-informed close reading of Richardson’s Pamela and Haywood’s Fantomina. It demonstrates that the literary representations of virtue in these novels reveal the construction of virginity as a performance of an intangible concept that is economically valuable, and highlight the fact that virginity is intrinsically linked to the concept of agency.Show less
This thesis analysed and compared the use of totalitarian language in George Orwell’s novel 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. This thesis highlights the importance of language within...Show moreThis thesis analysed and compared the use of totalitarian language in George Orwell’s novel 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. This thesis highlights the importance of language within totalitarian regimes. Linguistic totalitarian language features were defined and analysed. The linguistic totalitarian features used in this research were compiled based on previously conducted research. The analysed features included loaded language, compound nouns, euphemisms, neologisms, abbreviations, acronyms, and slogans. The novels were read and afterwards analysed through corpus and discourse analysis. The software AntConc was used for the corpus analysis. The instances of totalitarian language use within the novels were highlighted and processed into tables. The novels possessed unique tables and each table reflected one analysed feature. The results were compared and revealed that the novels indeed incorporated totalitarian language features within their texts. The novel 1984 made use of all the seven analysed features. Brave New World made use of six analysed features, leaving out the linguistic feature concerning abbreviations. In addition, the research concluded that the two novels are linguistically comparable as they included frequent instances of the analysed features. However, the novel 1984 included moderately more instances of totalitarian language use.Show less
To understand how an earlier text informs the reader’s understanding of a new one, I analyze the influence of Henry James's Washington Square on Hanya Yanagihara's To Paradise.