Bachelor thesis | Griekse en Latijnse taal en cultuur (BA)
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In this thesis I have argued for the presence of ambiguity in Horace's Ode 1.37. Instead of a transition from criticism to praise for Cleopatra, I believe that through the placement of words and...Show moreIn this thesis I have argued for the presence of ambiguity in Horace's Ode 1.37. Instead of a transition from criticism to praise for Cleopatra, I believe that through the placement of words and choice of words in v. 21 the ancient reader and listener were invited to misread the poem, which resulted in an ironic reading of the poem from fatale monstrum onwards (vv. 21-32).Show less
The main subject of this thesis is “ambiguity”. This thesis focuses on the work by the poet Charles Baudelaire and by the painter Eugène Delacroix as objects of research, and approaches the art of...Show moreThe main subject of this thesis is “ambiguity”. This thesis focuses on the work by the poet Charles Baudelaire and by the painter Eugène Delacroix as objects of research, and approaches the art of ambiguity by these two artists from the perspective of color. It studies how Baudelaire and Delacroix use colors to evoke perceptual and conceptual ambiguity, adopting a cross-disciplinary methodology to examine the particular visual and verbal rhetoric that they use in their works.Show less
This thesis will examine the question ‘why are natural languages ambiguous?’ by discussing the function of ambiguity in natural language. Formal linguistic approaches such as the Chomskian approach...Show moreThis thesis will examine the question ‘why are natural languages ambiguous?’ by discussing the function of ambiguity in natural language. Formal linguistic approaches such as the Chomskian approach consider ambiguity as a fault in language design. This view is challenged by functional linguistic approaches, which recognize that ambiguity has a communicative function. Ambiguity can create greater communicative efficiency (Piantadosi, Tily & Gibson, 2012); it enables us to say more with fewer words and to keep information vague if we want the listener or reader to decide what we mean (Chen, 1992). I will discuss which of the two approaches is on the right track by analysing several cases of ambiguity, such as the structurally ambiguous Elizabeth saw the man with the binoculars. In chapter 1 I will define the notions ambiguous and ambiguity. I will contrast ambiguity with similar linguistic phenomena and discuss different subtypes of ambiguity. In chapter 2 the two linguistic approaches to ambiguity will be discussed: Chomsky’s formal approach and several functional approaches. In chapter 3 I will put these approaches to the test by analysing three different instances of structural ambiguity.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
