This thesis aims to argue that the child’s perspective elicits sympathy, empathy, and humor in order to evoke moral criticism in Henry James’ What Maisie Knew and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird...Show moreThis thesis aims to argue that the child’s perspective elicits sympathy, empathy, and humor in order to evoke moral criticism in Henry James’ What Maisie Knew and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter focusses on how the young girl’s perspective evokes moral criticism through sympathy in James’ Maisie. Through a close reading of the novel, this section argues that the child’s point of view brings forth sympathy through a representation of the protagonist’s beleaguered benevolence and that this feeling, in turn, is amplified by the young girl’s growing awareness. In contrast, chapter two provides an analysis of the moral criticism induced as a result of the reader’s empathy with Scout in Mockingbird. The segment displays how the child’s perspective invites the reader to empathize with the young protagonist. Furthermore, it presents how Scout’s moral development highlights the amorality of the Maycomb community. The final chapter contains an exploration of the satirical sense in both James’ Maisie and Lee’s Mockingbird. The chapter analyzes how the young girl’s perspective elicits irony and thereby criticism of characters in the novels.Show less
In this paper, it is argued that the sarcastic use of Japanese honorifics can be seen as further support for a view held within the discursive approach to linguistic politeness. The discursive...Show moreIn this paper, it is argued that the sarcastic use of Japanese honorifics can be seen as further support for a view held within the discursive approach to linguistic politeness. The discursive approach, in reaction to and competing with both a Brown & Levinsonian and a cultural relativist approach to politeness, is argued to best account for the creative use of polite forms by individuals. In contrast to the other two, this approach allows for a constructivist view that empowers the individual language user with the agency to create her own social reality through deliberate language choices. It is further argued that a helpful notion regarding honorifics use – their default reading – is essential for allowing instances of honorific use to be evaluated as sarcastic, as opposed to ‘polite.’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
