The main effort of this thesis is a detailed mapping of the hero’s journeys of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster, through Joseph Campbell’s monomyth model, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The...Show moreThe main effort of this thesis is a detailed mapping of the hero’s journeys of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster, through Joseph Campbell’s monomyth model, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of their hero’s journeys reveals great similarities throughout the novel, mirroring their intertwined existences. Most notably, their shared failing of the Atonement with the Father stage of the monomyth model is what causes their journeys to end and causes them to become failed heroes. There are two narrative elements in Frankenstein that essentially doomed the heroes to this outcome by uniquely hampering the heroes’ agency within the monomyth model: dual protagonists and Gothic doubles. The combined presence of these elements in the same novel makes it nigh unimaginable for heroes to successfully face the Atonement with the Father, due to the hero’s agency being compromised and the default antagonism of Gothic doubles.Show less
This thesis explores four games and their relation with dominant perspectives on their histories: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Nioh, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance....Show moreThis thesis explores four games and their relation with dominant perspectives on their histories: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Nioh, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Through historical simulation theory and theories on hegemonies, it argues that historical games are inherently political. This thesis further argues that historical games can portray conservative frames of thought, through unchanging systems and a focus on individualism. The artistic liberties these games take can lead to both playful and harmless counter-hegemonic play, as well as harmful play that reinforces frames of thought such as conspiracy theories. Furthermore, this thesis argues that claims of realism and accuracy within the genre of historical games are folly, as historical truths are almost impossible to verify. These truths are then left to the interpretation of game developers, which can lead to problematic presentations of history that can even be accused of whitewashing. The comparison between the games will suggest that one constant factor between them is that of an ahistorical protagonist, which gives the player freedom to explore the presented history without being tied to perceived accuracy. Finally, definitions of simulation theory are not yet sufficient enough to explain how Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla simulates its history. This thesis adds to the field of game studies in a few ways. Not many comparative studies have been done in this field, as most papers and online videos focus on a single game. The comparisons lead to broader theories on historical games as a whole, noting similarities and unique errors when it comes to different approaches of historical simulation. Finally, an added definition of historical simulation is proposed, including linearity in an already existing definition of (non-)specific simulation.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis examines a possible contribution to the narratological analyses as carried out within the field of Law and Literature by both signalling narrative speaker functions in analyses by James...Show moreThis thesis examines a possible contribution to the narratological analyses as carried out within the field of Law and Literature by both signalling narrative speaker functions in analyses by James Boyd White (1990) and Jeanne Gaakeer (1998) and locating these them in case law. The assumption that lies at the core of this thesis is that with the help of systematic analysis, it is possible to distinguish between four different speaker functions that manifest themselves in written case law: an authoritative author of legal decisions (chapter II), a narrator of the verdict (chapter III), characters that take part in the legal process and that are reflected upon in the judgment (chapter IV) and the text of the judgment itself (chapter V). These four possible speaking entities need to be disentangled to understand what authority or authorities we see when analysing judgments and to systematically conduct comparative research within the field of law and literature.Show less
This thesis examines the role of education in the Mysterious Benedict Society series on two levels. On the level of the story, I analyze how the two opposite characters of Nicholas Benedict and...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of education in the Mysterious Benedict Society series on two levels. On the level of the story, I analyze how the two opposite characters of Nicholas Benedict and Ledroptha Curtain function as "educators" in the intradiegetic world. Then, on a second level, I delve into the ways in which the text can "educate" its readers. I place my research in a framework of children's literature theory and criticism, narratology, and a text on education by Jacques Rancière.Show less
This thesis targets count Dracula, in some of the many western cinematographic adaptations that have been based on Bram Stoker’s novel. The main objective is to show how this character can vary...Show moreThis thesis targets count Dracula, in some of the many western cinematographic adaptations that have been based on Bram Stoker’s novel. The main objective is to show how this character can vary across those films. Thereof, two theoretical axes will construct an epistemological device, to evince Dracula’s variations; these correspond to Jungian theory and Mieke Bal’s narratology.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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In 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself...Show moreIn 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself separately from Western narratology. I will take Yang’s narratology framework as a starting point, with a focus on Yang’s understanding of narrative structure, and do a close reading of the novel The Lantern Bearer (带灯, 2013) by Chinese author Jia Pingwa 贾平凹(b. 1952) (the English translation by Carlos Rojas was published in 2017). I do this in order to answer the following research question: How does Yang Yi’s narratological approach of narrative structure compare to a “Western”-narratological approach of narrative structure? In my analysis, for Western narratology, I will focus on Mieke Bal’s (1997) Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative. I will argue that Yang’s idea of narrative structure allows for a reading that would not be possible by using only Bal’s theory of narrative structure. As a case study, I will investigate how the narrative structure of Jia Pingwa’s novel The Lantern Bearer relates to narrative structures found in traditional Chinese fiction from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
closed access
Interiority has long been seen as the domain of literature. While there has been research into the way cinema uses visual means to represent interiority or subjectivity, similar analyses of other...Show moreInteriority has long been seen as the domain of literature. While there has been research into the way cinema uses visual means to represent interiority or subjectivity, similar analyses of other media seem to be lacking. This thesis looks into how interiority and subjectivity are represented in narrative television shows, video games and comics or graphic novels.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
closed access
‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ is een term die sinds 2007 in gebruik wordt genomen in de filmkritiek om een veelvoorkomend type vrouwelijk personage in (voornamelijk) romantische komedies van de...Show more‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ is een term die sinds 2007 in gebruik wordt genomen in de filmkritiek om een veelvoorkomend type vrouwelijk personage in (voornamelijk) romantische komedies van de afgelopen jaren te omschrijven, dat slechts functioneert als de opgewekte romantische interesse van het ongelukkig mannelijke hoofdpersonage. Het ‘excentrieke meisje’ staat enkel in dienst van zijn zoektocht naar geluk, zonder zelf een onafhankelijke verhaallijn of enige karakterontwikkeling te hebben. Hoewel ze door haar eigenzinnige en oncoventionele voorkomen in eerste instantie overkomt als afwijkend van de bestaande stereotype verbeeldingen van vrouwen in de geschiedenis van film en literatuur, lijkt het er bij nader inzien echter op dat de MPDG slechts de zoveelste variatie is op een onderontwikkeld vrouwelijk personage in een mannelijk gedomineerd narratief. Ik analyseer daarom kritisch aan de hand van theorieën uit de narratologie, gender studies, adaptatie studies en genre studies hoe dit type personage zich tegenover het mannelijk hoofdpersonage manifesteert in zowel film als literatuur, en hoe deze stereotypering in bepaalde werken juist ondermijnd wordt. Ik onderzoek hiervoor de films Elizabethtown (Crowe, 2005), (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009), Ruby Sparks (Dayton & Faris, 2012) en Her (Jonze, 2013); en de roman The Virgin Suicides (Eugenides, 1993) samen met de gelijknamige cinematische adaptatie van Coppola uit 1991.Show less
In this thesis I sketch out a poetics of the love letter. With this poetics I propose that the structure of the love letter generates an uncanny form of textual presence of the lover in the text....Show moreIn this thesis I sketch out a poetics of the love letter. With this poetics I propose that the structure of the love letter generates an uncanny form of textual presence of the lover in the text. The lover’s presence is suggested by an interplay of three basic modes of address: the narratological mode of address (Bal, M.); the apostrophic mode of address (Culler J. et al.); the dialogic mode of address (Bakhtin, M. M.). This poetics of the love letter is mainly based on the close reading of the love letters of M. Tsvetajeva to A. Bachrach (1923) and the epistles of A. Chekhov and O. Knipper (1899 - 1904).Show less
