This thesis discusses the role of orphans in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Bleak House. It argues that the role of the orphan is to function as a literary device with which the ideology of the...Show moreThis thesis discusses the role of orphans in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Bleak House. It argues that the role of the orphan is to function as a literary device with which the ideology of the Victorian family can be challenged as well as consolidated.Show less
Early eighteenth-century Britain was the setting for two major domestic shifts: the way 'family' was defined and the way the order of gender roles were perceived.This led to opportunity for the...Show moreEarly eighteenth-century Britain was the setting for two major domestic shifts: the way 'family' was defined and the way the order of gender roles were perceived.This led to opportunity for the rise of female agency and female education. Samuel Richardson's Pamela and Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews give an impression of what these developments did to the literature of that time.Show less
This thesis will examine one novel that portrays the disintegration of human life if non-human memory is irrevocably broken, and one novel that portrays survivors rebuilding communities from...Show moreThis thesis will examine one novel that portrays the disintegration of human life if non-human memory is irrevocably broken, and one novel that portrays survivors rebuilding communities from cultural memories because non-human memory fortuitously remains intact. This thesis argues that healthy non-human memory is essential to the survival of humans and non-human memory.Show less
This thesis will examine the way in which women in William Shakespeare's first tetralogy of history plays can be compared to women featuring in the second tetralogy.
'Interpreting Others' assesses the way in which J. M. Coetzee's novels address the philosophical contest between humanism and antihumanism. The thesis highlights the opposing understandings of the...Show more'Interpreting Others' assesses the way in which J. M. Coetzee's novels address the philosophical contest between humanism and antihumanism. The thesis highlights the opposing understandings of the human subject exercised by the two perspectives. Specifically, it foregrounds the issue of the possibility of understanding other minds as a battleground in the humanism conflict and places this question in a literary and ethical context. A chapter each is dedicated to analyzing the ways this conflict is manifested in The Life & Times of Michael K, Disgrace, and Elizabeth Costello. The author uses the theories of Deborah Knight, who attempted to bridge the apparently intractable conflict between exponents of the humanist and antihumanist subjects, to explain Coetzee's position, which is argued to straddle both camps, demonstrating a thoughtful criticism of humanism which nevertheless remains attached to the humanist subject and the possibility of understanding between individuals.Show less
This thesis examines the representations of John Milton’s political views in 'Paradise Lost' (1667/1674). Much scholarly attention has been devoted to the theological aspect of this epic poem....Show moreThis thesis examines the representations of John Milton’s political views in 'Paradise Lost' (1667/1674). Much scholarly attention has been devoted to the theological aspect of this epic poem. However, 'Paradise Lost' also engages with the political circumstances of mid-seventeenth-century England, and can thus also be read as a political allegory. In order to analyse this, Milton’s political views in 'Paradise Lost' can be examined by comparing the poem to two of his earlier prose works, namely 'The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates' (1649) and 'Eikonoklastes' (1649). Milton wrote these two works in the same year as the regicide and they offer his views on monarchy and government. Because 'Paradise Lost' is written much later, after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, it is interesting to analyse to what extent his original points of view are still represented in the epic poem. Even though Milton, as a Republican and Puritan, is now part of a severely suppressed group, he utilises the epic poem to convey his political truth. Therefore, by examining the ways in which certain characters are represented, I aim to show that in 'Paradise Lost' Milton continued to voice radical political positions.Show less
This thesis deals with the meta theatrical devices Shakespeare uses throughout Hamlet, and the effects these devices have on the viewers of film adaptations of this play. The meta theatrical and...Show moreThis thesis deals with the meta theatrical devices Shakespeare uses throughout Hamlet, and the effects these devices have on the viewers of film adaptations of this play. The meta theatrical and meta cinematic distances the audience. The alienation of the audience allows them to reflect upon the events in a way that would not be possible without employing Brecht’s theory of alienation. THis thesis will examine the meta-theatrical elements in Hamlet, and show how these can be applied to alienate the audience.Show less
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is, among many other things, a play that subtly criticises the patriarchal society in which it is set, advocating a more equal society instead, and...Show moreWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is, among many other things, a play that subtly criticises the patriarchal society in which it is set, advocating a more equal society instead, and this interpretation is confirmed and built upon by Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten in their respective operas based on the play.Show less
This thesis discusses how issues of gender are addressed in the play as well as provide a comparison between the play itself on the one hand and, the 1929 and the 1967 film adaptations of the play...Show moreThis thesis discusses how issues of gender are addressed in the play as well as provide a comparison between the play itself on the one hand and, the 1929 and the 1967 film adaptations of the play on the other. The Kate character will be analyzed, with a focus on the question of whether Petruchio tames Kate. While one might expect to find an increasingly feminist approach in twentieth-century film adaptations of the play, a detailed comparative analysis yields a surprisingly different approach. The first chapter argues that Shakespeare’s original play confirms dominant early modern gender ideologies, as it celebrates Petruchio’s taming of Kate. The second and third chapters respectively examine the 1929 adaptation directed by Sam Taylor, and the 1967 adaptation directed by Franco Zeffirelli to compare the extent to which the films adhere to the original gender ideology of the play and the directors’ choices in this regard.Show less
This thesis examines the influence of John Milton's Paradise Lost on C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. In the first chapter it discusses a number of the most clear allusions to Milton's epic...Show moreThis thesis examines the influence of John Milton's Paradise Lost on C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. In the first chapter it discusses a number of the most clear allusions to Milton's epic in The Chronicles, where they are found and what they do. The second chapter focuses on the question of gender hierarchy, and which role Paradise Lost plays in Lewis's depiction of this in his children's series.Show less
In Paradise Lost Milton revisits many of the former arguments he raised in his political prose, but this time he takes a less active stance. The political issues present in Paradise Lost are...Show moreIn Paradise Lost Milton revisits many of the former arguments he raised in his political prose, but this time he takes a less active stance. The political issues present in Paradise Lost are written from a vantage point of hindsight. Milton’s cause that he had so diligently supported, first the rebellion against the monarchy and later the republic, was defeated, and as much is reflected in Paradise Lost. Milton seems to enter into a form of discussion with his former self, in which he reflects on the arguments he raised in his political prose and reworks them within his poem. The poem also reveals more of an educational approach to Milton’s arguments.He no longer confronts his readers with his views directly, but rather guides them through situations within the poetry where they may reach these conclusions themselves. In this thesis I will look at the ways in which Paradise Lost echoes the political prose works and educates the reader through first examining four works over the course of his career as a political prose writer.Show less
