This thesis studies the connection between suffering and sentience in Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (1921) and the first season of Westworld (HBO, 2016). Both R.U.R. and Westworld present suffering as a...Show moreThis thesis studies the connection between suffering and sentience in Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (1921) and the first season of Westworld (HBO, 2016). Both R.U.R. and Westworld present suffering as a catalyst for the emergence of a human form of consciousness in artificial people. Initially, however, organic human characters in both texts are convinced that artificial people feel no pain and are unable to suffer. The organic human characters use this supposed inability to justify the inhumane treatment of the artificial characters. This thesis demonstrates how R.U.R. and Westworld reflect on the ways that theories about differences in sensitivity to pain were and continue to be used to justify the mistreatment of Others in real life. Additionally, the thesis shows how R.U.R. and Westworld offer illustrations of the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, in which one’s suffering in response to the Other’s suffering is the foundation of becoming a fully human subject. The thesis shows how R.U.R. and Westworld interweave these opposite ways of responding to the suffering Other, and thereby contribute to a better understanding of the role of suffering in the ongoing negation of what it means to be human.Show less
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 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
In a time where illness could often not be explained from a medical perspective, those who fell ill sought to find the meaning of their suffering elsewhere. Today, many illnesses, ailments and...Show moreIn a time where illness could often not be explained from a medical perspective, those who fell ill sought to find the meaning of their suffering elsewhere. Today, many illnesses, ailments and pains can be explained in medical terms, but biomedicine does not seem to allow many, if any, other narratives to coexist with the restitution narrative. Illness as a lived experience goes beyond the purely medical and clinical terms that define it, illness is more than an occasion to practise medicine; it is an occasion to practise humanity and perhaps this is what best defines the field of medical humanities and what becomes clear in John Donne’s and Timothy Roger’s illness narratives.Show less
Gothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary...Show moreGothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary (even in times when outright protest could be dangerous), and the Gothic is no exception. As such, Gothic Literature forms a representation of the society that formed its’ base, and a study of the gender roles as portrayed within the novels allows for an understanding of the gender roles within Gothic society- even more importantly, the novels of the time contain the bases of the changes that marked the period. The writers of the Gothic commented on the old patriarchy through their prevalently male adversaries warring against young heroines, and called for a new form of patriarchy that would rid women of the sometimes violent oppressions they suffered under outdated notions of gender roles. The heroines of the Gothic as such become the embodiment of a new generation of women that treaded outside their traditional sphere, demanding education and rights, even if remaining under the protection of their fathers and husbands. This commentary on patriarchy, and the representation of proto-feminism in Gothic Literature will form the core of my research, and this thesis.Show less
This thesis examines the question of how John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress has been read from the end of the twentieth until the beginning of the twenty-first century, particularly by modern-day...Show moreThis thesis examines the question of how John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress has been read from the end of the twentieth until the beginning of the twenty-first century, particularly by modern-day Dutch Calvinists.Show less
This thesis examines the theme of gender hierarchy in William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Taming of the Shrew (1592). The gender relations in the play are complex: its title, referring to the...Show moreThis thesis examines the theme of gender hierarchy in William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Taming of the Shrew (1592). The gender relations in the play are complex: its title, referring to the taming of Kate by her husband-to-be Petruchio, already suggests that women are going to be put down as the inferior sex. However, it is not as simple as that. Throughout the play, the question remains of whether Petruchio actually does tame Katherine. If he does, moreover, it is worth examining the precise meaning of this ‘taming’, and the ‘taming’ methods which Petruchio employs. In addition, the meaning of the play depends to a significant extent on the staging decisions made by the director. For example, different stagings may invite different responses to the wager, in the closing scene, on who has the most obedient wife. All of this has caused scholars and directors alike to interpret this play in very different ways, attributing widely divergent labels to it, ranging from ‘patriarchal’ or even ‘misogynistic’, to ‘satirical’ and ‘pre-feminist’. I have studied commentaries by scholars with interpretations on both ends of the spectrum to identify the foundation for their particular analyses. I also offer a close-reading of the play, focusing especially on those scenes which have drawn attention with regard to gender relations. Thus I shed light on how the play allows for such different readings. In chapter 2, I have applied this knowledge to a recent Globe production of the Taming of the Shrew, directed by Toby Frow. There I examine how this staging interprets the questions surrounding gender hierarchy that are so central to The Shrew.Show less
By analyzing the use of the theme and motif of conspiracy in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol mostly, and by comparing them to texts of the same genre – Libra and The Crying of Lot...Show moreBy analyzing the use of the theme and motif of conspiracy in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol mostly, and by comparing them to texts of the same genre – Libra and The Crying of Lot 49 – this thesis seeks to understand what sets Brown apart from other authors of conspiracy novels and therefore indirectly makes him such a successful novelist. The methodology used within this thesis is a genre-based approach, that is, it will analyse the work of Dan Brown in the context of the literary tradition of novels using conspiracy (theory) as a theme or employing it as a main motif. Moreover, it will study the work of Brown in its contemporary cultural context along the lines of Schneider-Mayerson’s analysis of conspiracism in Post-9/11 popular fiction, reflecting a fear of terrorism and conspiracy which is present still today.Show less
An exploration of the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation through repentance and remorse as portrayed in The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Moreover, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that...Show moreAn exploration of the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation through repentance and remorse as portrayed in The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Moreover, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that these works belong to one of the first to provide us with a unique insight into the evolution of our modern-day concept of interpersonal forgiveness.Show less
