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and called for a new form of patriarchy that would rid women of the sometimes violent oppressions they suffered under outdated notions of gender roles.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
