This thesis discusses the origin and evolution of the ''dumb blonde'' stereotype in American cinema from the 1950s onwards and takes a look at why this stereotype does not seem as prevalent in...Show moreThis thesis discusses the origin and evolution of the ''dumb blonde'' stereotype in American cinema from the 1950s onwards and takes a look at why this stereotype does not seem as prevalent in contemporary times anymore.Show less
This BA thesis focuses on the perception and representation gayspeech as used by the character Kurt Hummel in the TV-series Glee (2009-2015). This has been analyzed by looking into online discourse...Show moreThis BA thesis focuses on the perception and representation gayspeech as used by the character Kurt Hummel in the TV-series Glee (2009-2015). This has been analyzed by looking into online discourse on his speech during the run of the show and how this compares to the gayspeak used by real life people. This thesis also looks at the examples used by these people and how they differ in opinion on the matter. The analysis suggests that the gayspeak used by Kurt Hummel has been made slightly stereotypical and therefore not at all representative of a large part of the male gay community.Show less
This thesis conducts a comparison between Aesop's original of the fable "The Cock and the Jasp", and Henryson's changed version as recorded in his Middle Scottish fable collection "The Morall...Show moreThis thesis conducts a comparison between Aesop's original of the fable "The Cock and the Jasp", and Henryson's changed version as recorded in his Middle Scottish fable collection "The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian. This comparison shows how Henryson has added multiple details to the original narrative of the fable. It is argued that these additions cause a shift in the target audience of the fable's moral, and that some details are added to justify the behaviour of lower classes, while others are implemented to further incriminate members of higher classes. This thesis ultimately argues that the criticism of this fable is mainly directed to the higher estates.Show less
This research discusses whether male authors sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. This was done by analysing two classic and two contemporary fiction novels...Show moreThis research discusses whether male authors sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. This was done by analysing two classic and two contemporary fiction novels each by male and female American authors. These novels were chosen because of their similarities and because they feature a male protagonist who narrates the story. The novels were analysed for phrases used to describe the female characters appearance and these descriptions were compared to the novels of the opposite gender to check for any sexual objectification. The results revealed that male authors were more likely to sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. However, due to the size of this research, more research must be done to understand the scale and nuances of this.Show less
Eighteenth-century letter-writing was an art governed by many rules, but letter-writers still found the freedom to express their personality and indicate their position within the confines of these...Show moreEighteenth-century letter-writing was an art governed by many rules, but letter-writers still found the freedom to express their personality and indicate their position within the confines of these rules. Using methodology based on the works of Tieken-Boon van Ostade (2009), Nevala (2009), Sairio (2013), among others, this thesis examines the use of referential language in letters written by Francis Napier (1758–1823) to Mary Hamilton (1756–1816) in order to study how this language is used to fashion an identity and signal the relationship between the correspondents. The analysis separates formulaic language, such as opening and closing formulas, from other forms of referential language, such as pronoun usage, nominal references, and intertextual references.Show less
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is compared with a couple of books from the popular self-publishing website, Wattpad. It is examined whether Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fit the archetypes...Show more"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is compared with a couple of books from the popular self-publishing website, Wattpad. It is examined whether Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fit the archetypes of 'good girl" and "bad boy" respectively and whether their relationship can be classified as "enemies to lovers."Show less
This thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a...Show moreThis thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a historically-informed close reading of Richardson’s Pamela and Haywood’s Fantomina. It demonstrates that the literary representations of virtue in these novels reveal the construction of virginity as a performance of an intangible concept that is economically valuable, and highlight the fact that virginity is intrinsically linked to the concept of agency.Show less
This thesis analysed and compared the use of totalitarian language in George Orwell’s novel 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. This thesis highlights the importance of language within...Show moreThis thesis analysed and compared the use of totalitarian language in George Orwell’s novel 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. This thesis highlights the importance of language within totalitarian regimes. Linguistic totalitarian language features were defined and analysed. The linguistic totalitarian features used in this research were compiled based on previously conducted research. The analysed features included loaded language, compound nouns, euphemisms, neologisms, abbreviations, acronyms, and slogans. The novels were read and afterwards analysed through corpus and discourse analysis. The software AntConc was used for the corpus analysis. The instances of totalitarian language use within the novels were highlighted and processed into tables. The novels possessed unique tables and each table reflected one analysed feature. The results were compared and revealed that the novels indeed incorporated totalitarian language features within their texts. The novel 1984 made use of all the seven analysed features. Brave New World made use of six analysed features, leaving out the linguistic feature concerning abbreviations. In addition, the research concluded that the two novels are linguistically comparable as they included frequent instances of the analysed features. However, the novel 1984 included moderately more instances of totalitarian language use.Show less
