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 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
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
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
