This thesis discusses the socio-political factors that contributed to the rising popularity of the dystopian genre in the early and late 20th Century. This is done in part by placing the dystopian...Show moreThis thesis discusses the socio-political factors that contributed to the rising popularity of the dystopian genre in the early and late 20th Century. This is done in part by placing the dystopian novels The Iron Heel (by Jack London) and The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) in their respective historical contexts.Show less
Frankenstein’s monster, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), has often been compared to Satan as he appears in the Bible and in John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667/1674). Soyka explains that “the...Show moreFrankenstein’s monster, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), has often been compared to Satan as he appears in the Bible and in John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667/1674). Soyka explains that “the underlying theme [of Frankenstein] is rooted in Miltonic questions about the first creation. If God is the creator of all things, why did He create evil to ruin his creation?” (167). Unsurprisingly, in many modern adaptations of the novel, the monster is presented as a grotesque figure of violence, highlighting its “evil” tendencies. Yet this thesis will foreground how the second of James Whale’s Frankenstein adaptations, Bride of Frankenstein (1935), transforms the original intertextual relations between Shelley’s monster and the figure of Satan in Paradise Lost by alluding directly to the figure of Adam and more implicitly to his companion Eve. The creation of a female monster in this classic film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein highlights the intertextuality of Whale’s monsters with Adam and Eve in Milton’s Paradise Lost, as the female monster presents a link to this Edenic narrative.Show less
In Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, society is divided into two groups: numbers people and word people. This thesis analysed the extent to which this fictional dichotomy reflects and comments...Show moreIn Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, society is divided into two groups: numbers people and word people. This thesis analysed the extent to which this fictional dichotomy reflects and comments on the ideological divide between scientists and humanities scholars in Western society. The analysis focused on the trilogy’s first novel, Oryx and Crake (2003). Oryx and Crake depicts the relationship between humanities scholars and natural scientists on a societal level, but also through the friendship between its main characters Jimmy and Crake. This thesis compares Jimmy and Crake to the stereotypical images of humanities scholars and natural scientists. It argues that the novel challenges the stereotypes of the superfluous humanities scholar and the mad scientist, by showing that the characters who represent these stereotypes are much more complex. This thesis demonstrates that these stereotypes impede open conversations between the two cultures in the novel. It concludes that reading Oryx and Crake gives the reader a better understanding of the reasons behind the conflict between the two cultures. By doing so, the novel provides a starting point to improve the mutual understanding between the humanities and the natural sciences.Show less
This thesis explores the Romantic-era nature/nurture debate as represented in Gothic fiction, by examining the representation in Frankenstein of Mary Shelley’s standpoint regarding the significance...Show moreThis thesis explores the Romantic-era nature/nurture debate as represented in Gothic fiction, by examining the representation in Frankenstein of Mary Shelley’s standpoint regarding the significance of nurture for human mental development. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores the role of parenting and education in the formation of individual identity. Frankenstein is first analysed in relation to the work of Shelley's parents regarding parenting, upbringing and education. Shelley's representation of the malleability of children is examined, after which Frankenstein's creature is read as a Female Gothic victim-heroine, in order to demonstrate how Shelley extends existing Gothic conventions to illustrate her beliefs regarding the influence of upbringing on the formation of individual identity. Finally, this thesis explores the role of the cult of domesticity on Frankenstein, in order to complete its analysis of Shelley's intellectual standpoint regarding the importance of nurture for the formation of individual identity. Shelley is shown to take up an intellectual position between the radical egalitarianism of her parents and her husband, that stresses nurture above everything else, and the more conventional – Christian – wisdom concerning human development as exemplified in Ann Radcliffe’s Female Gothic romances. Frankenstein shows that even though sociopolitical institutions have the power to corrupt individuals, the individuals have the responsibility to act according to their conscience.Show less
This thesis provides an exploration of Carl Jung’s concept of individuation and proves how this concept is fictionalised by Philip K. Dick in his novel 'Ubik'.
This thesis argues and explains how Blackstar and No Plan cleverly use intertextuality as a tool to explore and explain Bowie’s notions of mortality and resurrection.
This thesis describes how Wuthering Heights is a social novel, which analyses the cause and effect of class, gender and communal conflict in a late eighteenth-century rural community. Socio...Show moreThis thesis describes how Wuthering Heights is a social novel, which analyses the cause and effect of class, gender and communal conflict in a late eighteenth-century rural community. Socio-political developments, like the rise of the middle classes, shape and form the community and the characters in the novel These forces give rise to ideologies, and create conflict within the Earnshaw and Linton families. This leads to a cycle of conflict, with inflicted suffering and revenge. The root of conflict in the novel is Mutual incomprehension, caused by ideological differences, prejudice, and characters' upbringing in closed cultures.Show less
In order to properly gauge the accuracy of Brown’s treatment of masonry in the novel, chapter one will present an overview of the history of American Freemasonry, especially in relation to the U.S....Show moreIn order to properly gauge the accuracy of Brown’s treatment of masonry in the novel, chapter one will present an overview of the history of American Freemasonry, especially in relation to the U.S. Constitution and Washington D.C., the setting of the novel. Chapters two, three and four will explore the way(s) in which different kinds of readers respond to The Lost Symbol. Chapter two critically explores two book reviews written by reviewers who work as literary critics. They are shown to worry mostly about the literary quality of Brown’s style and the ideological implication his popular thriller can have on unsuspecting readers. Chapter three explores responses by two Brown (or rather Robert Langdon) fans. These readers are more enthusiastic in their response to the novel. In their reviews they focus more on what the book “means” to them, and elaborate on why they like to read this bestselling book. In chapter four, several Freemasons’ responses to the novel (in which so many of their secrets were “exposed”) are analysed. These responses are shown to be the most balanced critical responses to the novel, expressing an appreciation for the genre in which Brown writes without judging his imaginative appropriation of Masonic rituals, history, and folklore.Show less
In recent years, vampires have been prominently featured in (young adult) literature, film and television, including the Twilight franchise, as well as popular TV series such as Buffy the Vampire...Show moreIn recent years, vampires have been prominently featured in (young adult) literature, film and television, including the Twilight franchise, as well as popular TV series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, These well-known examples feature heterosexual romance, and are specifically geared toward a heterosexual audience. Next to these popular, ideologically affirmative incarnations of vampire mythology, and more in the margins of contemporary vampire culture, there exists also another type of vampire, which has its origins in the lesser-known female vampire who first came to existence in the nineteenth century: Carmilla Karnstein. This particular vampire, the title character of J Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1871 novella, is a female vampire whose primary goal it is to pursue young aristocratic women in hopes of feeding on their blood and transforming them into vampires. This thesis researches the depiction of the female vampire in Le Fanu’s novella as well as three of its modern media adaptations. In constrasting the film The Vampire Lovers (1970), the television film Carmilla (1989), and the web series Carmilla (2014) with the original novella, this thesis reflects on the ways in which an overarching social structure such as the patriarchy can determine the representation of female characters in film and literature.Show less
This thesis looks at the influence of the public personas of King and Kubrick on the novel and the film adaptation, respectively. It outlines the precise persona of each artist, details why certain...Show moreThis thesis looks at the influence of the public personas of King and Kubrick on the novel and the film adaptation, respectively. It outlines the precise persona of each artist, details why certain changes have been in terms of plot, and describes the alterations made in the main protagonist of each work, in order to distinguish Kubrick's postmodern take on the horror genre with King's popular fiction take.Show less
