“One needs a lot of courage, to live”, observes Jean Rhys in Good Morning Midnight (1939) (16). It may just be the credo of her protagonist, Sasha Jansen, but could as easily have been that of Lady...Show more“One needs a lot of courage, to live”, observes Jean Rhys in Good Morning Midnight (1939) (16). It may just be the credo of her protagonist, Sasha Jansen, but could as easily have been that of Lady Brett Ashley in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises (1926). In fact, it is the very observation that implies the scorn and ridicule that the modern woman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century faced as she pushed the boundaries of a male-dominated world. The ‘New Woman’, as she was called, spread out from the United Kingdom to Western Europe and the United States and demanded the right to vote, an equal share in jobs and education, and sexual freedom. She drove herself into public visibility and in turn made way for the ‘vamp’ and the ‘flapper’. In this essay I will take a closer look at the New Woman of the twenties and thirties and explore her different types through an analysis of Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen. In doing so I attempt to determine where the New Woman could flourish and where she could not, what her internal, psychological problems were, which external challenges she met and how the texts represent these matters. Ever since their existence, Brett and Sasha have been critically and often acerbically labelled and categorised. “Bitch woman”, “prostitute” and “failure”, are just a few of a long list of derogatory terms that have been applied by their contemporaries and critics up to date. In this essay I will counteract such descriptions and argue that Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen are, in fact, each in their own way, a late version of the ‘New Woman’ pushing the limits of their restrictions and struggling with the contemporary difficulties they encountered in this role. While the term New Woman is associated with a more serious and intellectual activist, concerned with education and politics, both the flapper and vamp connote fun. Both types take an aspect of the New Woman’s endeavours and magnify it. For the vamp this is seduction, for the flapper it is post-war hedonism in its broadest sense. It is no coincidence, then, that it is precisely this pursuit of pleasure that connects Brett Ashley and Sasha Jansen. Neither Brett nor Sasha pursues a structured path or noble purpose, neither aspire to a career, both, in fact, do whatever they want, whether society approves or not. However, in doing so Brett and Sasha do contribute to the process of women’s liberation. Not because they participate in feminist campaigns or operations – they don’t – but purely because they live how they choose to live. With their chosen acts both women rebel against male domination in general and the prevailing social norms of their respective decades. For Brett, the norms are a product of Victorian heritage, for Sasha they are the standards of a sober and sensible thirties conservatism.Show less
Societal changes and the different concerns of several eras have influenced the portrayal of Eurydice. It can be stated that through time, increasing importance is given to her: the adaptations...Show moreSocietal changes and the different concerns of several eras have influenced the portrayal of Eurydice. It can be stated that through time, increasing importance is given to her: the adaptations become increasingly feminist to suit modern-day concerns with regard to the position of women in society. For the reason that scholarship has focused predominately on the portrayal of Orpheus, the present study will explore the shift in focus from Orpheus to Eurydice by discussing Eurydice’s portrayal in a selection of literary works that covers the Middle Ages and the twentieth century. Eurydice’s subordinate position in adaptations written during the Middle Ages will be explained on the basis of the anonymous Sir Orfeo in combination with the ninth century adaptation of the myth by King Alfred found in his Old English translation of Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy. Eurydice’s portrayal in the feminist twentieth century will be discussed using Margaret Atwood’s Orpheus(1) and the poem Eurydice by Carol Ann Duffy. The reason for the decision to discuss adaptations from the Middle Ages and the twentieth century lies in the fact that the adaptations produced during these two eras are almost polar opposites when it comes to the portrayal of Eurydice. As a result, the shift from Orpheus to Eurydice is most evident when comparing works from these two eras.Show less
The middle construction in English can be formed with an adverb. Though much has been said about constraints on themes and verbs in the middle construction, less has been said about constraints on...Show moreThe middle construction in English can be formed with an adverb. Though much has been said about constraints on themes and verbs in the middle construction, less has been said about constraints on adverbs. This thesis is a short study of what adverbs can participate in middle formation.Show less
This thesis examines how the treatment and representation of warfare and war culture have changed in US war movies after 9/11, compared to those made a decade earlier. It focusses on the role that...Show moreThis thesis examines how the treatment and representation of warfare and war culture have changed in US war movies after 9/11, compared to those made a decade earlier. It focusses on the role that 9/11 had on the thematic content of four war movies; two made before the event and two after it. In the pre-9/11 decade the US made a number of foreign policy decisions which strengthened its cinematic representation as a conqueror. However, that attitude regarding warfare was also highly criticized in some 1990s films. This thesis argues that before 9/11, some directors were critical of increased militarism and war culture in the US and were able to voice such criticism in satirical movies, and that this changed after 9/11. Several trends become visible after the event: an apparent absence of war movies in the first few years after 9/11, an increase in war documentaries, and a shift occurring around 2009, when war movies stressed the emotional consequences and suffering caused by war. It also examines the role of 9/11 on American cinema culture in the months after the event.Show less
As a social reformer, intellectual, and feminist, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) railed against the subordinate economic position of women in the United States around the turn of the...Show moreAs a social reformer, intellectual, and feminist, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) railed against the subordinate economic position of women in the United States around the turn of the twentieth century. Gilman lived and wrote at a time of radical social reform: a time in which industrialization took over the production processes of America; in which Victorian ideals about domesticity were being reshaped; and in which Darwin’s evolution theory dominated discourses regarding the perfect civilization. This thesis focuses on two of Gilman’s publications, her economic pamphlet Women and Economics (1898) and her utopian novel Herland (1915), and analyzes the rational approach that Gilman used to challenge and destabilize the abiding social standards and gender divisions.Show less
The thesis offers an in-depth exploration of the twenty visions that occur in Bede's EH. The hypothesis is that Bede used the visions consciously for two reasons: to provide evidence for God's...Show moreThe thesis offers an in-depth exploration of the twenty visions that occur in Bede's EH. The hypothesis is that Bede used the visions consciously for two reasons: to provide evidence for God's presence in England as well as to explain that God's plans cannot be thwarted.Show less
This thesis concerns itself with the role that Women played in Anglo Saxon society and mainly how their rights and responsibilities are represented in early law codes and how these changed over...Show moreThis thesis concerns itself with the role that Women played in Anglo Saxon society and mainly how their rights and responsibilities are represented in early law codes and how these changed over time. The main focus will be on differences between the law codes of Æthelread Aethelbert, Alfred and Ine and Cnut. Several articles have been written about the change of the legal status of women over the course of the Anglo-Saxon period. In light of these article I will analyse the Law Codes written by Aethelbert and his succesors as well as other legal documents from the Anglo-Saxon period to see if this is indeed the case.Show less
The purpose of this research is to identify the differences in the stages of acquisition of pronunciation between talented and less talented students. The research is based on the different...Show moreThe purpose of this research is to identify the differences in the stages of acquisition of pronunciation between talented and less talented students. The research is based on the different theories concerning second language acquisition (SLA) and pronunciation aptitude. The most important theories are those along the lines of Contrastive Analysis, but the research also includes theories such as those by Dörnyei (2006) and Carroll (1965). All theories will be discussed in greater detail later on in this thesis. The research also has a component of comparison, reviewing the researches by Hu et al. (2012) and DeFrance and Smakman (2012).Show less
In “The Significance of the Frontier” Turner suggests that frontier experiences creates true – independent, individual, free – Americans, and points out that this is problematic once no actual...Show moreIn “The Significance of the Frontier” Turner suggests that frontier experiences creates true – independent, individual, free – Americans, and points out that this is problematic once no actual western frontier is left. This thesis explores how and where later great American novels have constructed new frontiers to overcome. The Sun Also Rises is a novel set in a time when the lack of a physical western frontier was just beginning to be felt. Its protagonists are among the first generations who did not have an actual American western frontier, and instead looked for a place outside America and went to find one in Europe after WWI. Their goal was to create a new identity for themselves and to build an unconventional life by distancing themselves from American society and culture. On the Road has a different take on the concept ‘frontier’ because by then it was psychological and normative rather than a physical boundary. Its main characters do physically go to the West but they do this to escape from the past and the older society with its restrictions. The experience of being on the road is what they look for as the tool to carve a new identity for themselves. Research question: What strategies do The Sun Also Rises and On the Road employ to define new frontiers since Turner’s original frontier experience can no longer be used to form authentic selves ? Thesis statement Although the frontier has changed since Turner, it has continued to exist in other forms and new forms of frontier struggle are at the heart of these novels using movement as a key strategy.Show less
Edmund Burke's views already were conservative at the time of the American Revolution and he continued with this line of thought during the French Revolution. Thomas Paine also remained consistent...Show moreEdmund Burke's views already were conservative at the time of the American Revolution and he continued with this line of thought during the French Revolution. Thomas Paine also remained consistent with his revolutionary thoughts, but his views were not as widespread as the American victory and the swiftness of the revolutionary reforms made in 1789 suggest. Meanwhile, Burke’s conservative desires were certainly not obsolete and his views saw surprising support, and not, as one might expect, just from nobility trying to keep their privileges.Show less
“Oh shit, [I have] said fuck! Oh fuck, [I have] said shit!” Brian Blessed spoke these words on an episode of Stephen Fry’s show Planet World (Fry, 2011b). Why might some people perceive this...Show more“Oh shit, [I have] said fuck! Oh fuck, [I have] said shit!” Brian Blessed spoke these words on an episode of Stephen Fry’s show Planet World (Fry, 2011b). Why might some people perceive this sentence as shocking, rude or offensive? For the simple reason that it contains swearwords. Swearing is not something one is supposed to do and this is told us in, amongst others, the Bible: “But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; for it is God’s throne : / Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great King. / Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black” (The Bible, Mat. 5.34–36). Swearing has always been taboo (Montagu, 1967; Stapleton 289). In one of his comedy routines, the American comedian George Carlin talked about the number of swearwords in the English language compared to the total number of words in it: “There are 400,000 words in the English language, but there are seven of them you cannot say on television. What a ratio that is!” (2011; Pinker, 2008). These seven words are shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits. As a reaction to this sketch, the US Supreme Court and the federal government established a law which could regulate speech on broadcast television and radio in the United States (Poetry Genius): if one uttered one of the ‘seven dirty –’ or ‘filthy words’ on television or radio, one had to pay a large fine. The ban has been established about thirty years ago and there is an ongoing debate on whether it should be lifted (Nighty News, 2012). What makes a word an effective swearword? “In order to be useful for the purposes of swearing, a word […] must have reference to an object possessing, or thought to possess, force or power of some kind” (Montagu 15). Many of these words refer to excrement and filth, like shit, or sexual intercourse, like fuck. Not all words can function as swearwords, “because they [lack] the acquired weight of tradition in the speech community” (Hughes, 1992:22). All swearwords are therefore emotionally charged terms (Hughes, 1992). Native speakers of English mainly use English words when they swear. Native speakers of Dutch, however, swear both in their native tongue and in English (van de Krol, 2013). Are people these days really offended when someone utters a “filthy word”? Is the perceived rudeness of swearing dependent on factors such as nationality and gender? Do British people perceive swearwords with a different level of harshness than Americans? How do their results compare to people who are native speakers of Dutch? These are questions which this thesis would like to answer.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
The portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the...Show moreThe portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the newest Disney films they can be the hero. Although the Middle English romances "Sir Launfal" and "Sir Gowther", the fairytale "Snow White" and the Disney films "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Brave" share several motifs and themes like courtly love and chivalry, there has been a shift concerning their portrayal of women. It can be concluded that the portrayal of women in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is in line with its direct predecessor, Snow White, as well as with the medieval romances “Sir Launfal” and “Sir Gowther”. The female characters in these tales are described in a rather passive way. Brave, on the other hand, presents Merida in an active way and, therefore, breaks with the ‘anti-feminist’ tradition. This newest film has become in favour of women who take control over their own future by pursuing their dreams.Show less
According to Venuti, the translation strategy of domestication is the dominant strategy in Anglo-American translation culture. However, domestication also seems to be the dominant strategy in Dutch...Show moreAccording to Venuti, the translation strategy of domestication is the dominant strategy in Anglo-American translation culture. However, domestication also seems to be the dominant strategy in Dutch translations of children's literature. This article will first give an explanation of children's literature, then discuss both the foreignization and domestication strategy and lastly will outline a casestudy of different translations of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Koning van Katoren by Jan Terlouw.Show less
