This thesis is a study of Early Modern German medical information in Early Sixteenth century London print culture. The study focusses on information transference from the Continent to the British...Show moreThis thesis is a study of Early Modern German medical information in Early Sixteenth century London print culture. The study focusses on information transference from the Continent to the British Isles.Show less
The focus of this thesis is belief. Belief here is defined as the human act of believing in the validity of a thing, concept or creature, without a necessity of empirical evidence to sustain the...Show moreThe focus of this thesis is belief. Belief here is defined as the human act of believing in the validity of a thing, concept or creature, without a necessity of empirical evidence to sustain the conviction. Human society itself is founded upon belief as it requires humans to believe in abstract concepts that maintain human society such as mercy, justice, and honour. According to Grunner (227), religion is of central importance in the Discworld novels, particularly in The Last Hero, Pyramids, Reaper Man and Hogfather. Pratchett lays emphasis on the necessity of belief and the nature of religion to be a societal tool, belief rather than religion is the central focus of these novels. Pratchett holds that belief is a necessary capacity for the human condition; that the ability to believe is humanity’s defining characteristic. Thus belief – and the humans that express it – always hold authority over the religion – and the Gods that inhabit it – that it happens to create. The evidence for the argument presented above is found in the relationship between the Divinities and humans. The Discworld is inherently polytheistic, as many religions exist and all their gods exist in varying degrees of manifestation and power. These Gods are part of the Divinities class. Other members are Anthropomorphic Representations (henceforth ARs) and Auditors. The nature of Divinities is further explored in chapter three. For now, it suffices to say that the relationship of humans to their belief is mediated through the Divinities as on the Disc. What is believed in must exist. Thus, the relationship between Gods and humans reflects on the nature of human belief whereas the relation between Auditors and ARs reflects on the human capacity to create their social reality. Both these relations will be discussed in chapter four. It is through the relations between Gods and humans, humans and ARs, and Auditors and ARs that this thesis seeks to prove its argument.Show less
Linguistics is the field of study that is concerned with language. This field includes the study of syntax, grammar, phonology, morphology and more. Morphology and syntax are the two main...Show moreLinguistics is the field of study that is concerned with language. This field includes the study of syntax, grammar, phonology, morphology and more. Morphology and syntax are the two main linguistic fields that this thesis is concerned with. Morphology is the subfield of linguistics that is concerned with words and their structure. Compounding is a process that unites two lexemes to create a new, unique lexeme. Within this field of study, linguists such as Bauer and Giegerich have concerned themselves with the compounding process. One important question that has not received an answer to this day is whether Noun + Noun constructions are created through the morphological process called compounding or whether they are created in the syntax and therefore are noun phrases consisting of a head and a nominal modifier. This debate has split the linguistic community into two factions.Show less
This study explores the influence of bilingualism on the process of educational third language acquisition (TLA) among adolescents who have previously acquired proficiency a second language. Within...Show moreThis study explores the influence of bilingualism on the process of educational third language acquisition (TLA) among adolescents who have previously acquired proficiency a second language. Within contemporary research, it is frequently suggested that bilingualism positively influences the process of TLA, since bilinguals are familiar with language processing strategies and have almost certainly developed multicompetence (Cenoz, 2003; De la Fuente & Lacroix, 2015; Ter Kuile, Veldhuis, Van Veen, & Wicherts, 2011). This study takes into consideration the concept of ‘focus on multilingualism’, which emphasizes the multilingual speaker, their whole linguistic repertoire, and the social context when analyzing TLA (Cenoz, 2013). In order to examine whether previous acquired linguistic knowledge by bilinguals benefits the process of TLA within an educational setting, a survey was conducted among 29 bilingual students who are currently acquiring Korean as an additional language at Leiden University. The results obtained from the surveys are divided into three groups, based on in which stage in life the respective students have acquired proficiency in their additional language. The conducted survey consists of 20 questions regarding the students’ perspectives towards the effect of their age-specific bilingualism on their process of acquiring Korean as a L3, in terms of learning grammar, pronunciation and words. The data obtained from this study demonstrates three unexpected findings, which have not been previously indicated within the research field of TLA and bilingualism. Firstly, students who acquired proficiency in a second language before the age of 10 are more positive about the influence of bilingualism on acquiring the appropriate pronunciation in the process of TLA, than about the impact of bilingualism on learning grammatical structures. Secondly, speakers of at least one non-Germanic language were more positive about the influence of bilingualism on learning grammar and pronunciation, as opposed to speakers of only Germanic languages. Thirdly, students who have been exposed to two or more languages between birth and the age of 4 are the most positive about the influence of bilingualism on learning words. This study argues that early bilinguals are more likely to demonstrate cross-linguistic influence between their acquired languages, causing them to be more positive about the experience of learning an additional language. Subsequently, this study suggests that the process of cross-linguistic influence between two typologically different languages is likely to positively influence student’s perspectives on learning an additional typologically different language. Finally, this study proposes that speakers of bilingual FLA are positive about the influence of their bilingualism on learning words, since they perceive their prior linguistic knowledge as the necessary experience to accomplish proficiency in an additional language.Show less
Ultimately, this thesis aims to show the prominence and literary importance of female anti-heroes getting full attention. Before this thesis, female anti-heroes have had a shadowy, ghostly...Show moreUltimately, this thesis aims to show the prominence and literary importance of female anti-heroes getting full attention. Before this thesis, female anti-heroes have had a shadowy, ghostly existence. It is important that they get centre-stage attention now in literary criticism as well as in fiction and on the screen since gender segregation regarding anti-heroines is still existent. Consequently, this thesis also highlights the unequal gender representations in Gothic fiction.Show less
In her highly influential book Gender Trouble, as well as in other publications such as “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution” and “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler argues...Show moreIn her highly influential book Gender Trouble, as well as in other publications such as “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution” and “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler argues for the performative nature of gender and especially the performativity of heterosexual masculinity. She discusses gender as a theatrical performance and claims that gender is, in essence, an imitation of a non-existent original. She argues that gender is collectively produced by society in a way similar to how plays are produced for the stage. The performance of cross-dressing can be especially disruptive of the illusion that gender identity is built around a stable core, and often highlight the every-day performance that is masculinity. Although most Shakespeare plays do not explicitly discuss cross-dressing practices, female roles in Shakespeare’s England were performed by young boys. Some of the plays do discuss the theme overtly, especially those that feature double cross-dressing. In the plays As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Cymbeline, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, female characters disguise themselves as men for an array of reasons. The boys in these plays literally perform two genders as a role – both the (traditional) female and male gender role are performed on the stage. Through this, the boundaries of gender are blurred and its performativity highlighted. Scholars such as Michael Shapiro and Stephen Orgel have researched gender in Shakespeare’s plays extensively. In their respective books, Gender in Play on the Shakespearean Stage and Impersonations: The performance of gender in Shakespeare’s England, they discuss what effect the presence of the boy actors has on the plays and how Shakespeare deliberately alluded to their presence. Through jests, comments and allusions, Shakespeare’s plays explore the act of cross-dressing, homoeroticism and question gender boundaries. Shakespeare’s (double) cross-dressed characters highlight the performativity of gender, especially masculinity, in a way similar to what Butler discusses in her works on gender performativity. Casey Charles, in his essay “Gender Trouble in Twelfth Night”, applies Butler’s ideas to several scenes in the play. He argues that “Judith Butler's critique … provides a useful model for understanding” how Shakespeare’s plays disrupt traditional ideas on gender and sexuality. His application of Butler to Twelfth Night in turn provides a model for the analysis of other plays in this thesis. In this thesis, I will first discuss Butler’s ideas on performative gender. Secondly, I will analyse how gender is portrayed as a performative act in three plays: The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Thirdly, I will discuss how the casting boys or (young) men in original productions of these plays impacts the meaning of the disguises, as well as that of the plays as a whole. After investigating the original texts and productions, I will also analyse modern productions of the three plays by Shakespeare’s Globe company, and show how they deal with the notions of boy actors, performative gender and cross-dressing, as well as Shakespeare’s original comments and allusions. I will argue that within the three plays, comments, humour, and reflexive allusions highlight the presence of the boy actor. Through these, the plays also portray gender – especially masculinity – as a performative act that is similar to the acts that Butler describes in her work. Since most modern productions opt for women to play the cross-dressed characters in the play, many of the intended allusions are lost. Therefore, it is essential for the preservation of both the originally intended plays as well as the timeless messages on gender they carry that all-male productions remain.Show less
Although hip hop first set foot in South Korea 25 years ago, the genre has received exponential popularity over the last 5 years. Korean hip hop takes after its American counterpart in many ways,...Show moreAlthough hip hop first set foot in South Korea 25 years ago, the genre has received exponential popularity over the last 5 years. Korean hip hop takes after its American counterpart in many ways, including the use of the English language. Within the Korean hip hop scene there are many ethnical Koreans that were American born, or lived in America for years. These ethnical Koreans are fluent in Korean as well as English. So how does the English use of these Koreans compare to the English use of hip hop artist that are only fluent in Korean in terms of vocabulary or slang, poetic devices, grammatical preferences and frequency? This paper will analyze Korean hip hop lyrics by both artists that speak fluent Korean and English as well as artists that speak only fluent Korean. Through register analysis and literary analysis this paper will quantitatively determine the differences between English usages of the two groups. This paper provides numeric data as well as examples that show that these differences in proficiency level are also apparent in relatively short texts like song lyrics. In this way this research will assess differences in English use between Korean English bilinguals and Korean monolinguals.Show less
This thesis compares a book by Mary Wollstonecraft to a book by Rebecca Solnit. Both books are related to feminism and their depiction of feminism will be explored. As Wollstonecraft's book was...Show moreThis thesis compares a book by Mary Wollstonecraft to a book by Rebecca Solnit. Both books are related to feminism and their depiction of feminism will be explored. As Wollstonecraft's book was written in 1792 it will show the earliest notions of female independence, this will then be compared to a book written in 2014 by Solnit. It will look at whether feminism has progressed in any way, and if the issues raised by Wollstonecraft are still seen as relevant by Solnit over two hundred years later.Show less
This thesis focusses on the portrayal of King Alfred the Great in Vita Alfredi. The first chapter will focus on the Germanic Heroic code, the second chapter is about King Alfred as the ideal...Show moreThis thesis focusses on the portrayal of King Alfred the Great in Vita Alfredi. The first chapter will focus on the Germanic Heroic code, the second chapter is about King Alfred as the ideal Christian leader, and the third chapter describes the influence of disease on King Alfred's image.Show less
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) – as far as we know – wrote thirty-seven plays over a time period of twenty-three years (Hoenselaars 2012:xv–xxii), one could wonder if traces of the changing verb...Show moreWilliam Shakespeare (1564–1616) – as far as we know – wrote thirty-seven plays over a time period of twenty-three years (Hoenselaars 2012:xv–xxii), one could wonder if traces of the changing verb-morphology of the Early Modern English Period (1500–1700) should be found in his writing (Crystal 2004:3). One example of this changing verb morphology is that, during this period, the third-person singular present tense inflection -th fell out of general use and the -s inflection became a part of Standard English (Nevalainen 2006:89). This thesis discusses if Shakespeare’s verb morphology represents this morphological shift. To answer this question, this thesis analysed the verb morphology of third-person singular present tense verbs in three of Shakespeare’s plays, more specifically comedies, one from the beginning of his career, one from the middle and one from end, i.e. The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1589–1593) , Twelfth Night (1601–1602) and The Two Noble Kinsmen (1613–1615). This analysis has presented results that prove that the use of the -th inflection by Shakespeare in his plays decreased throughout his career.Show less
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that many research papers, books and articles have been written about Jane Austen. Ever since Mary Lascelles put Austen studies firmly on the map with her...Show moreIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that many research papers, books and articles have been written about Jane Austen. Ever since Mary Lascelles put Austen studies firmly on the map with her 1937 publication Jane Austen and Her Art, there have been ongoing debates about Austen, led by academics like Janet Todd, Deirdre Le Faye, and David Selwyn. One of these debates is about whether or not she should be called a (proto)feminist writer, and authors such as Miriam Ascarelli, Margaret Kirkham, and Claudia L. Johnson have contributed a lot to this subject. This thesis aims to show that Austen was a radical author for her time, who displays some very proto-feministic views in her novels. To prove that Austen was a proto-feminist author, this thesis will analyse Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, and relate these novels to the views and opinions of one of the first proto-feminists, Mary Wollstonecraft, written down in Vindication of the Rights of Woman.Show less
A study of the different versions of The Wife of Bath's Prologue that appeared in the most popular editions of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales from the sixteenth until the nineteenth century.
