Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Inspiration in literature'

Clutch is the title of the creative portion of my thesis as well as the name of my theory 'clutch' which I outline in the preface section. The purpose of the clutch theory is to recognize modes of inspiration in the body, heart and mind so that the poet can consciously move beyond passive receptivity to engage inspiration more fully. Mechanically, to "clutch" does not mean to create inspiration, but it is the opportunistic, spirited encouragement of these moments of inspiration and, more importantly, the direction of the artist's own response in moving from inspiration to creation. The clutch process unfolds through three centers: body, heart and mind, where we initially encounter inspiration. And, through a discussion of three notable poets' work, Henri Cole, Li-Young Lee and T.S. Eliot, the relationship between a completed work and clutch as a process further explains the boundaries of each mode.

I denna uppsats tar jag upp hur man kan inspirera och skapa lust till slöjdande för eleverna i skolan. Jag tycker att det är betydelsefullt att man som lärare vet vad som skapar lust hos eleverna och att man kan sporra alla i skolan. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur jag som lärare ska inspirera och få eleverna intresserade av slöjd. För att få fram information har jag intervjuat hemslöjdskonsulenten i Skellefteå samt läst pedagogiska böcker, styrdokumenten och sökt information på Internet. Jag har funnit att det är leken och fantasin som inspirerar barn och ungdomar till slöjdande, samt att jag som lärare måste skapa förutsättningar för att slöjden ska vara lustfylld för alla. Slöjden är viktig i skolan för att barnen tränar sin motoriska förmåga och man får använda båda hjärnhalvorna, vilket leder till bättre resultat i övriga ämnen också. Jag har kommit fram till att det är handens enkla arbete som skapar kreativitet och lust hos barn och ungdomar.

Tracing the influences and references to the Muses in written language from Ancient Greece through the end of the English Renaissance, I discover transformations and revivals in their usage. There are shifts from dependence on deified inspiration to the development of personal insight. Also, there appears to be a conscious substituting of the Muses with the beloved and Cupid or Apollo. But the Muses' religious significance returns in Paradise Lost. The first part of this thesis focuses on the early Greek writers: Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Plato, and the Latin writers: Ovid, Virgil, Boethius. The second part addresses the English poetic tradition from Chaucer through Milton. The poets cited for this section are Chaucer, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare, Donne, Marlowe and Milton. Presentations of the Muses or a personally chosen muse during these literary periods display conceptions of what originally motivates literary creation. I cover both the epic and lyric poetic traditions.

Plato criticizes poetry in several of his dialogues, beginning with Apology, his first work, and ending with Laws, his last. In these dialogues, his criticism of poetry can be divided into two streams: poetry is criticized for either being divinely inspired, or because it is mimetic or imitative of reality. However, of the dialogues which criticize poetry in these ways, it is not until Laws that Plato mentions both inspiration and mimesis together, and then it is only in a few sentences. Furthermore, nowhere in the dialogues does Plato discuss their relationship. This situation has a parallel in the secondary literature. While much work has been done on inspiration or mimesis in Plato’s criticism of poetry, very little work exists which discusses the connection between them. This study examines Plato’s treatment - in the six relevant dialogues - of these two poetic elements, inspiration and mimesis, and shows that a relationship exists between them. Both can be seen to relate to two important Socratic-Platonic concerns: the care of the soul and the welfare of the state. These concerns represent a synthesis of Socratic moral philosophy with Platonic political beliefs. In the ‘inspiration’ dialogues, Ion, Apology, Meno, Phaedrus and Laws, poetic inspiration can affect the Socratic exhortation which considers the care of the individual soul. Further, as we are told in Apology, Crito and Gorgias, it is the good man, the virtuous man - the one who cares for his soul - who also cares for the welfare of the state. Therefore, in its effect on the individual soul, poetic inspiration can also indirectly affect the state. In the ‘mimesis’ dialogues, Republic and Laws, this same exhortation, on the care of the soul, is posed, but it is has now been rendered into a more Platonic form - as either the principle of specialization - the ‘one man, one job’ creed of Republic, which advances the harmony between the three elements of the soul, or as the concord between reason and emotion in Laws. While in Republic, mimesis can damage the tripartite soul's delicate balance, in Laws, mimesis in poetry is used to promote the concord. Further, in both these dialogues, poetic mimesis can affect the welfare of the state. In Republic, Socrates notes that states arc but a product of the individuals of which they are composed Therefore, by affecting the harmony of the individual soul, mimesis can then undermine the harmony of the state, and an imperfect political system, such as a timarchy, an oligarchy, a democracy, or a tyranny, can result. However, in Laws, when it is harnessed by the philosophical lawgivers, mimesis can assist in the concord between the rulers and the ruled, thus serving the welfare of the state. Inspiration and mimesis can thus be seen to be related in their effect on the education of both the individual, in the care of the soul, and the state, in its welfare. Plato's criticism of poetry, therefore, which is centred on these two features, addresses common Platonic concerns: in education, politics, ethics, epistemology and psychology.

This paper examines the way in which Robert Frost incorporates Dantean ideas and imagery into his poetry, particularly in relation to the pursuit of reason and truth. Similarly to Dante, Frost portrays human reason as limited. Both authors nevertheless present truth as a desire that often drives people’s journey through life. Frost differs from Dante by dwelling in apparent contradictions rather than appealing to a clarifying divine light. The paper considers themes of loss, human labor, suffering, and justice, and it also analyzes Scriptural and Platonic inspirations. It focuses on the image of the journey used by both Frost and Dante to describe the experience of living and exploring ideas.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 103 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-103). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces. Within the last decades of architectural history the role of the architect in society and therefore of architecture itself changed. Issues such as space and architectural language gain significance.Narrative architects such as Bernard Tschumi, Daniel Libeskind, and others are inspiration for a design-methodology which focuses on the development of an architectural language.The actual project will be the interpretation of the short-story Heat by Joyce Carol Oates. Its analysis serves as basis for the design of an architectural statement.Emphasis is put on the actual design-process rather than on the final design result.
Department of Architecture

Through the works of Lord Byron and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, I explored the function of the themes of darkness and obscurity in Romanticism. There was a clear connection between the inclusion of these themes and the rejection of the Enlightenment period, which is what I focused on in this thesis. I discovered that the Romantics found inspiration and beauty in the darker, stranger aspects of the natural world, while rejecting the logical and rational beliefs of the Enlightenment.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Many metaphors relating to creativity are too misleading, confusing, and restricted in scope for a meaningful exploration of the phenomenon and its fluctuating social and cultural contexts. Given the Muse's long-term association with literature, philosophy, education, and more recently, the fine arts and other "creative" fields, an analysis of this concept may provide a unique opportunity to gain insight into the "mechanisms" underlying the creative process. Since affiliation with the Muse appears to have signalled attainment of critical cultural and/or social status by cultural practitioners in various societies, from the ancient to the present (a category which was broadened substantially), it is thus logical to assume this concept encompasses and has accumulated characteristics particular to the creative process as historically and currently valued in Western culture. Given the limited scope of the thesis, I have focused on specific concerns: 1) Provide an overview of the history, origin and development of the concept via specific examples ranging from antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern. 2) Assess the changes which have occurred in the development of the concept, and postulate likely causes: such as for example, the impact of an increased focus on the visual - and by extension, the physical - due to a more literate populace, on a concept originally conceived of as experienced through predominantly audial means. 3) Identify closely related concepts, the characteristics of which may have played a role in the formulation of the initial concept, along with those integrated into it, to form the modern version of the Muse: examples include the influence of the myth of Pygmalion on notions regarding the poet's relationship with both material and Muse; and the consequences of an amalgamation of characteristics of Aphrodite with those of the pastoral Muse. 4) Explore the extent to which the Muse-poet interaction can reveal fundamental aspects of the creative process and its main components: the differences between the public invocation and experience of the Muse in an oral context, as opposed to the privately experienced Muse of the literate poet; also, the changes imposed on the concept's perceived means of functioning due to its extension to the practice of the visual arts; and the correlation between the Jungian notion of the anima and aspects of the Muse. 5) Postulate the fundamental aspects of the creative process as revealed by analysis of the concept of the Muse for further investigation. In brief then, the main intention of this thesis is simply to examine by analysis of particular examples, the feasibility of applying the concept of the Muse as metaphor through which to identify for further exploration, issues and themes relating to the production and changes in social assessment of creative enterprises.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Menige metafore verbonde aan kreatiwiteit is te misleidend, verwarrend, of beperk in omvang vir 'n betekenisvolle ondersoek van díe verskynsel en die fluktueerende sosiale en kulturele kontekste daarvan. Gesien in die lig van die Muse se langtermyn assosiasie met letterkunde, filosofie, opvoedkunde en meer onlangs, the skone kunste en ander "kreatiewe" velde, mag 'n analise van die konsep moontlik 'n unieke geleentheid bied om insig te verkry in die onderliggende "meganismes" van die kreatiewe proses. Aangesien affiliasie met die Muse blyk om die bereiking van kritiese kulturele en/of sosiale status, deur kulturele praktisyne in verskeie samelewings, van die antieke tot die huidige ('n kategorie wat aansienlik uitgebou is) aan te dui, is dit dus logies om te aanvaar dat die konsep alomvattend is van eienskappe kenmerkend van die kreatiewe proses, soos geskiedkundig en huidig op prys gestel in die Westerse kultuur. Gegewe die beperkte bestek van die tesis, is gefokus op spesifieke kwessies: 1) Verskaf 'n oorsig van die geskiedenis, oorsprong, en ontwikkeling van die konsep deur spesifieke voorbeelde, in omvang vanaf die antieke, die middeleuse periode, en die moderne. 2) Evalueer die veranderinge wat voorgekom het in die ontwikkeling van die konsep, en veronderstel moontlike redes daarvoor: soos byvoorbeeld, die impak van vermeerderde fokus op die visuele - en daarby die fisiese - as gevolg van 'n meer geletterde bevolking, op 'n konsep wat aanvanklik hoofsaaklik ouditief ondervind is. 3) Identifiseer verwante konsepte, die eienskappe waarvan moontlik 'n rol kon gespeel het in die formulasie van die aanvanklike konsep, asook die wat daarby geintegreer is, om die moderne weergawe van die Muse te vorm: voorbeelde sluit in, die invloed van die mite van Pigmalion op begrippe aangaande die digter se verhouding met beide die materiaal en Muse; en die gevolge van 'n samesmelting van Aphrodite se karaktertrekke met die van die pastorale Muse. 4) Ondersoek die mate waartoe die Muse-digter verhouding fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses en sy hoof komponente kan ontbloot: soos die verskille tussen die publieke invokasie en ervaring van die Muse in 'n verbale konteks, in teenstelling met die geletterde digter wat die Muse privaat ondevind; asook die veranderinge temeegebring op die persepsies aangaande die konsep se funksionering as gevolg van die uitbreiding daarvan tot die visuele kunste; en die korrelasie tussen die Jungiaanse idee van die anima, en aspekte van die Muse. 5) Veronderstel die fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses, soos ontbloot deur analise van die konsep van die Muse vir verdere ondersoek. Kortliks dan, die hoof voorneme van hierdie tesis is om deur analise van spesifieke voorbeelde, die uitvoerbaarheid te ondersoek om die konsep van die Muse toe te pas as metafoor vir verdere navorsing waardeur kwessies en temas, aangaande die produksie en veranderinge in sosiale waardering van kreatiewe ondernemings, ge-identifiseer kan word.

Der Aufsatz rekonstruiert Daniel Heinsius’ Verachtung der Philologie, wie sie in seinen „Orationes” zum Ausdruck kommt. Die These lautet, dass diese Verachtung in Heinsius’ neuplatonischer Poetik mit ihrer Sakralisierung der Dichtung begründet ist. In seinem Kommentar zur aristotelischen „Poetik“, der „Constitutio tragoediae“, ordnet Heinsius das technische Wissen der aristotelischen „Poetik“ der neuplatonischen Inspirationstheorie unter. Dadurch transformiert er den traditionellen, historisch-philologischen Kommentar in eine neue Form des technischen Handbuchs, wie es die „Constitutio tragoediae“ darstellt.
The paper sketches out Daniel Heinsius' disdain for philology as expressed in his Orationes. It argues that this disdain was founded in Heinsius' neoplatonic poetics with its sacralisation of poetry. In his commentary on the Aristotelian Poetics, the Constitutio tragoediae, Heinsius subordinates the technical knowledge as expressed in the Aristotelian Poetics to the Neoplatonic doctrine of inspiration. By that, he transformed the traditional historical-philological commentary into the new type of technical handbook exemplified by the Constitutio tragoediae.

From an anti-oppressive and a gender perspective, the aim of this paper is to examine whether three English teachers at a comprehensive school in Stockholm make gender conscious selections when selecting novels for their English literature lessons. Through quantitative research, semi-structured interviews and e-mail interviews with these teachers I have attempted to find out if they include both male and female writers when selecting English novels for their students and also what factors affect their selections. I have analyzed the interviews and the quantitative research by using a qualitative and a quantitative content analysis. The theories that I have established my analysis upon are gender theories about the male norm in society, the feminist Simone de Beauvoir’s ideas about the woman as a second gender and the sociologist Raewyn Connell’s gender regimes. Furthermore, the Professor Kevin K. Kumashiro’s theories on anti-oppressive education have been very useful when interpreting my research. My results show that these teachers do not make gender conscious selections for their English literature lessons since they almost only choose novels written by men. They explain their choices to depend upon factors such as them wanting to individualize their literature lessons by selecting novels that their students will enjoy. They also elucidate the issue that the school only has a limited selection of novels to choose from, which narrows their choices. But I argue that since the teachers are able to purchase new novels to the school and also borrow class sets from the Public Library, they have the possibility to select novels by female writers as well. I interpret the fact that they almost only use novels written by men as a result of the male norm in society, which influences the teachers on a subconscious level. That the teachers select male writers prior to female writers results in the students achieving an inadequate education, given that they mostly learn about the male perspective upon the world, since the female angle is invisible. If these teachers would begin working from an anti-oppressive perspective and make gender conscious selections of novels for their English literature lessons, they must first be aware of how the male norm influences them.

Studies of William Blake's poetry have historically paid little attention to the Welsh literary context of his time, especially the bardic lore (barddas), in spite of the fact that he considered himselfto be a bard and created an epic cosmos in which the bardic had exalted status. Of particular importance is the Welsh concept of the awen, which can be thought of as "the muse," but which must not be limited to the Greek understanding of the term For the Welsh, the awen had to do with the Christian concept of the Holy Spirit, and beyond that, with the poet's connection with his inspiration, or genius, whether Christian of otherwise. This study explores the idea of inspiration as it evolves from the Greek idea of the Muse, as it was perceived in the Middle Ages by Welsh writers, and as it came to be understood and utilized by writers in the Age of Blake.

Uppsatsen belyser delar av komplexiteten i Bob Dylans författarskap via en analys av det medvetna bruket av intertextualitet i sex låtar från tre olika album, alla från mitten av 1960-talet. Det klarläggs att Dylan inte kan förenklas till endast alluderingar till Shakespeare, utan att författarskapet innehåller en hög grad av komplexitet. Syftet är alltså att visa på låtskrivarens medvetna influenser, alluderingar, citat, omskrivningar och satir och hur det påvisar tesen. Analysexemplen, som de framstår via det litteraturvetenskapliga verktyget, påvisar olika kopplingar. Även om författaren är komplex från första texten utvecklas poeten från att referera till folktraditionen till att alludera till författare som Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, Dylan Thomas och Allen Ginsberg i de senare exemplen.
This essay highlights parts of the complexity in Bob Dylan’s authorship via an analysis of the conscious usage of intertextuality in six songs from three different albums, all from the middle of the 1960’s. It is elucidated that Dylan’s lyrics cannot be simplified as only allusions to Shakespeare and it is shown that the lyrics contains a high level of complexity. The purpose is to display the author’s conscious use of references such as allusions, quotes, euphemisms and satire and show how those supports my thesis. The texts, as they are perceived through intertextuality, shows different connections. Even though the author is complex from the first example to the last, it is shown in this essay that he progresses from referring to the old folk music tradition to alluding to authors such as Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, Dylan Thomas and Allen Ginsberg in the later examples.

L’ange n’a jamais été aussi présent qu’à l’heure de la modernité, c’est-à-dire à l’époque où le religieux, en son expression, sa forme et sa substance, ses objets, se trouvait remis en question par l’intense réflexion philosophique et par les découvertes scientifiques et techniques issues des Lumières. C’est ce constat fondé sur l’omniprésence des anges tant dans l’art que dans la littérature du dix-neuvième et du vingtième siècles qui nous a conduit à nous poser une question simple : de quoi l’ange fait-il signe ? Que symbolise-t-il ? Quel sens donner à cette présence ?Nous avons décidé, pour le savoir, de remonter aux sources de l’ange afin de mettre au jour les fondements de ce qui, de toute évidence, s’affirme comme l’un des mythes les plus importants de notre imaginaire contemporain. Nous avons également décidé de montrer comment ce passage d’une figure biblique à un mythe profane avait été rendu possible et quels mécanismes cette métamorphose avait empruntés ;nous avons aussi cherché à savoir quels enjeux ce processus mettait en jeu.Cette étude se propose d’étudier les représentations des anges dans l’art et la littérature de 1850 à 1950 afin de découvrir comment l’on passe d’une figure traditionnelle à un véritable mythe moderne. En quoi les représentations modernes de l’ange témoignent-elles des nouveaux rapports qui se tissent au divin ? Il s’agit ensuite d’étudier ses deux symboliques majeures : celle de l’ange inspirateur et celle de l’ange gardien, en mettant au jour les procédés qui permettent à l’ange de devenir un mythe personnel de l’individu et du créateur en particulier
The angel was never as present as during the modernist era, that is at a time when thereligious figure, in its expression, its form, and even in its substance, its objects, waschallenged by the intense philosophical reflection and by the scientific and technicaldiscoveries stemming from the Enlightenment era. It is this acknowledgement basedon an omnipresence of angels, in nineteenth and twentieth art and literature alike,which led us to ask a simple question – what is the angel a sign of? What does itsymbolize? What meaning may be given its large presence?We have decided, to understand it, to get back to the sources of the angel in order toshed light onto the foundations of that which, quite obviously, establishes itself asone of the most important myths in the present-day imagination. We have alsodecided to show how the mutation from a biblical figure to a profane myth hadmanaged to happen and what were the mechanisms through which thismetamorphosis had taken place; we have also tried to know what was at stake in thisprocess.This study proposes to examine the representations of angels in art and literaturefrom 1850 to 1950 in order to discover how these traditional figures came to becomemodern myths. How can their contemporary representations testify of a newrelationship with the divine ? We'll try to answer this question by studying two majorsymbolics - the inspiring angel and the guardian angel - and by revealing the processin which the angel becomes a personal myth of the individual and especially of thecreator

Etude systématique des œuvres d'Henri Troyat consacrées à sa patrie d'origine, la Russie. Celles-ci sont composées, d'une part, de la représentation sous forme romanesque de la vie en ancienne Russie, et, d'autre part, de nombreuses biographies de souverains et personnages russes célèbres. La première partie de la thèse est consacrée à la description de l'univers franco-russe. La seconde partie présente l'homogénéité et i'hétérogénéité du texte littéraire. Henri Troyat peut être à la fois auteur, narrateur, personnage principal dans des romans où la fiction se mêle à la réalité. Naturalisé Français à l'âge de vingt-et-un ans, il entreprend aussitôt une carrière romanesque couronnée très vite par le prix du roman populiste et le prix Concourt, il se consacre à un dialogue de deux cultures dont il est peut-être le seul à posséder la clé. C'est ce que l'on s'est efforcé d'analyser dans cette seconde partie de la thèse. Dans la troisième partie sont présentées les éminiscences russes précises se référant à ses textes et à ceux des auteurs classiques russes les plus célèbres. Les russismes, les citattens, les chansons constituent une sorte de florilège que Ton a essayé de présenter dans sa grande diversité et sa grande beauté. La lecture de l'œuvre considérable d'Henri Troyat donne grâce à la fiction romanesque, servie par une remarquable rédaction et contrôlée en permanence par des références familiales précises, une vision incomparable de la Russie éternelle et de son histoire. L'annexe mérite mention, car elle constitue un important glossaire où l'on retrouve des mots français russifiés en abondonnant leur signification initiale
In this thesis, a much eshaustive study is lead on academician Henri Troyat's very important writings output: 107 novels and biographies. This study deals with a novelist view of old Russia which he was able to receive from his family who had a narrow escape from Russia in the early twenties of the twentieth century. He was by then only 9 years old, but he gathered a lot. A second point of view on this author's production is focussed on many tsars and tsareens, so as famous writers and music compositors biography. This thesis aims are to reach to a knowledge of social life, habits, religious customs prevailing in old Russia and that seem to be everlasting now. Parallel between both French and Russian culture is drawn. Henri Troyat is a bicultural as it appears from his writings. Such is the purpose of this study. A glossary, at the end, gathers some very caracterislic russian expressions which are obviously, derived from french whose meanings are different

Etude systématique des œuvres d'Henri Troyat consacrées à sa patrie d'origine, la Russie. Celles-ci sont composées, d'une part, de la représentation sous forme romanesque de la vie en ancienne Russie, et, d'autre part, de nombreuses biographies de souverains et personnages russes célèbres. La première partie de la thèse est consacrée à la description de l'univers franco-russe. La seconde partie présente l'homogénéité et i'hétérogénéité du texte littéraire. Henri Troyat peut être à la fois auteur, narrateur, personnage principal dans des romans où la fiction se mêle à la réalité. Naturalisé Français à l'âge de vingt-et-un ans, il entreprend aussitôt une carrière romanesque couronnée très vite par le prix du roman populiste et le prix Concourt, il se consacre à un dialogue de deux cultures dont il est peut-être le seul à posséder la clé. C'est ce que l'on s'est efforcé d'analyser dans cette seconde partie de la thèse. Dans la troisième partie sont présentées les éminiscences russes précises se référant à ses textes et à ceux des auteurs classiques russes les plus célèbres. Les russismes, les citattens, les chansons constituent une sorte de florilège que Ton a essayé de présenter dans sa grande diversité et sa grande beauté. La lecture de l'œuvre considérable d'Henri Troyat donne grâce à la fiction romanesque, servie par une remarquable rédaction et contrôlée en permanence par des références familiales précises, une vision incomparable de la Russie éternelle et de son histoire. L'annexe mérite mention, car elle constitue un important glossaire où l'on retrouve des mots français russifiés en abondonnant leur signification initiale.

Scholars and storytellers alike have deemed George MacDonald a great mythopoeic writer, an exemplar of the art. Examination of this accolade by those who first applied it to him proves it profoundly theological: for them a mythopoeic tale was a relational medium through which transformation might occur, transcending boundaries of time and space. The implications challenge much contemporary critical study of MacDonald, for they demand that his literary life and his theological life cannot be divorced if either is to be adequately assessed. Yet they prove consistent with the critical methodology MacDonald himself models and promotes. Utilizing MacDonald’s relational methodology evinces his intentional facilitating of Mythopoesis. It also reveals how oversights have impeded critical readings both of MacDonald’s writing and of his character. It evokes a redressing of MacDonald’s relationship with his Scottish cultural, theological, and familial environment – of how his writing is a response that rises out of these, rather than, as has so often been asserted, a mere reaction against them. Consequently it becomes evident that key relationships, both literary and personal, have been neglected in MacDonald scholarship – relationships that confirm MacDonald’s convictions and inform his writing, and the examination of which restores his identity as a literature scholar. Of particular relational import in this reassessment is A.J. Scott, a Scottish visionary intentionally chosen by MacDonald to mentor him in a holistic Weltanschauung. Little has been written on Scott, yet not only was he MacDonald’s prime influence in adulthood, but he forged the literary vocation that became MacDonald’s own. Previously unexamined personal and textual engagement with John Ruskin enables entirely new readings of standard MacDonald texts, as does the textual engagement with Matthew Arnold and F.D. Maurice. These close readings, informed by the established context, demonstrate MacDonald’s emergence, practice, and intent as a mythopoeic writer.

Dans l'oeuvre dramatique de Shakespeare, la voix a le pouvoir de séduire et de faire naître le désir, d'atteindre l'âme comme les émotions et d'y insuffler un mouvement, d'ordonner et d'harmoniser les rapports entre les hommes, ou encore d'agresser, de blesser, de maudire, voire de tuer. La belle acoustique du Théâtre, du Globe ou des Blackfriars, permettait à la voix de résonner en se mêlant à des effets musicaux et à des bruits pour former des paysages sonores qu'il s'agit d'entendre et de déchiffrer.

El presente trabajo estudia la recepción de la Biblia por parte de Jorge Luis Borges a partir del análisis de su obra completa. Se compone de tres partes. En la primera, contextual, después de perfilar la fortuna literaria del imaginario bíblico, cuestión bien estudiada en el ámbito anglosajón desde la década de 1980, se atiende brevemente al modo en que tres autores importantes para Borges Dante, Milton y Blake usaron la Escritura en su obra. En la segunda, a partir de ciertos datos biográficos, declaraciones y escritos de Borges, se trata de precisar la importancia que tuvo para él la literatura bíblica y de qué modo ésta influyó en su propia poética. En la tercera se analiza el uso literario de ciertos personajes de la Escritura por parte de Borges; el análisis revela que esos personajes encarnan de un modo paradigmático algunos de los temas centrales de su obra, como el conocimiento, la muerte, el tiempo o la identidad.
The present work studies the reception of the Bible by Jorge Luis Borges by means of the analysis of his complete work. It consists of three parts. The first one, merely contextual, outlines the literary fortune of the biblical imagery, a question that has occupied to the Anglo-Saxon criticism from the decade of 1980, and concisely attends to the way in which three important authors for Borges Dante, Milton and Blake used the Scriptures in their work. The second one attempts to specify, from the basis of certain biographical information, declarations and writings of Borges, the importance that the Biblical literature had for him and the way it influenced his own poetics. The third one analyzes the literary use of certain characters of the Scriptures by Borges; the analysis reveals that these characters personify in a paradigmatic way some of the central topics of his work, as knowledge, death, time or identity.

by Agnes Kwok Wai-fong.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves [109]-[115]).
Acknowledgement --- p.1-2
Abstract --- p.3
Preface --- p.4-7
Chapter Chapter 1 --- The Development of Imagination from the Medievals to The Romantics --- p.8-32
Chapter Chapter 2: --- The Chinese Concept of Shen and Liu Xie's Shen-si --- p.33-58
Chapter Chapter 3: --- Image-forming and Imagination in Sino-Western Perspectives --- p.59-87
Chapter Chapter 4: --- Different Functions of Imagination in Comprehending Nature China and the West --- p.88-108
Works Cited

S’il y a deux mots qui nous appellent encore, nous convoquent, nous incitent à rêver et en même temps résistent à bien des égards à livrer leur « vérité », ce sont bien les mots « communauté » et « femme ». Cette thèse s’efforce de les rapprocher, de les garder dans la proximité et ce à partir des écrits de Clarice Lispector. Étant donné que l’oeuvre de l’écrivaine brésilienne, composée dans sa grande majorité de personnages et narrateurs féminins, met souvent en scène des face-à-face féminins, nous examinons comment ces rencontres témoignent d’une possible communauté des femmes. Cependant, tel qu’annoncé dans le titre de cette étude, la communauté des femmes dont il est question dans l’oeuvre de Lispector est celle qui existe sporadiquement oscillant entre conflit et complicité. Pour tenter de donner une forme et un vocabulaire à une telle communauté des femmes, nous parcourons les principales théories de la communauté, notamment celles développées par Jean-Luc Nancy, Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Derrida et Roland Barthes ainsi que certaines théories du féminisme. Ensuite, nous explorons des notions qui « provoquent » l’irruption de la communauté des femmes comme la répétition, le rythme, l’inspiration et le don. En fin de compte, ce résumé aurait pu n’avoir qu’une phrase, une seule phrase qui résume toute la thèse : la communauté de celles qui n’ont pas de communauté ou pas une communauté comme les autres.
If there are two words that still call us, summon us, make us dream and at the same time resist in many ways to deliver their "truth", they are community and woman. This thesis strives to bring them closer, to keep them in proximity in referring to the writings of Clarice Lispector. Since the work of the Brazilian writer, composed largely of female characters and narrators, often features women's face-to-face, we examine how these encounters reflect a possible community of women. However, as announced in the title of this study, the community of women in question in Lispector's work is one that exists sporadically oscillating between conflict and complicity. In an attempt to give form and vocabulary to such a community of women, we go through the main theories of the community, especially those developed by Jean-Luc Nancy, Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes as well as some theories of feminism. Then we explore concepts that "provoke" the emergence of the community of women as repetition, rhythm, inspiration and gift. Ultimately, this summary could have had only one sentence, one sentence that sums up the whole thesis: the community of women without community or not a community like the others.

碩士
淡江大學
英文學系碩士班
98
There is no denying that the global ecological crisis is the most serious of all the pressing questions we are facing today. Through the studies for the ecological problems, the fact becomes quite apparent that the ecological problems are caused mainly by human beings’ aggressively persistent and biased ways of thinking and living. Therefore, in order to ease the ecological crisis, we have to overthrow the biased ways of thinking and living, and search for a more holistic viewpoint to understand the Earth, ourselves, and the relationship between human beings and the Earth. In Chapter One of this thesis, I would introduce Ken Wilber’s theory of everything and attempt to find out the missing links between human beings and the Earth. Through studying Wilber’s theory, I would try to demonstrate how human beings gradually become disconnected with Nature and how human beings misunderstand their relationship with Nature, and thus cause the ecological crisis. In Chapter Two, I would study three works of literature—Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus, and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake—in order to demonstrate how the highly-biased and narrow-sighted worldview of modern world corrupts and twists human mind and soul, and thus jeopardize the life of modern people and of future generations. In Chapter Three, I would like to conclude my thesis with Annie Dillard’s opinions, especially in For the Time Being, about the relationships between men and “God,” which can be regarded as a synonym of spirituality. To deepen our awareness of the relationships between us and spirituality, I would study Earnest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham’s The Spirituality of Imperfection, to demonstrate why modern people need to reach for spirituality and how they can do it.

L’esthétique de Madame de Staël and Mary Shelley discute l’art de l’improvisation et le concept de l’enthousiasme dans les écrits de ces deux auteurs. Dans ce projet, j’explore l’esthétique d’improvisation et d’enthousiasme de Madame de Staël dans Corinne, en me référant à son autre roman Delphine, à sa pièce de théâtre Sapho, et à ses nouvelles ainsi qu’à ses textes philosophiques comme De l’Allemagne, De l’influence des passions, et De la littérature. J’argumente que Madame de Staël représente à travers le caractère de Corinne une esthétique anti-utilitaire. J’explique qu’elle évoque des valeurs cosmopolites qui valorisent une culture indigène qui est en opposition avec l’impérialisme de Napoléon. De plus, j’examine comment les improvisations de Corinne dérivent d’un enthousiasme qui est associé à la définition que Platon offre du terme. Ceci est évident par la signification que Madame de Staël présente du terme dans De L’Allemagne. J’interprète la maladie de Corinne comme étant d’origine psychosomatique qui est manifesté par la perte de son génie et par un suicide lent qui est une expression de colère contre la patriarchie. Le caractère de Corinne permet à Madame de Staël d’explorer le conflit que les femmes artistes éprouvaient entre ayant une carrière artistique et adhérant à l’idéologie domestique. Chapitre deux se concentre sur l’intérêt que Shelley démontre sur l’art de l’improvisation comme elle l’exprime dans ses lettres à propos de l’improvisateur Tommaso Sgricci. Malgré sa fascination avec la poésie extemporanée, Shelley regrette que cette forme d’art soit évanescente. Aussi, j’examine son enthousiasme pour un autre artiste, Nicolò Paganini. Son enchantement avec se violoniste virtuose est lié à des discours concernant le talent surnaturel des improvisateurs. J’argumente qu’il y a un continuum d’improvisation entre les balades orales du peuple et les improvisations de culture sophistiqué des improvisateurs de haute société. J’estime que les Shelleys collaboraient à définir une théorie d’inspiration à travers leurs intérêts pour l’art de l’improvisation. Chapitre trois considère le lien entre cosmologie et esthétique d’inspiration à travers la fonction de la musique, spécialement La Création de Joseph Haydn, dans The Last Man de Shelley. J’examine la représentation du sublime des Alpes dans le roman à travers de discours qui associent les Alpes avec les forces primordiales de la création. Les rôles de la Nécessité, Prophétie, et du Temps peuvent être compris en considérant la musique des sphères. Chapitre quatre explore les différentes définitions de terme enthousiasme dans les écrits de Shelley, particulièrement Valperga et The Last Man. Je discute l’opinion de Shelley sur Madame de Staël comme suggéré dans Lives. J’analyse les caractères qui ressemblent à Corinne dans les écrits de Shelley. De plus, je considère les sens multiples du mot enthousiasme en relation avec la Guerre civil d’Angleterre et la Révolution française. Je présente comment le terme enthousiasme était lié au cours du dix-septième siècle avec des discours médicales concernant la mélancolie et comment ceci est reflété dans les caractères de Shelley.
The Aesthetics of Madame de Staël and Mary Shelley discusses the art of improvisation and the concept of enthusiasm in the writings of these two authors. In this project, I explore Madame de Staël’s aesthetics of improvisation and enthusiasm as represented in Corinne by drawing from her other novel Delphine, her play Sapho, and her short stories as well as her philosophical texts such as De l’Allemagne, De l’influence des passions, and De la littérature. I argue that Madame de Staël embraces through Corinne an anti-utilitarian aesthetic. I maintain that she represents a cosmopolitanism that values indigenous culture as opposed to Napoleon’s Imperialism. Furthermore, I examine how Corinne’s improvisations derive from an enthusiasm that can be associated to Plato’s elucidation of the term in Phaedrus and in Ion. This is evident by Madame de Staël’s own definition of enthusiasm as presented in the closing chapters of her De l’Allemagne. I interpret Corinne’s illness that is manifested in the loss of her genius as having psychosomatic origins and as being a slow suicide that is an expression of anger against patriarchy. The character of Corinne allows Madame de Staël to explore the conflict that women artists faced between having an artistic career and adhering to the domestic ideology. Chapter two focuses on the interest that Shelley takes in the art of improvisation as is manifested in her letters about the improvisator Tommaso Sgricci. Despite her fascination with extempore poetry, she regrets that this art form is evanescent. Moreover, I examine her enthusiastic response to another artist, Nicolò Paganini. Her fascination with this virtuoso violinist is linked to discourses about the unnatural talent of improvisatores. I argue there is a continuum of improvisation from the ballad form of the common people to the high-cultured improvisatore. I hold that the Shelleys were collaborating in defining the theory of inspiration through their interest in the art of improvisation. Chapter three considers the link between cosmology and aesthetics of inspiration through the function of music, especially Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, in Shelley’s The Last Man. I examine the representation of the sublimity of the Alps in the narrative through discourses that associate the Alps with the primordial forces of creation. The roles of Necessity, Prophecy, and Time can be understood in the novel by taking into account the notion of the music of the spheres. Chapter four explores the different meanings of the word enthusiasm in Shelley’s writings, primarily in Valperga and The Last Man. I discuss Shelley’s views on Madame de Staël as presented in Lives. I analyze Corinne-inspired characters in Shelley’s texts. In addition, I consider the meaning of enthusiasm in Shelley’s writings in relation to the English Civil War and the French Revolution. I present how enthusiasm was linked in the seventeenth-century to medical discourses about melancholia and how this is reflected in Shelley’s characters.

Master's thesis Don Juan as the character in French literature from 1850 until 1950 is dedicated to the research on the change of Don Juan's character in the selected works of this period. Author concentrated on the sources of inspiration and on contribution of individual authors in relation to previous works with Don Juan's theme. In his work he uses mainly the comparative method. He divides works into three groups. In the first group, there are the works whose authors found inspiration for Don Juan's character above all in the works of Molière and Tirso de Molina. In the second part, there are works that follow the romantic concept by Prosper Mérimée. In the third part, there are atypical works, in which does not prevail any of the previous models. Author concentrates on new elements with which Don Juan's myth was enriched.

The exodus tradition was passed on for posterity among the Jewish descendants about God who delivered their ancestors from bondage in Egypt, who divided the Red Sea waters and provided them with manna in the desert. The exodus tradition motivated them in many problematic situations about "God of their fathers" who delivered them. The modern post-biblical world has drawn some motivation from the exodus liberation motif, namely: Latin America, USA, South Africa, Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, amongst others. The topic: Reading the Exodus Tradition from a Zimbabwean Perspective is necessitated by the Zimbabwean experience of oppression. The function of the exodus tradition during colonialism in Rhodesia is discussed because it forms the nucleus from which Zimbabwe was born. Recently, the Zimbabwean people have been subjected to unjust treatments by the Zimbabwean regime. The function of the exodus tradition in the Zimbabwean situation is explored in chapters five and six, respectively.
Biblical and Ancient studies
M.A. (Biblical Studies)

This master thesis deals with history teaching from 1948 up to 1970. The main focus is not put on the way how the teaching looked really like, but it deals with the teaching methods how history should be taught. The major sources are journals of education for history teaching, mostly Dějepis ve škole and the preceding and following journals. The basic question is whether the magazines could have really helped the teachers in terms of teaching methodology and what was this support like. In the first chapter the history of education is described, the second chapter deals with the journals of education for history teaching. Next is described how a lesson should look like, the whole-class presentation, examination, revision, using a textbook. Special chapter deals with various tools for history teaching, including maps, images, audiovisual aids and literature. Moreover there is covered regional history, excursions, cooperation with museums and archives. In the end the basic question is answered; the journals were able to help the teachers well, many interesting and inspiring articles were in them. Nowadays, the problems of history teaching are almost the same, the have not been solved yet. Furthermore in the end are discussed special methodological debates in the half-public space that were present in...

Text in Afrikaans, with summaries in Afrikaans and English
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 383-403)
Die woordestryd oor goddelike inspirasie van alles wat in die Bybel staan, as gevolg van die uitgesproke stellings van Johannes Du Plessis, het tot ‘n krisis gelei wat as baken in die annale van die Ned. Geref. Kerk beskou word. Die meeste van sy standpunte word vandag as waarheid aanvaar en hy het bygedra tot die intellektuele debat oor die Bybel as Woord van God wat vandag nog aangaan. Du Plessis se herkoms, opleiding en verdienste as predikant en saakgelastigde van die Kerk word kortliks bespreek. Hy was die talentvolle seun en enigste kind van 'n Afrikaanse predikant en 'n Engelse vrou, die dogter van 'n sendeling van die LMS. Hy word professor aan die Kweekskool en met kennis opgedoen tydens verdere studie oorsee, het hy gewys op dele van die Bybel wat nie aan goddelike inspirasie toegeskryf kan word nie. Hy het dit ook duidelik gestel dat hy as teoloog en leermeester nie kon glo sonder om te probeer verstaan nie. Hy het sy bevindinge bekend gemaak in Het Zoeklicht, 'n maandblad wat bedoel was om as soeklig te dien om verskillende vorms van “duisternis” in beide godsdiens en die politiek, betref, aan die lig te bring. Oortuig van die waarde van die Hoër Kritiek, het hy dit as sy plig geag om wat hy deur wye leeswerk en kritiese ondersoek rakende die oorsprong, vorm en inhoud van die Ou Testamentiese boeke bekom het, bekend te maak. Artikels van dié aard, eers in De Kerkbode en daarna in Het Zoeklicht, het gelei tot beroering onder behoudende lesers wat gekant was teen enige veranderinge in die prediking. Hulle was veral ontstoke oor sy siening dat die belydenisskrifte wat spruit uit die dae van die Hervorming 500 jaar tevore, oop was vir herformulering. Klagtes dat Du Plessis op 'n gevaarlike pad was, was die begin van wat gelei het tot 'n krisis in die Kerk, en uiteindelik tot 'n buitengewone sinode in 1930 toe hy van sy pos onthef is. Die behoudende reaksie van die meerderheid was dat die Bybel die onfeilbare Woord van God is. Die gevolg was dat 'n groot aantal van die leiers van die Kerk, aanhangers van die Nasionale Party wat in 1948 aan bewind gekom het, tekste uit die Bybel gebruik het om die beleid van Apartheid Skriftuurlik te begrond. Ná byna veertig jaar van 'n onkritiese benadering tot die Bybel, is die geloof in 'n foutlose Bybel weer bevraagteken. Tussen die eerlike teoloë wat dit gewaag het om te wys op foute en inkonsekwenthede, was Ferdinand Deist en Willem Vorster. Albei het hulle opleiding as predikante voltooi maar het hulle nie beroepbaar gestel nie omdat hulle met verdere studie voortgegaan het en hulle openlik uitgespreek het teen die misbruik van Bybelse gegewens om apartheid te regverdig. Geskool aan die Kweekskool in Stellenbosch, het Deist hom onderskei as geleerde wat sy drang na dieper ondersoek gepaar het met 'n piëtisme waarop hy uiting gegee het in 'n stortvloed van akademiese en populêre geskrifte ― wat nie altyd gestrook het met sy stelling dat die Woord van God nie met 'n gelyk-aan-teken aan mekaar verbind kan word nie. Vorster, wat sy opleiding aan die Universiteit van Pretoria ontvang het, het ewe bekend geraak en het internasionale erkenning geniet vir sy toepassing van die semantiek op studies van die Nuwe Testament. Daarby het hy sy kennis van die Nabye Oosterse tale toepaslik gevind in sy bydrae tot The New Quest om meer te wete te kom oor die historiese Jesus, 'n Jood en Galileër wat vir 'n kort periode opgetree het as leermeester en eskatologiese profeet. In die studie van bydraes van die drie geleerdes tot ons verstaan van die Bybel, is ook aandag geskenk aan 'n ander aspek van die Bybel as problematiese teks: Die nadruk wat skrywers en redaktors van die Bybelse gebeure, geplaas het op mans as vaders en seuns ten koste van vroue, moeders en dogters. Die gevolg was dat meeste van die sogenaamde Kerkvaders genoeg in die Bybel kon vind om hulle te identifiseer met die neerhalende beeld wat in Die Openbaring (14:3-4) geskep word van vroue, opvallend in stryd met die inhoud van Genesis 1:26-31.
The controversy started by Johannes Du Plessis over the question whether everything in the Bible was inspired by God, caused a crisis in the Dutch Reformed Church, which is listed as a beacon in its history. Most of the points he raised are accepted as truth today, and started an intellectual debate that is still going on. Information relating to Du Plessis’ origins, training, and achievements as a minister and church official is briefly noted. He was the talented son, and only child of an Afrikaner father and minister of religion, and an English mother, the daughter of an LMS missionary. He became a professor at the Seminary in Stellenbosch, after his studies overseas had caused him to question parts of the Old Testament text that could not be regarded as divinely inspired. He also made it quite clear that believing without trying to understand was not possible for him as a theologian and teacher. He proclaimed his findings in Het Zoeklicht, a monthly magazine intended to serve as a searchlight and an organ to reveal the “darkness” that was still prevalent in both religion and politics. Aware of the value of Higher Criticism of the Old Testament, he regarded it his duty to make known what he had found in reading widely and in critical research on the origins, form and content of the books of the Bible. Articles to this effect published first in De Kerkbode and then in Het Zoeklicht, caused an outcry from conservative readers who were opposed to any changes in the teaching of the church. They were especially enraged by his view that the confessions drawn up by Reformers 500 years earlier, were open for review. Complaints that Du Plessis was on a dangerous path, marked the beginning of what was regarded as a crisis in the Church, and in the end led to Du Plessis being relieved of his post by a special Synod convened in 1930. The views of the conservative majority, however, prevailed. As a result, a large number of leading ministers and theologians, who openly supported the Nationalist government that came into power in 1948, provided assurance that the concept of separation of racial groups was in accordance with Scripture. After nearly forty years of an uncritical approach to the Bible, the belief in in-errancy was again questioned. Among the few theologians who dared to point out errors and inconsistencies in various texts, were Ferdinand Deist and Willem Vorster. Both trained as ministers, they chose to continue their studies and openly expressed themselves against the abuse of Biblical texts to support the ideology of apartheid. Trained at the Seminary in Stellenbosch, Deist turned out to be a noted scholar who combined his urge for honest critical study with a pietism expressed in a flood of academic and popular publications ― which were not always consistent with his own statement that The Word of God could not be connected to Scripture with an is-equal-to symbol. Vorster, who received his education at the University of Pretoria, became equally well known as a scholar and gained international recognition for his application of semantics in the study of the Gospels. He also applied his knowledge of languages in what came to be known as The New Quest for the historical Jesus who, as a Jew and a Galilean, distinguished himself during a brief period as a teacher and eschatological prophet. In the study of the contributions of these three outstanding men to our understanding of the Bible, another major aspect of the Bible as problematic text is addressed: The emphasis the authors and redactors of the Scriptures placed on the roles of men, fathers and sons, patently to the exclusion of women, mothers and daughters. As a result many of the so-called Church Fathers found in the Bible sufficient material to look down upon women ― the verdict expressed in Revelations 14:3-4 being one of numerous texts pointing to women as objects of derision in glaring contradiction to the contents of Genesis 1:26-31.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Phil. (Biblical Studies)

Diplomová práce přináší příspěvek k problematice inspirace historické prózy devatenáctého století odbornou dějepisnou literaturou. Jejím úkolem je zhodnocení provázanosti Palackého husitské koncepce s vybranými dvěma povídkami Josefa Kajetána Tyla, jejichž děj je situován do první poloviny patnáctého století v Čechách. První část diplomové práce uvádí stručnou charakteristiku obou autorů a jejich tvorby s historickou tematikou. Následující teoretická kapitola je věnována pohledu na husitství v devatenáctém století. Druhá část práce je zaměřena prakticky, neboť vedle srovnání výkladu dějin oběma autory také obsahuje subjektivní interpretaci literárních kvalit postav a okolností, jež si Tyl domýšlí.