Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Novella 2000'

La corruption est l’un des problèmes les plus dévastateurs de la Colombie, car elle touche la dimension sociale, politique et éthique. Ce problème est représenté par des pratiques symboliques qui remettent en question la nature de la culture colombienne et son changement. Le roman policier est l’une de ces formes de représentation. Mais l'histoire verbale est recréée, adaptée ou réécrite par des films colombiens qui récupèrent les images et imaginaires déjà présents dans le texte verbal sur le fond de l’univers culturel. Dans cet ordre d’idées, la question qui a guidé la recherche est : quels sont les imaginaires et les images de la corruption dans les romans Perder es cuestión de método, de Santiago Gamboa, Satanás, de Mario Mendoza et Paraíso Travel, de Jorge Franco et dans les films homonymes de Sergio Cabrera, Andi Baiz et Simon Brand ? Pour en répondre, la recherche développe cette question en trois sections : la première porte sur le contexte socioculturel colombien recréé et réinterprété dans ces romans et films ; la seconde concerne les dimensions sociales, psychologiques et physiologiques des imaginaires de la corruption et des images qui constituent ces imaginaires, et la troisième est centrée sur le processus de réécriture des textes en textes filmiques
Corruption is one of the most devastating problems in Colombia because it affects the social, political and ethical dimensions. This problem is represented through symbolic prac-tices that question the nature of Colombian culture and its change. The crime novel is one of these forms of representation. But the verbal story is recreated, adapted or rewritten by Colombian films. Those recover the images and imaginary in the background of the cultural universe. The question that guided the research is: What are the imaginary and images of corrup-tion in the novels Perder es cuestión de metodo, by Santiago Gamboa, Satanás, by Mario Mendoza and Paraíso Travel, by Jorge Franco and in the homonymous films by Sergio Cabrera, Andi Baiz and Simon Brand? To answer this question, the research develops three sections. The first deals with the Colombian socio-cultural context recreated and reinterpreted in these novels and films; the second concerns the social, psychological and physiological dimensions of the imaginary and the images of corruption, and the third focuses on the process of rewriting verbal texts into film texts. We adopt a semiotic approach, both theoretical and methodological, because literary and film practices correspond to two different modes of production and to two languages each having its own characteristics. The analyses show that if the text statements on corrup-tion and evaluations differ in the form of the expression they share the contents

À partir d’un corpus constitué de neuf romans mexicains publiés entre 2000 et 2010 par Guillermo Arreola, Mario Bellatin, Patricia Laurent Kullick, Guadalupe Nettel, Cristina Rivera Garza et Jorge Volpi, ce travail explore les spécificités et les convergences de l’écriture fictionnelle à la première personne à l’aube du XXIe siècle. Qu’il s’agisse de récits ouvertement romanesques, prétendument autobiographiques ou autofictionnels, ils s’éloignent tous du modèle canonique de l’autobiographie et transgressent la frontière entre le référentiel et la fiction. Cette thèse cherche à mettre en évidence les caractéristiques les plus significatives de ces écritures qui accordent une large place à l’introspection, que le je narrateur se livre à l’exercice mémoriel de la convocation de souvenirs d’enfance ou qu’il s’interroge sur son identité et sa relation au monde et à l’altérité. Dans quelle mesure ces romans reflètent-ils les questionnements et les inquiétudes contemporaines sur l’écriture du je ? Quels regards, concordants ou divergents, posent-ils sur le sujet lorsque celui-ci est au centre de l’énonciation et de l’univers narratif ?Dans un premier temps, ce travail propose une partie rétrospective qui s’attache à rappeler les écueils et les principales évolutions qu’ont connus les écritures du je depuis l’avènement de l’autobiographie traditionnelle basée sur le modèle rousseauiste. L’époque contemporaine s’emploie à trouver des alternatives à ce modèle canonique, au point d’abandonner bien souvent l’exigence d’authenticité référentielle.La seconde partie s’attache en effet à observer les nombreuses failles de la mémoire des différents narrateurs. Il en résulte une absence de pacte autobiographique au profit de textes qui revendiquent la place capitale de l’invention dans l’écriture de soi. L’opposition entre fiction et authenticité se fissure : l’activité mémorielle passe en partie par une (ré)invention de soi et, ce faisant, n’en est que plus « authentique ».Il apparaît également une récurrence du thème du double en tant qu’alter ego intérieur, lorsque les narrateurs subissent métamorphoses ou dédoublements. Ce devenir autre est parfois synonyme de dissolution menaçante du sujet ou signe, au contraire, d’une revendication de sa nature changeante, évolutive et inconstante, essentiellement schizo.Enfin, ce travail s’intéresse au rôle déterminant de l’altérité à la fois dans le processus de construction identitaire subjective et dans sa mise en récit. Le je se configure à travers les rapports qu’il tisse avec l’autre. Cela vaut tant pour les protagonistes que pour les romans, qui étendent les pratiques introspectives et autoréflexives au texte lui-même, faisant la part belle à la métatextualité et à la transtextualité.À travers l’étude de la thématique introspective, cette thèse s’interroge en somme sur le regard que posent ces représentants de la jeune génération de la littérature mexicaine sur la place du sujet dans un monde désenchanté ou désarticulé, et sur les possibilités de renouveau de l’écriture créative
Based on a corpus that includes nine Mexican novels, published between 2000 and 2010 by Guillermo Arreola, Mario Bellatin, Patricia Laurent Kullick, Guadalupe Nettel, Cristina Rivera Garza and Jorge Volpi, this work investigates the specificities and convergences of fictional writing in first person at the beginning of the 21st century. Whether the tales happen to be frankly fictional, supposedly autobiographical or autofictional, they all get away from the canonical example of autobiography and they infringe the border between authenticity and fiction. This thesis seeks to evidence the most significant characteristics of these writings which grant much importance to introspection, when the first-person narrator seeks into childhood memories or wonders about the own identity and relationship towards the around world and alterity. How do these novels reflect the contemporary concerns about the writing of the self? Which converging or diverging looks do they take at the self, as it is the main figure of narrative enunciation and universe?This work opens with a retrospective chapter about the main changes and pitfalls that the self-narratives have encountered since the success of traditional autobiography, based on Rousseau’s example. The past decades have been looking for alternatives to this canonical example and many writers often get away from the absolute requirement of authenticity.The second part endeavours to observe the many breaches in the narrators’ memory. In result, the autobiographical pact disappears in favour of texts which claim the prime importance of invention in the self-writing. Opposition between fiction and authenticity seems to be cracking apart: memorial activity includes a process of self-(re)invention which does not make it less “real”, quite the opposite.It is also clear that the topic of the double as an inside alter ego is recurrent, when the narrators go through metamorphosis and split personalities. This becoming other may be a synonym of a threatening dissolution of the self or, on the contrary, a sign of a claim of its changing, inconstant and essentially schizo nature.Finally, this work focuses on the determining role of alterity both in the process of identity and subjective construction, and in the story of it. The self gets to build itself up through the relationships with otherness. This stands both for the characters and for the novels, in which the introspective and auto-reflexive practices extend to the text itself, meaning a solid presence of metatextuality and transtextuality.By studying the introspective topic, this thesis actually wonders about the look these young Mexican writers take at the place of the self in a disillusioned or dislocated world, and at the possibilities of a renewal for the creative writing

La presente investigación aborda la novela de fin de siglo XX en Colombia entre 1990 y 2005 desde una orientación panorámica. El estudio se plantea desde el punto de vista de la escritura y se elabora a través del análisis de algunas novelas del periodo a partir de los conceptos mundo, autor, fragmento. Para ello se centra en las novelas Rosario Tijeras de Jorge Franco, Entre fantasmas de Fernando Vallejo, y Pavana del ángel de Roberto Burgos Cantor. Así las cosas el estudio presenta tres capítulos centrales. En la introducción se explica el propósito de la investigación. El primer capítulo trabaja el concepto de mundaneidad en la obra de Rosario Tijeras de Jorge Franco, dialogando con la novela Después de todo de Piedad Bonnett y El anarquista jubilado de Roberto Rubiano. El segundo capítulo intenta delimitar el concepto de autor y la forma como se configura en Entre fantasmas de Fernando Vallejo, para ello se pone en diálogo con Asuntos de un hidalgo disoluto de Héctor Abad Faciolince, Amirbar de Álvaro Mutis, Érase una vez el amor pero tuve que matarlo de Efraim Medina Reyes y Vida feliz de un joven llamado Esteban de Santiago Gamboa. El tercer capítulo analiza el modo como se presenta el fragmento en la novela Pavana del ángel de Roberto Burgos Cantor, novela que se inscribe en la tradición literaria de Colombia y, en particular, del Caribe colombiano. Dicha novela se pone en relación con la novela Opio en las nubes de Rafael Chaparro Madiedo y se relaciona también con la novela Los cuadernos de N. de Nicolás Suescún. Finalmente, en las conclusiones se busca fijar las líneas generales del camino que se ha seguido en esta investigación.
This research studies the romance on the end of the twentieth century in Colombia between 1990 and 2005 in a panoramic orientation. The analysis is approached from the point of view of writing and is made through the analysis of some novels of the period from the concepts of world, author and fragment. This research, also, is focused on the novels Rosario Tijeras by Jorge Franco, Entre fantamas by Fernando Vallejo and Pavana del angel by Roberto Burgos Cantor. On this way, the study presents three chapters; the introduction presents the purpose of the research and its explanation. The first chapter works with the concept of worldliness in the romance Rosario Tijeras by Jorge Franco, in a direct dialogue with the novel Después de todo by Piedad Bonnett and El anarquista jubilado by Roberto Rubiano. The second chapter attempts to define the concept of author and how it is configured in Entre fantasmas by Fernando Vallejo, for that purpose, it is brought into dialogue with Memorias de un hidalgo disoluto by Héctor Abad Faciolince, Amirbar by Alvaro Mutis, Érase una vez el amor pero tuve que matarlo by Efraim Medina Reyes and Vida feliz de un joven llamado Esteban by Santiago Gamboa. The third chapter discusses how the fragment is presented in Pavana del ángel by Roberto Burgos Cantor, a novel that is part of the literary tradition of Colombia and in particular, the Colombian Caribbean. This novel is set in relation to the novel Opio en las nubes by Rafael Chaparro Madiedo and also relates to the romance Los cuadernos de N., by Nicolás Suescún. The conclusion tries to define the way this research was developed.

Esta tese investiga de que forma a ficção contemporânea de língua portuguesa encontra possibilidades de resistência à crise do romance que tem se estabelecido na contemporaneidade. As obras dos autores Bernardo Carvalho e Francisco José Viegas, inscritos no início do século XXI, permitem verificar como a ficção da era atual suplanta a crise da narrativa e inscreve-se como elemento de resistência. Com base nas teorias de Walter Benjamim, Theodor Adorno, Zygmunt Bauman e Andreas Huyssen - acerca do declínio da narrativa e do romance aliadas a questões de deslocamento, memória e identidade procuramos demonstrar que essa ficção responde a um momento de crise e de transição. Assim, a ficção dos autores investigados representa não a crise do romance, antes configurase como romance da crise, justamente por encontrar nas questões conflitantes (transgressão narrativa, deslocamento espacial, diluição da memória e identidades fluídas) os muros para a construção de seu labirinto ficcional.
This thesis investigates how the contemporary fiction of Portuguese language meets possibilities of resistance to the crisis of the romance that has established in the contemporaneity. The titles of the authors Bernardo Carvalho and Francisco José Viegas, registered in the beginning of the 21st century, allow examining how the fiction from the current era supplants the narrative crisis and inscribes itself as a resistance element. Based in the theories of Walter Benjamim, Theodor Adorno, Zygmunt Bauman and Andreas Huyssen about the decline of the narrative and the romance allied to questions of displacement, memory and identity we try to demonstrate that this fiction responds to a moment of crisis and transition. Thus, the fiction of the authors investigated represents not the crisis of the romance, before, it configures itself as romance of the crisis, justly for meeting in the conflicting questions (narrative transgression, spatial displacement, dilution of the memory and fluid identities) the walls for the construction of its fictional labyrinth.

This thesis analyzes the newness of ideas in Salman Rushdie’s narrative art in the following eight novels: Midnight’s Children, Shame, The Satanic Verses, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Furyy and Shalimar the Clown. These novels are concerned with the experience of formerly colonized, still disadvantaged peoples, uprooted, disoriented by the fragmentary tendency of postmodernism and undergoing metamorphosis in their postcolonial migrant conditions, which Rushdie believes represent a “metaphor for humanity” (IH 394). From Rushdie’s point of view, humanity is exposed to the transformation which “comes of new and unexpected combinations of human beings, cultures, ideas, politics, movies, songs” (IH 394). Humanity rejoices in “mongrelization (hybridization), and fears the absolutism of the Pure” (IH 394). In narrating such a medley of human existence, Rushdie creates a new literary language and a form to convey his perspectives of this uncertain world within which human beings have to exist. The thesis is structured in eight chapters interposed between an introduction and a conclusion. For its pivotal significance in Rushdie’s oeuvre The Satanic Verses occupies the first chapter; the other chapters are arranged in chronological order to represent the sequence of publication of the remaining seven novels. Each novel is concerned with a distinctive mise en scene, characterized by its unique motif depicting Rushdie’s insights into the predicament of human existence in a world of indeterminacy adrift in the historic confluence of postcolonialism, postmodernism and neo-colonialism. Ideologically, the thesis deconstructs Rushdie’s view of the world of migrants who are confounded by the force of entrenched metaphysical myths of unreliable provenance. Such view naturally leads Rushdie to critique all forms of fundamentalism which represses the freedom of expression to challenge conventional beliefs

Doktorska disertacija naslovljena “Srpskiroman za decu na početku 21. veka u svetluknjiževnih nagrada (2001-2010)” bavi seanalizom romana za decu na srpskom jezikunagrađenih jednom od tri relevantne nagrade:Nagradom “Neven”, Nagradom “PolitikinogZabavnika” i Nagradom “Rade Obrenović” .Osnovni predmet rada jeste sagledavanjetipoloških odrednica i žanrovskih usmerenjaromana za decu u prvoj deceniji 21. veka,njihovih estetskih vrednosti i(li)reprezentativnosti, te utvrđivanje dominantneslike sveta i detinjstva prezentovanih u ovimdelima, kao i razmatranje njihove razvojnerelevantnosti. Romani su analiziranipojedinačno i u okviru tipoloških odrednicakojima, po našem mišljenju pripadaju, ali su,takođe, sagledavani u širem kulturološkomkontekstu . Razmatran je odnos nagrađenihromana prema aktuelnim događajima, kao iukupna uklopljivost u koncept megastrukturemodernizma, referencijalnost, prisutnost umedijima, te mogućnost da budu baza zanajsavremeniji koncept kulture namenjene decikoji implicira njihovo uključivanje u obrazovnisistem, odnosno kanonizaciju. Sa obzirom da jereč o delima koja nastaju u periodu tranzicije,važan deo istraživanja je bio i odnos ovihromana prema širem kontekstu srpskog romana za decu, sa naglaskom na periodu osamdesetih i devedesetih godina. Zaključak koji izvodimonakon istraživanja jeste da je u naznačenomperiodu napisano i nagrađeno niz romana kojipo estetskoj izuzetnosti odgovaraju najvišimzahtevima bogate tradicije srpske književnostiza decu. Takođe, primećena je i potreba zapromenama i inovacijama, koja je uslovila dapovremeno razlog za nagrađivanje budereprezentativnost dela i njegov komunikativnipotencijal, umesto izuzetnosti. Tri (tada) mladapisca (Jasminka Petrović, Igor Kolarov, UrošPetrović) su sredinom decenije u potpunostiposvetili svoj umetnički i društveni angažmanstvaralaštvu za decu, te svojim autentičnimautorskim potpisima dragoceno obogatilisavremenu dečju književnost. Dakle, umetničkadela nastala u prvoj dekadi 21. veka imajuveliki potencijal da postanu deo budućegkanona, ali je prethodno neophodna ozbiljnastručna i institucionalna rasprava
The Doctoral Dissertation entitled “SerbianNovel for Children at the Beginning of the 21stCentury in the Light of Literary Prizes (2001 –2010)” is based on analysis of novels forchildren in Serbian language that were awardedone of the three relevant prizes: “Neven“,”Politikin zabavnik” and “Rade Obrenović”.The basic focus of the dissertation is analysis oftypological characteristics and genreorientations of the novels for children in the firstdecade of the 21st century, their esthetic valuesand/or representativity, and determination of adominant vision of the world and childhoodpresented in these novels, as well as evaluationof their developmental relevance. The novelshave been analyzed individually as well aswithin typological characteristics to which, inour opinion, they belong, and also they havebeen seen in a wider culturological context. Wehave analyzed the relation between the novelsthat received awards and current events, theirpotential to fit in the megastructural modernismconcept, their reference values, presence in themedia and a possibility to be a basis for themost modern culture concept dedicated tochildren, which implies their inclusion in theeducational system, that is, the canonization.Bearing in mind that we speak about works thathave come into being in the transition period, animportant part of our investigation was oriented towards the relation of these novels with a widercontext of the Serbian novel for children, withan emphasis on the period of the eighties andninetieth. The conclusion that we made after theresearch is that many novels have been writtenand awarded a prize in the stated period which,judged by esthetic uniqueness, correspond to thehighest requirements of the rich tradition of theSerbian literature for children. Also, a need forchanges and innovations has been noticed;certain works were awarded prizes because oftheir representative character and theircommunicational potential, not because of theiruniqueness. In the middle of the decade three(then) young authors (Jasminka Petrović, IgorKolarov, Uroš Petrović), dedicated their entireartistic and social engagement to creating booksfor children, so that they, by their authenticsignatures as authors, enriched the modernliterature for children.Thus, the works of art created in the first decadeof the 21st century have a great potential tobecome a part of the future canon; however,before it happens, it is necessary to expose themto a serious and institutional discussion.

Tesis para optar al grado de Doctor en Literatura Hispanoamericana y Chilena.
Frente a los estudios que destacan la falta de memoria y el escapismo en la narrativa chilena reciente, este trabajo plantea la importancia del pasado como punto de referencia en una cantidad significativa de novelas escritas durante los últimos veinte años, y trata de explicar esta atracción en virtud de un marco histórico y cultural preciso: el de “la difícil transición a la democracia”. Desde este marco sería posible entender el revisionismo que la mayor parte de dicha novelas ejerce como un intento por deconstruir y rearticular una historia que oculta y distorsiona los valores que sustentan el pasado reciente y el camino que el país desde entonces siguió. Dentro de este contexto general, el trabajo propone el análisis de cuatro novelas escritas entre 1997 y 2001, en las que el revisionismo se mezcla con una reflexión sobre los mecanismos de representación que han fijado las imágenes del pasado que recibimos de la historiografía oficial, pero desde la convicción de que ellas mismas no tienen más vías de acceso a dicho pasado que las imágenes que surgen de sus propios mecanismos de representación.

The concept of distorting the line between fiction and reality appears to be one of the main themes in Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001) as well as in Joe Wright’s screen adaptation of the novel, released in 2007. With the focus on the main character Briony Tallis this essay explores the influence that literature and fiction have on her, how they bring her to blur the line between them and reality and, to a lesser extent, the different ways in which the novel and its screen adaptation address this issue. Briony is first introduced as an author, underlining the importance that imagination holds for her, and it is this overactive imagination that causes her to misinterpret real events and thus accuse Robbie Turner for a crime he did not commit. To redeem herself Briony turns to fiction in an attempt to re-write the past; by blurring the line between fiction and reality, as defined by the restrictions of her novel, Briony gives Robbie and Cecilia a future within the pages of her book. The literary motifs and symbols, that are present within her novel, enhance the influence fiction and literature have on her. This is also emphasized by her characters’ relationship with literature, their use of literary works, and their characters.  Briony, the character, strives to become Briony the author, thus emphasizing the importance that literature holds for her. Because Briony is trapped within the boundaries of her own imagination she has, in writing her novel, managed to hold Robbie and Cecilia captive in her imaginative world. Thus, finally achieving what she has been striving to do for during the greater part of her life: Briony, the author, can atone for the terrible ordeals that she caused decades previously.

Known in the United States for his critical studies of twentieth-century fiction, Malcolm Bradbury is himself a creator of fiction, the author of four novels. All four are satires. All confront well-meaning but feckless English liberal humanists with the doctrinaire. All reveal that meaning well and doing justly are not the same, and that private values--a belief in the dignity of the individual and in his right to work out his own destiny--are insufficient, even, sometimes, harmful. Yet Bradbury consistently reveals the doctrinaire as far more harmful, concerned not at all about individual men. The doctrinaire is ruthless and inhumane, whether presented as a formulaic version of liberal humanism itself, in Eating People is Wrong (1959); as the politicized liberalism of post-McCarthy America, in Stepping Westward (1965); as the radicalism of the early nineteen seventies, in The History Man (1975); or as the Marxism of a Soviet satellite, in Rates of Exchange (1983). His novels all depict something that Bradbury himself named in a commentary upon his first: "an ironic world, a world without real deliverances." Several critics maintain that Bradbury's novels are profoundly, deceitfully, conservative beneath a surface liberalism. However, as this first long study of the novels attempts to demonstrate, their conservatism is not so much political as cultural. The great Western systems, capitalism and communism, no longer offer much that is conducive to man's well-being; only liberal humanism, in its respect for the individual, holds forth some faint hope for humanity. So implies Malcolm Bradbury, whose stance in the novels is largely apolitical and who exposes the folly of his liberal humanists and the wickedness of their more doctrinaire antagonists with equally devastating wit.
Department of English

Esta Dissertação de Mestrado trata dos processos de negociação sindical da categoria dos aeronautas no âmbito da Ciência Política. Analisa a legislação pertinente e infere sobre as conseqüências desta nas condições de trabalho da categoria. Contrapõe o sindicalismo com o associativismo, na especificidade do grupo de profissões que compõem os aeronautas. Procura constatar as peculiaridades de cada entidade e o grau de engajamento coletivo nas ações reivindicativas dentro dos propósitos propositivos de negociação. A dimensão empírica desta Dissertação foi obtida com a história do Sindicato Nacional dos Aeronautas e da Associação de Pilotos da VARIG, bem como, os depoimentos das lideranças sindicais e associativas e de pilotos da VARIG. As análises teóricas foram obtidas a partir dos princípios da escolha racional, dos posicionamentos sobre o sindicalismo, dos estudos sobre a politização no trabalho, do conceito de legitimidade em Weber e do Capital Social em Putnam. Adicionalmente, debatemos a legislação sindical apontando os elementos considerados prejudiciais à reivindicação trabalhista dos aeronautas. As conclusões obtidas foram as de que a legislação sindical contribui negativamente nos processos de filiação dos aeronautas junto ao Sindicato, diluindo as possibilidades das ações reivindicativas destes profissionais durante as convenções e acordos coletivos de trabalho. As direções sindicais involuntariamente se distanciam dos profissionais que representam em virtude da amplitude da categoria, dificultando a implementação das estratégias reivindicaticas estruturadas pelas lideranças. A Associação, desvinculada das amarras legais trabalhistas, atuando na especificidade do plano da empresa, 5 representando um grupo específico, apresenta melhores condições de atuação na linha do sindicalismo propositivo que um sindicato único de abrangência nacional.
This Master Dissertation treats about syndicate negotiation processes of the crew of civil aviation in the scope of the Political Science. It analyzes the legislation and infer about the consequences of the law in the conditions of labor. Oppose syndicate and employee association in the civil aviation field. Study the particularities of each entity and the decree of the collective actions performed by each group, to achieve better labor conditions. The empirical dimension of this dissertation was obtained in the history of the syndicate and the association, with the leader’s speeches and the VARIG’s pilots. The theory elements were obtained from rational choice, studies about syndicates, the politicize act in the workplace, the legitimate concept in Weber and the social capital in Putnam. The syndicate law was also showed in order to verify points that can become more difficult the strategies of claim of the crew. The obtained conclusions indicate that the law interferes in the negotiation syndicate capacity, helping to maintain the crew in a outsider condition. The association, without law interferences, can better represent its members instead a syndicate that has to represent all group of crew.

The thesis focuses on the representations of British political history in the last five decades in the works of Jonathan Coe in comparison with other contemporary British authors who deal with the same historical issues. Specifically I discuss how the transition from the post-war consensus politics and the welfare state to neoliberalism is represented, and how these transformations British society has undergone are the subject of political commentary and criticism in the works of Coe. I discuss the different stylistic approaches deployed by Coe to deal with history, framing my analysis in the context of a discussion around the genre of the historical novel. The comparative approach of my thesis serves the purpose of both providing a wider depiction of the historical period taken in consideration and provides a broader critical evaluation of recent trends in the genre of the historical novel. My thesis is divided in three chapters, each focusing on the representation of a specific historical period, namely: the 1970s and the erosion of the social structure of the welfare state, the 1980s and Thatcherism, and ultimately the 1990s, New Labour's reformulation of neoliberalism, Cool Britannia, and the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the society of the 'precariat'. My argument is theoretically is inscribed in the framework of the discourse around postmodernity. My interpretation of postmodernism relies heavily on Jameson's analysis of post-industrial, late-capitalist society from the 1970s onwards and is intended to contribute to recent arguments about neoliberalism and the novel. The definition of postmodernity is also drawn from Harvey, Lyotard, Eagleton, Baudrillard, Bauman, and Hutcheon. The theoretical discussion around neoliberal consumerist society is framed in the discourse of excess of desire production and constructed lack, and therefore I use the concept of schizophrenia as theorised by Deleuze and Guattari, drawn from the Lacanian tradition. Žižek's analysis of the last developments of the neoliberal society also contributes to the theoretical and interpretative framework of my thesis. My exploration of Coe's novels, The Rotters' Club, What a Carve Up!, The House of Sleep, The Closed Circle and The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim, in relation to other contemporary works by Amis, Hollinghurst, McEwan, Barnes, etc. reveals the ways in which Coe's historical novels of the late 20th/early 21st century rework the realist novel tradition in light of a postmodern (or schizophrenic) late capitalist society.

"What a strange world it is where you can have as much sex as you like but love is taboo. I'm talking about the real thing, the grand passion, which may not allow affection or convenience or happiness. The truth is that love smashes into your life like an ice floe, and even if your heart is built like the Titanic you go down." (TP 51) This reference from Jeanette Winterson's "The Powerbook" typifies the value that love is given in her seven main novels. Love is idealised. It is also depicted as unavoidable, as unavoidable as the ice floe and as potentially destructive. Idealised, inevitable love is the thread that connects Winterson's writing together. Winterson's representations of love and the paradox at the heart of these representations are the primary concerns of this thesis. On the one hand love provides the opportunity for searching for freedom and for crossing barriers of sexuality in her work. This freedom is sought through the questioning of the dominance of heterosexuality in Western discourses of love. Winterson's writing takes pleasure in the concept of the forbidden fruit and challenges the discourses that have legitimised heterosexuality and unhappy marriages. It is understood in her work that normative practices have traditionally been a weapon to marginalise. On the other hand, she posits that love and the effect of loving are transcendent. Love surpasses the everyday. It is special. By suggesting the possibility of transcendence Winterson is enabling the maintenance of hierarchical thinking. Winterson's paradoxical position surfaces when love is heightened as a transcendent emotion. This is a political, material paradox because by allowing for hierarchical thinking her work ultimately maintains rather than deconstructs binary oppositions, whilst simultaneously urging that love should be available to all regardless of sex or sexuality.

Cette thèse examine les représentations utopiques dans l’œuvre littéraire de Michel Houellebecq. En se démarquant des précédentes interprétations qui ont classifié ses romans comme soit utopiques, soit dystopiques, soit anti-utopiques, elle explore comment une approche par l’ambivalence permet de réévaluer ces textes en accord avec les nouvelles tendances critiques du genre utopique. De cette manière, cette thèse démontre qu’au-delà de la figuration du déclin de la civilisation occidentale pour laquelle ces textes sont connus, la question-clé soulevée dans ces récits s’avère être l’imagination de moyens pour s’échapper de notre monde.En se focalisant sur l’étude de sept textes écrits par Houellebecq, comptant six romans et une nouvelle, cette thèse analyse le rôle de l’ambivalence à travers quatre aspects de la représentation utopique : l’espace, la rhétorique, l’idéologie, et la forme. Pour ce faire, elle s’appuie sur les études critiques des théoriciens Louis Marin, Fredric Jameson, Ernst Bloch et Tom Moylan, dont les études procurent une base méthodologique pour identifier et interpréter l’ambivalence utopique du corpus. Par cette analyse, cette thèse révèle un cadre qui permet de relire l’utopie houellebecquienne comme une réflexion critique sur le désir et l’imagination utopique. En outre, elle approfondit l’interprétation des romans de Houellebecq en tant que produits littéraires et sociaux complexes, pluriels et dynamiques.Ainsi, cette thèse soutient que les romans de Houellebecq sont des représentations d’un utopisme ambivalent. En proposant une lecture des romans de Houellebecq qui ne se limite pas nécessairement à l’anti-utopisme et le désespoir, cette étude offre une démonstration exhaustive de la complexité par laquelle Houellebecq met en scène la possibilité et l’impossibilité du désir utopique de notre époque. De cette façon, elle démontre comment, en poursuivant l’impossible, l’écriture de Houellebecq offre une extension de la fonction critique propre à l’utopie, amenant le lecteur face aux limites de sa propre imagination tout en exprimant le désir persistant de sa poursuite
This thesis examines utopian representations in the novels of Michel Houellebecq. Moving beyond previous definitions of Houellebecq’s utopias as either utopian, dystopian, or anti-utopian, it explores the ways in which the reading of ambivalence may provide the means for a re-evaluation of these works, in line with critical trends in the utopian genre. In doing so, this thesis seeks to show that beyond the depiction of Western decline that these texts are typically known for, one of the driving questions of Houellebecq’s writing is how to imagine a way out of our current bind.Focussing on a corpus of seven primary texts, comprising Houellebecq’s six novels and one novella, this thesis analyses the role of ambivalence across four key aspects of Houellebecq’s utopian representation: space, rhetoric, ideology, and form. In doing so, it draws on the critical utopian theory of Louis Marin, Fredric Jameson, Ernst Bloch and Tom Moylan to provide the methodological framework for the identification and interpretation of utopian ambivalence in the corpus. Through this line of enquiry, this thesis demonstrates the potential for reading Houellebecq’s utopias as critical reflections on utopian desire and imagination within the context of our contemporary society, and, in doing so, it illustrates how the study of ambivalence offers a greater understanding of Houellebecq’s texts as complex literary and social products. As such, this thesis argues for the understanding of Houellebecq’s novels as complex and ambivalent portrayals of utopianism. By proposing an interpretation of Houellebecq’s utopian paradigms that is not necessarily limited to the reading of anti-utopianism and despair, this thesis thus provides a comprehensive demonstration of the complexity by which Houellebecq foregrounds the contingency of utopian desire, through his representations. In this way, this thesis shows how, by pursuing the impossible, Houellebecq’s writing offers an extension of utopia’s critical function, bringing the reader face to face with the limits of their own utopian imagination while portraying the continued desire for utopian pursuits

The final decade of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first witnessed a surge of published novels with direct and indirect connection to the Victorian era, at a time when a focus on the new millenium might have been expected. This proliferation of what came to be termed 'neo-Victorian novels' shows no sign of abating and has now given rise to scholarly research on the subject. The principal aim of this thesis is to examine the rise of the neo-Victorian novel during the period in question. After an introduction which situates the phenomenon within relevant theoretical and cultural contexts, the following chapter attempts to provide a sense of the thematic range of neo-Victorian novels through an original 'catalogue' of more than one hundred neo-Victorian novels, adopting the received neo-Victorian theoretical stance which believes that what neo-Victorian novels write about demonstrates contemporary concerns and contemporary attitudes to the Victorian as much as it attempts an accurate portrayal of a historical period. This is followed by three further chapters which focus on different structural forms in presenting 'Victorian' material: the pastiche, the split narrative and the re-write versions of the neo-Victorian novel. A core contention of the thesis is that the comparison of three different novel forms, allied to the examination of thematic areas of interest, exposes the contradictory impulse which lies at the heart of the neo-Victorian enterprise. While the continuing popularity of neo-Victorian fictions indicates a desire for a sense of continuing connection to Victorian forbears, imagined or actual, the insistence on plots which play to modern interests and sensibilities suggests that the Victorians have to 'fit' with us rather than the other way round. The various forms that the neo-Victorian novel adopts carry their own postmodern means of undermining the credibility of the Victorian world under construction.

The subject of this thesis is the contemporary literature written by the sons and daughters of North African immigrant families in France. Its main area of investigation is the place of this literature in the French literary field, in the Bourdieusian sense of the term, and the discursive features which motivate the ethnic based label of “Beur literature”. The study has a double approach in investigating both the argument for the socio-ethnic categorisation, and the reception of this literature in the French press. The literary corpus consists of twenty works from 2005 and 2006 by eighteen Beur writers. Thirteen of these works are subject to literary analysis. These are novels by Akli Tadjer, Zahia Rahmani, Faïza Guène, Mabrouck Rachedi, El Driss, Mohamed Razane, Houda Rouane, Nora Hamdi, Nor Eddine Boudjedia and Touhami Moualek, and three autobiographical narratives written by Razika Zitouni, Abel El Quandili and Aziz Senni. The press corpus from the corresponding period covers 14 titles of French national and regional daily papers, 8 titles of weekly general press and 6 titles of periodicals of literary and social debate. According to my hypothesis, the Beur fiction and the autobiographical narratives of my corpus are based on a common discourse that is expressed through certain literary means. A frequent strategy found in the novels is the subversion of French classics. Another feature is the constant referral to the French republican values. The novels share the latter of these two strategies with the autobiographical stories. This can be interpreted as resulting from a communication between a literary discourse and a social discourse which points toward a common ideological foundation. It also reveals the specific “Frenchness” of a literature that is often classified as “francophone” rather than “French” literature. The study of the journalistic reception confirms this aspect by the frequent referral of its authors to their ethnic and social origins.

Adolescence is an incredibly complex period of life. During this time young people are searching for and wanting to create their own unique identity, however being confronted with a plethora of roles and directions is challenging and confusing. These challenges are reflected in the vast array of young adult literature being presented to young people today. As a result young adult literature has the potential to function as scaffolding to assist teenagers in the struggles of adolescence by serving as an important source of information about the world and the people in it. Teenage novels also give young people the opportunity to try on different identities and vicariously experience consequences of actions while developing their own distinctive personality and character. As this study reveals, the Australian young adult novel has undergone considerable developments, with 1989 serving as a milestone year in which writers and publishers turned in new directions. In general, Australian young adult novels have changed from books set predominately in rural areas, incorporating major themes of child abuse, death, friendship and survival with introverted characters aged between twelve and sixteen in the early 1980s to novels with urban settings, a large increase in books about crime, dating, drugs and mental health and sexually active, extroverted characters aged between fourteen and eighteen in the late 1990s. To chart the progression of these changes and gain an understanding of the messages young adults receive from adolescent novels an evaluative framework was developed. The framework consists of two main sections. The first part applies to the work as a whole, obtaining data about the novel such as plot, style, setting, temporal context, use of humour, issues within the text and ending, while the second part collects information about character demographics including gender, age, occupational status, family type, sexual orientation, relationships with family and authority figures, personality traits and outlook for character. To qualitatively and quantitatively assess the construction of youth in Australian young adult literature a random selection of 20 per cent of Australian young adult books published in each year from 1980 to 2000 were analysed using the evaluative framework, with 186 novels being studied altogether. During the 1990s in particular, Australian young adult literature was heavily criticised for being too bleak, too dark, presenting a picture of life that was all gloom and doom. This research resoundingly dismisses this argument by showing that rather than being a negative influence on the lives of young people, Australian books for young people present a comprehensive portrayal of youth. They probe the entire gamut of teenage experiences, both the good and the bad, providing a wide range of scenarios, roles, relationships and characters for young people to explore. Therefore Australian young adult literature provides an important source of information and support for the psycho-social development of young people during the formative years of adolescence. This research is significant because it gives hard evidence to support the promotion of a representative selection of Australian young adult novels both in the classroom and in home, school and public libraries. By establishing the available range of contemporary Australian young adult literature through this study, young adult readers, teachers and librarians can be confident in the knowledge that appropriate titles are accessible which meet the needs and interests of young people. Consequently, the substantial amount of data gathered from this study will considerably add to the knowledge and understanding ofAustralian young adult novels to date and provide an excellent starting point for further research in the future.

The creative outcome of my Masters Degree is an extract of my manuscript for a novel. The extract is 40,000 words in length and represents approximately one half of the completed novel. Fissure is the title of the novel. It is a novel which is unconventional in relation to the mainstream understanding of what a traditional novel is. Fissure aims to position itself within a post modern framework. It consists of two primary narratives set apart in time.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.
Thesis research directed by: American Studies. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
This study explores how selected West African war novels employ non-realist narrative modes to portray disruptions in the child’s development into adulthood. The novels considered are Chris Abani’s Song for Night (2007), Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah is Not Obliged (2006), Uzodinma Iweala’s Beasts of No Nation (2005) and Delia Jarrett-Macauley’s Moses, Citizen and Me (2005). These novels strain at the conventions of realism as a consequence of the attempt to represent the disruptions in child development as a result of the upheavals of war. A core proposition of the study is to present why the authors in question are obliged to employ non-realist modes in representing disrupted childhoods that reflect the social and cultural disorder attendant upon war. The dissertation also asks pertinent questions regarding the ideological effect of these narrative strategies and the effect of the particular stylistic idiosyncrasies of each of the authors in figuring childhood in postcolonial Africa. The novels in question employ surrealism, the absurd, the grotesque and magical realism, in presenting the first person narratives of children in war situations, or the reflections of adult narrators on children affected by war. This study further analyses the ways the aesthetic modes employed by these authors underscore, in particular, children’s experiences of war. Through strategic use of specific literary techniques, these authors highlight questions of vulnerability, powerlessness and violence on children, as a group that has been victimised and co-opted into violence. The study further considers how these narrative transformations in the representations of children in novels, capture transformations in ideas about childhood in postcolonial Africa.

This thesis provides a theory of exceptional sex through close readings of contemporary novels by male British and American writers. I take as my overriding methodological approach Giorgio Agamben’s theory of the state of exception, which is a juridico-political state in which the law has been suspended and the difference between rule and transgression is indistinguishable. Within this state, the spatiotemporal markers inside and outside also become indeterminable, making it impossible to tell whether one is inside or outside time and space. Using this framework, I work through narratives of sexual interaction – On Chesil Beach, Gertrude and Claudius, Sabbath’s Theater, and The Act of Love – to conceptualise categories of sexual exceptionality. My study is not a survey, and the texts have been chosen as they focus on different sexual behaviours, thereby opening up a variety of sexual exceptionalities. I concentrate on male writers and narratives of heterosexual sex as most work on sex, time and space is comprised of feminist readings of literature by women and queer work on gay, lesbian or trans writers and narratives. However, in the Coda I expand my argument by turning to Emma Donoghue’s Room, which, as the protagonist has been trapped for the first five years of his life, provides a tabula rasa’s perspective of exceptionality. Through my analysis of exceptionality, I provide spatiotemporal readings of the hymen, incest, adultery, sexual listening and the arranged affair. I also conceptualise textual exceptionalities – the incestuous prequel, auricular reading and the positionality of the narrator, the reader and literary characters. Exceptional sex challenges the assumption in recent queer theory that to be out of time is ‘queer’ and to be in time is ‘straight’. Furthermore, exceptionality complicates the concepts of perversion and transgression as the norm and its transgression become indistinct in the state of exception. In contrast, exceptionality offers a new, more determinate way to analyse narratives of sex.

Le roman policier français entre 1970 et 2000. La thèse suivante procède à l’analyse littéraire de romans policiers français de la fin du XXème siècle. L’intention est alors de montrer que si ces romans policiers peuvent être analysés avec les outils de l’analyse littéraire, ces romans peuvent alors être considérés comme des œuvres littéraires et leurs auteurs comme des écrivains à part entière. Le corpus contient les principaux romans de quatre auteurs répartis sur les quatre dernières décennies du XXème siècle : Jean-Patrick Manchette, Frédéric H. Fajardie, Didier Daeninckx et Tonino Benacquista. Les outils d’analyses choisis sont ceux liés aux personnages de romans, aux lieux dans lesquels se déroulent ces romans et aux différents types d’intrigues proposées par les auteurs. Il s’agit des travaux d’Yves Reuter, d’Isabelle Krzywkowski ou Paul Larivaille. Ces auteurs ont permis l’analyse des textes choisis et ont aussi permis à l’auteur de confronter ces mêmes textes aux outils d’analyse littéraires en usage académique. C’est ainsi que l’analyse littéraire produite par l’auteur permet d’avancer l’idée que les textes des romans policiers, en étant analysés avec ces outils, peuvent faire partie du corpus ordinaire de la littérature
The French crime novel from 1970 to 2000The following thesis conducts literary analysis on French crime novels of the late twentieth century. The intention is then to show that if these detective novels can be analyzed with the tools of literary analysis, these novels can then be considered literary works and their authors as writers in their own right. The corpus contains the main novels of four authors spread over the last four decades of the twentieth century: Jean-Patrick Manchette, Frederick H. Fajardie, Didier Daeninckx and Tonino Benacquista. The tools selected for analysis are those related to novels characters, the places in which these novels take place and different types of plots offered by the authors. This is the work of Yves Reuter, Isabelle Krzywkowski and Paul Larivaille. These authors have allowed the analysis of selected texts and also allowed the author to confront these same texts to literary analysis tools in academic use.Thus literary analysis produced by the author allows him to advance the idea that the texts of detective novels, being analyzed with these tools, can be part of the regular corpus of literature

[cat] Aquesta tesi estudia les representacions d’alteritat derivades del pas de fronteres —en el sentit diaspòric o en el transitori— a l’illa de Mallorca presents en les novel·les en català escrites per autors mallorquins entre 1968 i 2008. Es basa en concepcions teòriques que parteixen de dues aproximacions diferenciades: la primera, d’ordre filosòfic, que analitza l’alteritat com a element de construcció de la identitat; la segona, d’ordre social-icònic, que estudia les imatges mentals en les representacions públiques d’una cultura. L’estudi també inclou una visió panoràmica de la realitat històrica, demogràfica i social recent de Mallorca. L’objectiu de la tesi és examinar la construcció de les imatges de l’estranger com a resultat de processos culturals, socials i polítics, observar la circulació i el canvi que han anat experimentant i relacionar-les amb l’evolució dels estereotips en la societat mallorquina durant aquests anys. Aquestes imatges oscil·len entre la visió progressista que abraça el nou i la més conservadora que rebutja els canvis. La transformació apareix sovint en forma de conflicte i es relaciona amb la percepció d’un mateix i del forà. S’observa la porositat en la configuració de la identitat i de la construcció social i es fa evident la complexitat de percepcions i de reaccions davant la qüestió. Aquesta dicotomia es tradueix en dues visions oposades del subjecte transfronterer: l’amenaça i el camí de sortida que ajuda l’illenc a escapar del solipsisme de la societat mallorquina. A partir d’aquí, es repassen els diversos estereotips i imatges presents al corpus. Una de les representacions més significatives és la del turista —des de la imatge més habitual del visitant, banal i hedonista, fins a la del turista residencial, que combina aquesta posició mòbil del subjecte amb l’estabilitat que implica la propietat immobiliària. També es llegeixen críticament les construccions imagològiques que basteixen el discurs construït per la indústria turística, siguin visions generals o representacions de personatges històrics. L’adquisició d’habitatges per part d’estrangers introdueix la tipologia del nou resident, representat sovint a partir de la idea de desconnexió amb la societat de recepció, però que ocasionalment pot compartir algunes actituds amb els nadius. Davant l’estranger en posició hegemònica, també trobam imatges que situen el nouvingut en una posició feble, de refugiat o de migrant econòmic, que sol emprar-se per emmirallar la societat mallorquina i els seus valors. S’observa una tendència a sexualitzar l’estranger i a llegir-lo, especialment si és dona, com un mer objecte de desig que prestigia l’home que s’hi acosta. En canvi, la dona que s’hi relaciona és desacreditada, en particular en obres publicades a l’inici del període estudiat. La representació del negre té unes característiques específiques i sempre relacionades amb l’estrangeritat, i sovint es vincula a un primitivisme relacionat amb societats de caire tribal, de desenvolupament social poc complex. L’estudi també examina l’alterització del territori relacionada amb l’estranger: per un costat, s’observa la representació dels espais en què l’Altre és hegemònic, en els quals els illencs deixen de tenir preponderància i, per tant, consideren com a territori aliè; per un altre, s’estudia la presència de l’Altre en els espais en què no se l’espera, zones que la indústria turística de model fordista havia reservat a l’illenc i que reben un nombre cada cop més elevat de visitants o nouvinguts transfronterers. En tots els casos, aquestes representacions no són només analitzades per la seva proximitat al clixé, sinó sobretot en termes de l’espai de confluència amb els illencs, amb la imatge literària que reflecteix les dinàmiques de la convivència. La proximitat entre els col·lectius no sol originar una hibridesa que transcendeixi la representació binària i, quan apareix efectivament aquesta hibridesa, la imatge tendeix cap a una de les dues identitats que configuren el subjecte híbrid: es constata així una manca de presència del tercer espai de representació que exposava Bhabha.
[spa] Esta tesis estudia las representaciones de alteridad derivadas del paso de fronteras —en el sentido diaspórico o en el transitorio— en la isla de Mallorca presentes en las novelas en catalán escritas por autores mallorquines entre 1968 y 2008. Se basa en concepciones teóricas que parten de dos aproximaciones diferenciadas: la primera, de orden filosófico, que analiza la alteridad como elemento de construcción de la identidad; la segunda, de orden social-icónico, que estudia las imágenes mentales en las representaciones públicas de una cultura. El estudio también incluye una visión panorámica de la realidad histórica, demográfica y social reciente de Mallorca. El objetivo de la tesis es examinar la construcción de las imágenes del extranjero como resultado de procesos culturales, sociales y políticos, observar la circulación y el cambio que han ido experimentando y relacionarlas con la evolución de los estereotipos en la sociedad mallorquina durante estos años. Estas imágenes oscilan entre la visión progresista que acoge lo nuevo y la más conservadora que rechaza los cambios. La transformación aparece a menudo en forma de conflicto y se relaciona con la percepción de uno mismo y del foráneo. Se observa la porosidad en la configuración de la identidad y de la construcción social y se hace evidente la complejidad de percepciones y de reacciones ante la cuestión. Esta dicotomía se traduce en dos visiones opuestas del sujeto transfronterizo: la amenaza y el camino de salida, que ayuda al isleño a escapar del solipsismo de la sociedad mallorquina. A partir de aquí, se repasan los distintos estereotipos e imágenes presentes en el corpus. Una de las representaciones más significativas es la del turista —desde la imagen más habitual del visitante, banal y hedonista, hasta la del turista residencial, que combina esta posición móvil del sujeto con la estabilidad que implica la propiedad inmobiliaria—. También se leen críticamente las construcciones imagològicas que constituyen el discurso construido por la industria turística, sean visiones generales o representaciones de personajes históricos. La adquisición de viviendas por parte de extranjeros introduce la tipología del nuevo residente, representado a menudo a partir de la idea de desconexión con la sociedad de recepción, pero que ocasionalmente puede compartir algunas actitudes con los nativos. Ante el extranjero en posición hegemónica, también encontramos imágenes que sitúan el recién llegado en una posición débil, de refugiado o de migrante económico, que suele utilitzarse para reflejar la sociedad mallorquina y sus valores. Se observa una tendencia a sexualizar el extranjero y leerlo, especialmente si es mujer, como un mero objeto de deseo que prestigia al hombre que se le acerca. En cambio, la mujer que se relaciona con el extranjero es desacreditada, en particular en obras publicadas al inicio del periodo estudiado. La representación del negro tiene unas características específicas y siempre relacionadas con la extranjeridad, ya menudo se vincula a un primitivismo relacionado con sociedades de tipo tribal, de desarrollo social poco complejo. El estudio también examina la alterización del territorio relacionada con el extranjero: por un lado, se observa la representación de los espacios en que el Otro es hegemónico, donde los isleños dejan de tener preponderancia y, por tanto, consideran como territorio ajeno; por otro, se estudia la presencia del Otro en los espacios en los que no se le espera, zonas que la industria turística de modelo fordista había reservado al isleño y que reciben un número cada vez más elevado de visitantes o recién llegados transfronterizos. En todos los casos, estas representaciones no son sólo analizadas por su proximidad al cliché, sino sobre todo en términos del espacio de confluencia con los isleños, con la imagen literaria que refleja las dinámicas de la convivencia. La proximidad entre los colectivos no suele originar una hibridez que trascienda la representación binaria y, cuando esta hibridez efectivamente aparece, la imagen tiende hacia una de las dos identidades que configuran el sujeto híbrido: se constata así una falta de presencia del tercer espacio de representación que exponía Bhabha.
[eng] This thesis studies the representations of alterity derived from the passage of borders —both in the diasporic and transient sense— on the island of Majorca, present in the novels in Catalan written by Majorcan authors between 1968 and 2008. This study is based on theoretical conceptions that start from two differentiated approaches: the first, of philosophical order, that analyzes Otherness as an element of identity construction; the second, of social-iconic order, that studies the mental images in public representations in a given culture. The study also includes a panoramic view of the recent historical, demographic and social reality of Mallorca. This thesis aims to examine the construction of images of foreigners as a result of cultural, social and political processes, to observe the circulation and change that these images have been experiencing and to relate them to the evolution of stereotypes in Mallorcan society during these years. These images oscillate between the liberal vision that embraces the new and the most conservative one that rejects changes. This transformation often appears as a conflict and is related to the perception of the Self and the Other. Thus, the configuration of identity and social construction reflects an important degree of porosity and complexity of the perceptions and reactions towards the matter. This dichotomy translates into two opposing visions of the cross-border subject: the foreigner as a threat and the foreigner as an escape that helps the islander to evade the solipsism of Mallorcan society. Henceforth, the various stereotypes and images present in the corpus are reviewed. One of the most significant is the tourist —from the most usual image of the visitor, banal and hedonistic, to the image of the residential tourist, that combines this movable position of the subject with the stability that implies the real estate property. Critical readings are also given to the imaginary fabrications that build the discourse constructed by the tourist industry, whether they are general views or representations of historical figures. The acquisition of housing by foreigners introduces the typology of the new resident, often represented through the idea of disconnection with the receiving society, but occasionally s/he can share some attitudes with the native. As well as the hegemonic alien, we also find images that place the newcomer in a subaltern position, both as a refugee or as an economic migrant, which is usually used to mirror Mallorcan society and its values. There is a tendency to sexualize and to read the foreigner, especially if it is a woman, as a mere object of desire for the man who approaches her. Conversely, the woman who has a relationship with a foreigner falls into disgrace, especially in works published at the beginning of the studied period. The representation of blackness has specific characteristics, always connected to foreignness, and is often linked to a primitivism related to societies of a tribal nature, with unsophisticated social development. The study also examines the alterization of the territory in connection with the foreigner: on the one hand, the texts contain representations of the spaces where the Other is hegemònic and, because the islanders are no longer preponderant, are considered as foreign territory; on the other, the presence of the Other in areas where s/he is not expected, areas that the Fordist tourism industry had reserved to the islanders, and currently receive an increasing number of visitors or cross-border migrants. Both cases present a complex configuration. These representations are not only analyzed in terms of their proximity to the cliché, but also through their confluence with the Islanders and the dynamics of coexistence between groups. It is remarkable that the representation of the proximity between the groups does not usually result in a hybridity that transcends the binary representation. Furthermore, when this hybridity effectively appears, the image tends towards one of the two identities that make up the hybrid subject, which results in a lack of presence of the third space of representation as established by Bhabha.

Informe de Seminario para optar al grado de Licenciado en Lengua y Literatura Hispánica mención Literatura.
Informe de Seminario para optar al grado de Licenciado en Lengua y Literatura Hispánica.
El objeto de este informe es, en un primer acercamiento, dar cuenta de cómo ciertas prácticas escriturales, generadas en América del norte primero y en América Latina de los años setenta después, contaminan y cuestionan el proyecto moderno sustentado primeramente en la razón y fundamentalmente en la utopía. En el caso de América Latina revisaré, concretamente, la novela Los detectives salvajes de Roberto Bolaño, postulando que ésta obra establece la escritura a partir de una táctica que abisma lo policial, subvirtiendo y deslizando las categorías que, canónicamente, (con) forman el relato del crimen, sea en su versión clásica inglesa (novela de enigma) o en la versión estadounidense (novela negra).

This thesis examines child figures in Anglophone West African novels by Ben Okri, Chris Abani, Uzodinma Iweala, Delia Jarrett-Macauley, Helen Oyeyemi, and Yaba Badoe. A "child" here is defined as a human person under age 18 and is referred to using the term childness, drawing from the work of children's literature scholar Peter Hollindale. The thesis begins by reviewing some of the ways literary scholars have discussed images of childness in West African novels to date, exploring common themes such as "Empire," "nationhood" and "identity." The next three chapters, then, seek to move beyond some of these established readings. Chapter 1 investigates Ben Okri's "Azaro" in The Famished Road (1991) as a means of exploring aspects of the artist's creative life. Okri's child figure, I propose, shares much in common with the "artist" from his earlier fictions, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981). Chapter 2, similarly, considers the way in which child figures have a versatile function in Chris Abani's Song for Night (2007), Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation (2005), and Delia Jarrett-Macauley's Moses, Citizen and Me (2005), propping up an implicit argument in favor of humanitarian intervention in civil war. Yet here the thesis also considers some of the downsides to children's instrumentalization: Jarrett-Macauley and Iweala depersonalize the child figure in their fictions, I argue. The child is drained of a convincing sense of an individuality and agency of his or her own. Chapter 3 continues to explore the figure of the child as a complex and multivalent symbol. However, it finds that Helen Oyeyemi's The Icarus Girl (2005) and Yaba Badoe's True Murder (2009) do not disavow children's personhood, as Iweala and Jarrett-Macauley appear to do. Rather, the "otherness" of children, which is explored in their novels alongside the alterity of black persons, cultural minorities, and women, helps to draw attention to the agency of children. That is to say, Oyeyemi and Badoe show us children as subversive, contributing their own social meanings to the category of "youth," even whilst they are passively constructed or "othered" by adults in the novels. As an additional concern, the thesis also examines how authors have recourse to western conceptions of childness, not only to the traditions of their native countries, as we might as expect. The goal throughout is to highlight the child as a multifunctional figure, while also bringing attention to several specific ways in which African child figures function, including as a means of exploring human creativity, of arguing implicitly for more humanitarian involvement in African civil wars, and of establishing the full extent of the migrant's "outsiderness" in the space(s) of diaspora.

Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Literatura
El siguiente trabajo tiene como propósito principal el estudio de dos novelas chilenas, las cuales han sido seleccionadas en base a la temática que estas constituyen, siendo obras que presentan tanto una mirada apocalíptica como utópica. Ambas se enmarcan dentro de un contexto de siglo XX chileno y representan de alguna u otra forma momentos decisivos de este siglo, ya sean a nivel nacional como mundial. Para este propósito, se ha seleccionado la novela “La próxima”, publicada el año 1934 por Vicente Huidobro, enmarcándose dentro del contexto de principios de siglo. Por otro lado, se ha elegido la novela “2010: Chile en llamas” de Darío Oses, publicada en 1997, estableciéndose como obra representativa de fin de siglo chileno.

Durante las dos últimas décadas, escritores de diferentes generaciones en la narrativa en habla hispana han incorporado el uso de diversos elementos visuales que son incluidos a lo largo del texto literario. Su asimilación ha sido cada vez más recurrente y su presencia se observa en el trabajo de escritores de distintas latitudes como Mario Bellatin (1960), Cynthia Rimsky (1962), Antonio Orejudo (1962), Lolita Bosch (1970), Alejandra Costamagna (1970), Nona Fernández (1971), Alicia Kopf (1982), los cuales conforman el corpus de obras analizadas en este trabajo. Estos autores han utilizado elementos estéticos visuales de distinto orden en el campo de la ficción, teniendo como eje la incorporación de la imagen fotográfica. Por lo tanto, el objeto de estudio son las estudio es el funcionamiento de las imágenes fotográficas en las siguientes novelas: La familia de mi padre (2008) de Lolita Bosch; Poste Restante (2009) de Cynthia Rimsky; Los fantasmas del masajista (2009) de Mario Bellatin; Un momento de descanso (2011) de Antonio Orejudo; Chilean electric (2015) de Nona Fernández; y finalmente Hermano de hielo (2016) de Alicia Kopf, El sistema del tacto (2018) de Alejandra Costamagna. Hemos revisado este corpus despojados de la vivencia vanguardista frente a la fascinación que el recurso a las tecnologías significó para las vanguardias de entreguerras, es decir, despojados de la expectativa frente al uso del aparato tecnológico, asumiendo la maleabilidad del dispositivo, la pérdida del índex o índice, como principio elemental de la imagen mecánica que se ha extendido a toda una época determinada por los algoritmos digitales. De modo que este trabajo se divide entre la revisión del uso de la fotografía en el libro y la literatura a lo largo de la historia, y en particular a partir de la aproximación de la literatura y el texto a las artes visuales. En este sentido, revisamos el empleo de los acercamientos teóricos y académicos que han estudiado este fenómeno bajo las categorías de «hibridez», «interdisciplinariedad» y «experimentalidad», con el fin de observar el modo en que ha ingresado un tipo de publicación que cada día suscita mayor interés. La segunda parte de este trabajo consiste en el análisis del cuerpo de novelas ya citadas y sus principales referencias, en las que se encuentran autores diversos como André Breton, W. G. Sebald o Diamela Eltit. Este análisis está dividido entre las tendencias que utilizan la fotografía como alegoría paródica, y aquellas que establecen un vínculo significante desde la figura del álbum fotográfico. Ambas tendencias conviven y se solapan a lo largo del conjunto de obras de este y de anteriores periodos con diferente injerencia y profundidad, de modo que la lectura de estas novelas a partir de una perspectiva histórica y estética nos permiten observar el modo, el significado y la profundidad de la interacción entre imagen y palabra.
During the last two decades, writers of different generations in Spanish narrative have incorporated diverse visual elements in the field of fiction, having as axis the incorporation of photography, that are included throughout literary texts. Their assimilation has been increasingly recurrent and their presence can be observed in the work of writers from different latitudes. Therefore, the object of study is the photographic work in the following novels: La familia de mi padre (2008) by Lolita Bosch; Poste Restante (2009) by Cynthia Rimsky; Los fantasmas del masajista (2009) by Mario Bellatin; Un momento de descanso (2011) by Antonio Orejudo; Chilean electric (2015) by Nona Fernández; and finally Hermano de hielo (2016) by Alicia Kopf, El sistema del tacto (2018) by Alejandra Costamagna. We have reviewed these works stripped of the avant-garde experience in the face of the fascination that the recourse to technologies meant for the interwar avant-gardes, that is, stripped of the expectation in the face of the use of the technological apparatus, assuming the malleability of the device, the loss of the index, as an elementary principle of the mechanical image. This work is divided between the review of the use of photography in books and literature throughout history, and in particular from the approach of literature and text to the visual arts. We review the use of theoretical and academic approaches that have studied this phenomenon under the categories of «hybridity», «interdisciplinarity» and «experimentality», in order to observe the way in which a type of publication that is attracting more and more interest every day has been introduced. The second part of this work analyses the body of novels already cited and their main references, in which we find diverse authors such as André Breton, W. G. Sebald or Diamela Eltit. This analysis is divided between the tendencies that use photography as a parodic allegory, and those that establish a significant link from the figure of the photographic album. Both tendencies coexist and overlap throughout the set of works of this and previous periods, so that the reading of these novels from a historical and aesthetic perspective allows us to observe the mode, meaning and depth of the interaction between image and word.

The female characters in four of Eudora Welty's five novels, The Robber Bridegroom (1942), Delta Wedding (1946), Losing Battles (1970), and The Optimist's Daughter (1972), undergo initiation experiences which are significant elements in the content and structure of the novels. Only in The Ponder, Heart (1954) is female initiation notably missing. This study identifies and interprets the patterns of female initiation in these novels, showing Welty's refining of her understanding and presentation of female initiation. While Welty embraces certain traditional elements of initiation, which this study identifies in anthropological, mythological, and psychological studies--the loss of innocence (discovery of evil), crisis and confrontation, the gaining of wisdom however painful, becoming an outcast, yet reuniting with the community--she also adds her own elements regarding female initiation-an underlying tension between males and females or between females and a shadowing of the Demeter/Persephone (Kore) myth. In addition, her female initiates lack the mentor traditionally found in male initiation. Also reflected in Welty's fiction is the separation involved in female initiation in primitive cultures, mythology, and psychology. Not all of Welty's female characters in these novels undergo initiation; someremain static and unchanging, while others are at the threshold, eagerly waiting to cross over. While Welty's initiates make the dark journey alone to gain knowledge of themselves and the world however painful, their initiation does not signify the end of their growth.
Department of English

El presente trabajo tiene como propósito investigar la representación de La Malinche en la novela Malinche (2006) de Laura Esquivel. La Malinche, que era la intérprete y la amante de Hernán Cortés, es un personaje histórico que ha jugado un papel importante durante la configuración de la identidad cultural mexicana. Ha sido representada de manera negativa, como la madre traidora del pueblo, en muchos textos. Además de la novela de Laura Esquivel (2006), el corpus del estudio está conformado por los textos Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España ( Díaz del Castillo, 1984 [1568]), Jicoténcal (Varela, 1995 [1826?]) y El Laberinto de la Soledad (Paz, 1992 [1950]). El estudio es de carácter contrastivo y temático y partimos de la hipótesis de que mediante una nueva imagen de La Malinche como madre creadora con rasgos de heroína poderosa se consigue una deconstrucción de la representación negativa presentada en los textos Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España (Díaz del Castillo, 1984 [1568]), Jicoténcal (Varela, 1995 [1826?]) y El Laberinto de la Soledad (Paz, 1992 [1950]). Además, suponemos que a través del manejo de la voz de la protagonista ella es convertida en sujeto del discurso, en vez de objeto. Llegamos a la conclusión de que la protagonista se convierte en sujeto del discurso en vez de objeto y que se consigue una deconstrucción de la representación negativa de La Malinche aunque no tan completa como provisto en la hipótesis.

La presente tesis busca demostrar que la novela del poeta peruano César Calvo, Las tres mitades de Ino Moxo, se inscribe en la tradición literaria de lo real maravilloso. Lo que lo vuelve contestatario es que, de una forma reivindicativa en el aspecto temático-social, la obra trae al escenario las mitades (regiones) que el Perú «oficial» ha dejado de lado, es decir, la sierra, la costa del norte y, con mayor énfasis, la selva. Para entender mejor al autor y la orientación crítica de su pluma, se presentará el marco histórico donde se formó y se dio a conocer, dado que, además, fue un poeta leído alrededor del mundo.
Tesis

This thesis undertakes a literary study of contemporary novels published by metropolitan French writers between 1980 and 2000, and analyses their representation of the changing relationship between France and North Africa. It begins by analysing the specificity of the situation in France, arguing that this is largely due to the functioning of the French Republican tradition, which equates inassimilable difference with inferiority. Consequently, France’s former colonies represent a privileged site of the Republican relationship with difference. This is particularly acute in the case of Algeria, by virtue of its former status as an integral part of the French Republic, and as a result of the large population of Algerian origin resident within France. It therefore offers a useful perspective from which to assess the extent to which French identities and systems of representation have been problematised in the post-colonial era. Part One examines contemporary French attitudes towards the wider Maghreb, including examples from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Drawing on traditions which extend back to Montaigne and Montesquieu, it considers contemporary updating of Orientalist traditions within which French writers have explored other countries as seen from the Hexagon. Part Two concerns the singularity of Algeria’s relationship with France. By focusing on a case-study – representations of the Paris massacre of 17 October 1961 – the thesis draws wider conclusions about the way in which attitudes to the Algerian War are changing, and the key role potentially played by literary and other artistic representation. The final chapter looks at recollections of life in Algeria in the work of two women writers, Marie Cardinal and Hélène Cixous. It concludes that their early experience there of conflict and otherness was fundamental in shaping the development of their writing project, and that their literary memories destabilise notions of a unified ‘Frenchness’.