Thesis (M Ed (Language and Literacy) -- University of South Australia, 1994

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / A scholarly treatise on art, written by an American artist in the first half of the nineteenth century, and almost completely ignored in the history of American art and thought, provided the original incentive for the study of Washington Allston as critic. An additional incentive derived from the paradox of a reputation which was phenomenal in the artist's lifetime, but which had deteriorated almost to a nullity by the end of the century in which he lived. An examination of the reputation and influence of Allston as critic, and an effort to trace the development of his thought, involved a scrutiny of biographical material available in legal documents, manuscript notes, correspondence, memorabilia, biographies and biographical sketches; references to the artist in newspapers, magazines and literary works; an examination of American criticism; and the history of criticism and of American thought, with particular reference to the developments in New England. [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. / The purpose of this study is twofold: first, the collection and discussion of neglected bibliographical material in order to demonstrate the availability of Arnold's writings to the American public and to show that Arnold's works were more widely reviewed and read before 1870 than has been realized; and second, to discuss Arnold's influence-on an acerbated post-Civil War cultural \ debate, a debate which, in turn, affected his reputation. Clough might easily have advanced Arnold's reception in America, but both in his article for the North American Review and in his.letters to C. E. Norton he attempted to·keep Arnold's poetry from making its way. Nevertheless, most other reviews of Arnold were favorable; a volume of his poetry was published before the Civil War and individual poems appeared in popular anthologies; reviews of his criticism frequently started with praise of Arnold as a poet; most American critics placed him among the three major living English poets; both young and old American men of letters were familiar with his verse. A major factor in the initial reception of his literary criticism was Arnold's reputation as a poet [TRUNCATED]

This thesis demonstrates the development of F.R. Leavis's critical vocabulary through an examination of his critical practice. The social and political dimension of his critical orientation is examined by means of a reading of his own early pamphlets and articles; and of Q.D. Leavis's Fiction and the Reading Public (1932). This chapter indicates the nature of Leavis's approach to literature and criticism. An analysis of Leavis's preliminary considerations on poetry illustrates the gradual advancement of his critical terminology under the influence of T.S. Eliot. The judgements produced are examined and their value and reasoning are accounted for. Leavis's work on the novel is examined, showing how the critical terminology was transferred from criticism of the poetry to criticism of the novel. The source and function of Leavis's categories of 'tradition' and 'morality' are analysed. The ensuing critical judgements are assessed to show how and why such judgements were of ambiguous value. Leavis's study of Lawrence demonstrates centrally the advantages and disadvantages of Leavis's critical method. A discussion of the 'two cultures' debate illustrates Leavis's continuing polemical engagements and how this affects his critical priorities. Finally, an examination of Leavis's later work on Dickens and T.S. Eliot shows how Leavis's critical vocabulary matured a metaphysical, almost 'religious', dimension in its striving to maintain a connection between his concepts of 'art' and 'life'. Throughout this thesis, Leavis's criticism is examined by means of a rehearsal of his major arguments. This is combined with a discussion and assessment of the integrity of and sources for those arguments and an analysis of their resultant literary judgements. The thesis presents an objective account of the nature and function of Leavis's critical vocabulary, with a demonstration of its sources and an assessment of its achievements.

No description available.

The thesis, entitled The Pain, Hunger, and Birth of Epiphany in the Novels of Toni Morrison, is divided into three chapters. The introduction discusses some of the traditional uses of the word “epiphany” in literature and then proceeds to define the ways in which Morrison’s characters experience epiphanical journeys. Furthermore, Morrison’s development of the idea plays a fundamental role in the structure and unification of all of her novels. The first chapter compares the texts Love and Sula and charts the progression of pain from external, communal, and inherited to internal, individual, and isolationist. In both Love and Sula, death and the body are irrelevant, and it is only when characters learn to dispel pain and disregard the body that they can truly experience an epiphany. Chapter two discusses Paradise in detail and describes the role of food in allowing or preventing characters’ spiritual awakenings or transcendence. Food and the way it is consumed, prepared, grown, and perceived are inextricably linked to characters’ journeys to epiphany. The third chapter compares the novels Jazz and Song of Solomon and illustrates the ways in which perceptions of pain and food are translated to younger generations. It also raises questions of generational sterility and degeneration as well as conveys ideas of stunted or aborted growth and truncated epiphanies.

by Yu Kwan Wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves [146]-[159] / INTRODUCTION His/ Her/ My Story --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- Feminist Criticism: An Overview --- p.3 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- Moving in an Institutional Space --- p.63 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- Feminist Criticism: Possibilities and Strategies --- p.118 / WORKS CITED / APPENDIX Some Current Journals and Magazines Publishing / Feminist Criticism

in the follovina pages I have set out to discover what English critics of the nineteenth century thought of the works of Victor Hugo* It has not been my intention to study the extent to which the general public of the period were acquainted with his works either directly or through the medium of translations but to confine myself to an enquiry into the reactions of the more cultivated minds of the century to the writings of the great Frenchman. Indeed it would be futile to consider the influence of the works of Hugo on the English public generally, during the nineteenth century for they had none. The Poetical works were in many cases not made available to them until years after their original publications and even then only a small minority would be able to read them. There were some translations of the poems, e.g. Reynold's "Songs of Twilight" ("Les Chants du Crepuscule") but the translations were Inevitably but a poor shadow of the original. There were several adaptations of the plays but as I have shown in a previous thesis "Victor Hugo on the English Stage, most of them bore little resemblance except in plot to the original work., In rmany cases the public did not even know nor were they always told, that the piece was founded on a drama by Hugo. The novels, of course were much more widely read by the general public and numerous translations were made, but in most instances English versions were reduced to an exalting story the ethical and Sociological purpose of the work being forgotten The works of Hugo were however read and studied by a large number of eminent English critics of the nineteenth century, Numerous quotations will be found from the articles of such men as H. Southerns, G. Moir, G.H. Lewes, J.H. McCarthy, G. Colvin, A.C. Swinburne, E. Dowden, J. Morley, R.L. Stevenson, Roden Noel, F.W.H. Myers, Matthew Arnold, W.H. Pollock, G. Saintsbury, C. Vaughan, W.E. Henley, Mrs Oliphant, G.B. Smith, J. Cappon, P.T. Marzials, R. Buchanan, J. Forster and J.P. Nichol. These men among others made a definite attempt to evaluate the works of Hugo, and their opinions are worth studying as giving a clue to 'the attitude adopted by the more enlightened. literary minds of the century towards the work of Hugo This I have attempted to do, and in doing It Ihave incorporated into the text the exact words of the critics in the form of quotations in the belief that this is the best way of presenting a true and clear picture of English opinions of Hug's works during the period under survey. In the Preface to her book "English opinions of French Poets (1660,. 1750)" in which she sets out to do in a general way for the late seventeen and early eighteenth centuries what I have tried to do in a more particular way for the nineteenth. Miss R.H H Wollstein writes as follows: It is the judgment of this time that is the subject of our study and the Individual opinions that form it must be left to speak for themselves, I have therefore collected such opinions as are Important for our purpose*" This seems to me to be the most scientific method in dealing with the subject, and absolves the writer from any possible charge of tampering with the evidence. In order to make the narrative more continuous and to avoid breaks in the thread of the argument It ls sometimes tempting to state ones conclusions and to leave the reader to sift the evidence for himself. I have sedulously avoided doing this In the belief that in a work of this kind accuracy Is of the utmost importance* The method I have adopted in treating the subject Is to take each of the works of Hugo, poetry, drama, novels, miscellaneous prose works, and to study the reactions of the critics to each separate work drawing together in a final chapter the conclusions to which these separate studies have brought me. In presenting the material I have usually preferred to study each facet of the problem in turn stating one side of the case before proceeding to a consideration of the other. I have thus brought together all the unfavourable criticism of a work before presenting the favourable criticisms. In this way I believe a better picture can be drawn of the general reactions. to the works. In the case of the smaller works where the amount of evidence is restricted, I have sometimes used the chronological method as being the most satisfactory. As the present work purports to be a study of Hugo in the light of English criticism and opinion I have taken no account of the many French critics who during the nineteenth century, contributed articles on Hugo to English journals. One of tha first Critics to introduce Hugo to the English was Stendhal in the "London and "New Monthly' magazines. Other French critics whose names will not be found in the present survey are Gabriel Honods Jules Janin, D. Nisards, Camille Barrero, H. Ceard, Paul Bourget Their opinions are Interesting especially those of Stendhal who gave Hugo a very unfavourable start in England, but do not fall within the scope of the present works.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The original purpose of the dissertation was to settle as closely as possible by philological means the question of date and place of the Macro Castle of Perseverance. However, in the initial stages of the study it was discovered that the play had undergone some redactions before it was written down in the Macro version. The purpose then became twofold: to separate the redactions from the original part of the play and study them for any light they might throw not only on The Castle of Perseverance but also on the evolution of the morality itself as a dramatic form; and to settle the problem of date and place of the redacted portions as well as of the original. The redacted parts of the play were separated from the original by means of such criteria as meter, alliteration, style, grammar, syntax, and dramatic effectiveness. The method for dating and locating the work consisted of a close linguistic analysis in an attempt to find phonological, morphological, and lexioal features which might be indicative of specific place and date. [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.