Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Greifswald.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The thesis Blood Ties is a novel in the epic fantasy tradition. It is intended to be the first of The Castings Trilogy. A synopsis of the second and third books of the trilogy is also included. The exegesis, “‘Kings. What a good idea.’: Monarchy in epic fantasy fiction”, examines some of the reasons writers from democratic countries may choose to use monarchical political structures in epic fantasy novels. It considers evidence from folktale research, primate behavioural studies, literary traditions, both ancient and modern, and the effect of religious doctrine and history on the symbolic role of the monarch. Folktales are found to have had very little effect on the role of kings in epic fantasy, which has been influenced by a combination of literary traditions, including the Arthurian saga and the historical romances of Sir Walter Scott. More profoundly, the meaning of the king’s role has been influenced by the Christian mythos in two ways: the king is a Christ surrogate who sacrifices his own safety for the good of the body politic and, in being successful against evil, restores a version of Paradise/Eden for his people.

The thesis Blood Ties is a novel in the epic fantasy tradition. It is intended to be the first of The Castings Trilogy. A synopsis of the second and third books of the trilogy is also included. The exegesis, “‘Kings. What a good idea.’: Monarchy in epic fantasy fiction”, examines some of the reasons writers from democratic countries may choose to use monarchical political structures in epic fantasy novels. It considers evidence from folktale research, primate behavioural studies, literary traditions, both ancient and modern, and the effect of religious doctrine and history on the symbolic role of the monarch. Folktales are found to have had very little effect on the role of kings in epic fantasy, which has been influenced by a combination of literary traditions, including the Arthurian saga and the historical romances of Sir Walter Scott. More profoundly, the meaning of the king’s role has been influenced by the Christian mythos in two ways: the king is a Christ surrogate who sacrifices his own safety for the good of the body politic and, in being successful against evil, restores a version of Paradise/Eden for his people.

Very little academic work has focused upon the British monarchy/Royal Family and its significance for the people of Britain. However, of the more recent pieces of work on the subject, several have emphasized the ideological impact of the institution (Coward, 1984; Williamson, 1986; Billig, 1990). This is an emphasis which similarly characterizes the present study. Indeed a substantial part of this thesis is taken up with a theoretical discussion about the nature of ideology itself. Following Barthes (1982), I argue that the relationship between a culture/ideology and its practitioners is paradoxical. Each is simultaneously the master and slave of the other. There are four empirical chapters contained within this volume, the first of which is a quantitative account of popular press representations of monarchy. The other three empirical chapters are, in part, an investigation and illustration of the paradoxical nature of culture/ideology. Drawing predominantly from a three-month sample of Royal-related newspaper items (29th Nov. 1987–29th Feb. 1988) the first shows how various cultural/ideological themes or discourses determine or give form to the texts. In the second I examine the ways in which similar themes are used constructively in the production of accounts which accomplish a variety of rhetorical, political and ideological 'moves'. These themes are also present within the fourth empirical chapter in which I examine some of the ideological work done via the representation of the Royals as ordinary, extraordinary and 'superordinary' beings. Chapters 6 and 7 also serve to reveal something of the nature of two subject matter categories as defined in Chapter 4. In the final chapter I take issue with certain aspects of the present study's own theoretical and methodological bases.

While the general attitude towards Danish influence in Greenland is negative, the generalattitude towards the Danish royal family is positive. This thesis seeks to uncover theparadoxical Greenlandic discourses by tracing the emergence and development ofroyalism in Greenland from the early colonial period until today. The underlyingmethodological framework is constructivism, while the method is Discourse HistoricalAnalysis. The analysis is conducted by chronologically comparing and analyzing theGreenlandic discourse about the monarchy in relation to the discourse of the monarchfamily concerning Greenland. By drawing on the theories of 'Arctic-orientalism' andPratts' theory of 'contact zones,' this study highlights how variations occur in the colonialrelation of Denmark and Greenland. Despite the legacy of Danish colonialism, thechanges in the Monarch family's discourse towards the Greenlandic people havestrengthened a Greenlandic discourse of kinship to Denmark.

Since the late 1980s an increasing amount of literature has attempted to explain liberalization and democratization, or lack thereof, in the Arab world. Theories have developed around such concepts as civil society, state formation and political culture, yet a conclusive theory that could predict the future of these two processes in the Arab world has not emerged. This thesis seeks to add to this body of work by theorizing that regime type---specifically monarchical regimes---may be a useful variable in analyzing political reform in the region and will attempt to explain how and under what conditions some countries will open their political systems. This thesis takes the view that while there has been some indication of liberalization in the Arab world there has been very little evidence of democratization. Evidence of liberalization in Arab monarchies will be shown in case studies of Kuwait and Jordan.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 29, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-156).