An analysis of the psychological and philosophical dimensions of two central symbols of Henry James's later work, the Maltese cross of The Spoils of Poynton (1897) and the golden bowl of The Golden Bowl (1904), reveals that by 1903 James had assimilated from the late nineteenth century Zeitgeist the essential features of Darwinism, psychic determinism, fin de siècle romanticism, Bergson's élan vital, Henry Adams' equation of spiritual with physical energy or force, and William James's pragmatism. The complex symbolism of the Maltese cross and the golden bowl mainly expresses the destructive potential of romantic idealism and ethical absolutism; hence I conclude that James unconsciously shared Ibsen's attitude toward ideals and idealism, as interpreted by Shaw in The Quintessence of Ibsenism (1891). Two visions of man underlie these novels: (1) the Darwinism-inspired view of man as a being whose animal nature must be sternly repressed by that conscience T. H. Huxley termed "the watchman of society" before either psychic evolution or amelioration of man's general condition could be achieved; (2) the ancient doctrine of man as microcosm and the ethical goal of psychic harmony from which the animal nature is not excluded. The former is ultimately rejected in favor of the latter, as James dramatizes the problem of the ethically sensitive person who is involved in a struggle to fulfil his life-potential. In The Spoils of Poynton, in his presentation of Fleda Vetch, James implicitly rejects renunciation of life for the sake of honor as a valid mode of conduct. In The Golden Bowl, in his presentation of Maggie Verver, he in effect offers a solution to the problem of how the individual should react to evil. James's treatment of the problem of self-fulfilment in these two novels implies his gradual, and to a large extent unconscious, conversion to an ethical pragmatism similar to that advocated by William James. The totally destructive practice of self-sacrifice on the part of the heroine of the first novel gives way in the second novel to a partial self-sacrifice that is not only compatible with self-fulfilment but necessary for psychic development. As static ideals are found to inhibit psychic evolution, the corresponding philosophical change is an implicit reorientation from belief in the validity of immutable ideals to a final intuition that ultimate reality lies in the dynamic archetypes of psychic life. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

James's profound pessimism about the lives of the vast majority of the characters whom he chooses to portray in his fiction has been somewhat under emphasized by the critics. James considers a life successful only when the individual in question realizes his inner potential and thus achieves a sense of self-fulfilment. Yet the reader's cumulative impression of James's fiction is that his characters almost invariably fail to achieve this desirable state, and that they are doomed to disappointment and heartache. This unhappiness almost invariably arises from the relation between the sexes. James considers several major categories of people, but all but one group, the artists, fall short of the objective. For example, James's young female characters (whether European, English, or American), are under constant pressure to "marry well"—to seize the nearest man and the largest fortune. Yet James portrays marriage as the most inhumane of institutions; as one in which women immure themselves and sacrifice all their individuality. Similarly, James's male characters are never happy or fulfilled either in marriage or in business, for in marriage they tend to be brutal or insensitive, while in business they subjugate their moral and aesthetic senses to acquisitive ones. Such debased values are detrimental to the man himself and to all those with whom he lives. Nor are the rare sensitive men in James's fiction successful in life, for they tend to base their own happiness on the actions of other people—a precarious foundation. James believes only one sort of happiness is worthwhile and lasting, and that possession of it constitutes success in life. Only the artist can achieve this perfect happiness but he can enjoy it only on the most difficult terms: he must commit himself absolutely to his art. The artist must be a man or woman unlike others, sacrificing all earthly vanities to his one ideal vision. He cannot permit himself to be overwhelmed by the ordinary concerns of daily life. He must remove himself as much as possible from the world of getting and spending, loving and marrying. Only by making this absolute commitment can he achieve the happiness which consists of knowing that he has done the best work that is in him. This sense of consummate achievement constitutes happiness for James's artist characters. They consider it worth the price they pay. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Master of Science

no abstract provided by author / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

This study introduces Kitamori's concept of "the Pain of God" and provides an occasion to dialogue between a pioneering Japanese theologian and theologians interested in the theologia crucis. By "the Pain of God," Kitamori attempted to reorient the Christian account of God to the cross of Jesus Christ. As this expression had in the beginning a personal character but later became theological and critical, this study also follows the same line of development. / Part I explains how the notion of "the Pain of God" was formulated in Kitamori's personal life. His search for the certainty of faith culminated in a mystical encounter with the crucified Christ. Kitamori was convinced that through the crucified Christ God embraced him who, being "outside" of God, was therefore an enemy of God. This contradictory embrace was experienced by Kitamori as "the Pain of God." Part I explores the ways in which Kitamori tried to incorporate this insight into his own itinerary of faith and into his early theological education. / Part II shows how Kitamori elaborated a soteriological model based on the "pain of God" through critical engagement with Reformed thinkers, such as Calvin, Schleiermacher, and Barth. It traces his attempt to give the concept of the pain of God an axiomatical place in the doctrines of creation, justification and sanctification, and to explain the inner relation between the immediate love of the creator, the mediate love of Christ and the victorious love of the Spirit. / Part III turns to Kitamori's engagement with church and culture in Japan. Kitamori was convinced that all nations are invited to take part in the history of deepening and actualizing the message of the Gospel in and through their own culture. Regional contributions and limits must be taken in account according to an adequate criterion. This criterion is, according to Kitamori, the pain of God. His critique of the Non-church movement, and his analysis of leading Japanese novelists, provide two windows into his approach. / Part IV offers some critical evaluation. After examination of both the favorable and unfavorable receptions of Kitamori's theology, it asks to what extent Kitamori was influenced by Buddhism, by Nishida's philosophy and by Hegel. It also places Kitamori's ideas over against some contemporary thinkers on divine impassibility. Then it concludes with a brief recapitulation of his theological contribution.

Orientador: José Evaldo de Mello Doin / Resumo: Nesta pesquisa pretende-se analisar as tentativas de modernização do espaço urbano da cidade de Araraquara, durante o período da Primeira República. Os trabalhos de intervenção na malha urbana, inicialmente limitados a esparsas retificações do traçado de ruas e avenidas nas últimas décadas do século XIX, ganharam relevo a partir do final da primeira década do século XX, com o surgimento de várias propostas que visavam a remodelação da área central e a instalação de melhorias urbanas. No período compreendido entre 1908 e 1916, a cidade sofreu um salto urbanístico evidenciado pelo aparelhamento sistemático do cenário urbano: construção de prédios públicos, como teatros, hospitais, hotéis; arborização; iluminação; abaulamento; e ajardinamento de praças, ruas e avenidas. Este período de intensas transformações coincide com a gestão de Bento de Abreu Sampaio Vidal como vereador e, posteriormente, presidente da Câmara Municipal. O personagem histórico em questão figurou como importante agente modernizador porque investia na cidade. Para concretizar seu ideal de cidade modernizada, valia-se de sua influência política, de seu poder econômico e de seu prestígio de homem letrado. As transformações ocorridas no espaço urbano estiveram estreitamente ligadas à sua atuação como homem público. No decorrer deste trabalho, abordar-se-à as principais intervenções realizadas pelo agente modernizador e as possibilidades de apropriação de modelos europeus para a realização desses empreendimentos. / Mestre