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Diss.--Geschichte--Köln, 1980. / Bibliogr. p. 164-180. Index.

Proefschrift--Rechtsgeleerdheid--Leiden, 1979. / Résumé en français. Bibliogr. p. 86-92. Index.

This thesis is a critical study of Lord Byron's poetic drama, Cain. Most critics in the past have seen the work as a personal statement of religious skepticism on the part of Lord Byron, and hence as an out-and-out attack on traditional, Christian doctrine. With this preconception in mind, they have concerned themselves with pointing out attitudes and ideas in the play which may be said to be antithetical to the Christian world view, and they have then assessed the play simply in these terms. It is the contention of this paper that this presupposition has led the critics away from the realm of meaning intended by Lord Byron, and that a proper understanding of the play can only arise from a full, critical study of the central issue with which this "metaphysical" drama is concerned. The method followed is to analyse the differences in form, structure and argument between two accounts of this story - that found in the Bible, and Byron's poetic drama - on the assumption that such radical changes as we shall note are essential to the conveyance of Byron's peculiar meaning, and that a study of them must reveal the proper coherence and unity of Byron's work. We shall see that Cain is not a mere recounting of this story, but rather that it is a reconceptualization of the predicament facing Adam and Eve and the first family, structured so as to focus upon the human situation, so chat in the work Byron is not concerned with religious values, but with human values; not concerned to advance or refute traditional, religious concepts, but to reveal his insights into the common, human predicament. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

Carlyle was much, more popular and influential in the nineteenth century than he is in the twentieth. Many critics "believe that he exerted an influence over Tennyson, but there is very little direct evidence to support such an opinion. However, circumstantial evidence shows that Tennyson must have been interested in what Carlyle had to offer; that Carlyle and Tennyson were personal friends; and that there are many parallels between the works of Carlyle and Tennyson. Carlyle is essentially a romantic. His attitude toward art is ambivalent, a fact which is indicative of the conflict between Carlyle's longing for beauty, goodness, and truth on the one hand, and, on the other, his realization of the difficulty in reaffirming these absolutes within the spirit of his age. This ambivalence is related to the post-Kantian conflict between "Mere Reason" and "Understanding". Carlyle describes that conflict as the result of a process of ever-increasing self-consciousness of both the individual and society. Tennyson's early poetry is determined by the same "romantic" conflict, "but whereas in Carlyle's writings this conflict is philosophically resolved, Tennyson's early poems lack this resolution. One may say that these poems represent Tennyson's "Everlasting No." Carlyle and Tennyson met first in 18J8 and soon became personal friends. Although during the forties their friendship was at times very intimate, it seems that Carlyle took Tennyson not very seriously, and that Tennyson was sometimes annoyed over Carlyle's blustering manner. But on the whole, Tennyson regarded Carlyle very highly. In In Memoriam, many sections of which were written after Tennyson had become acquainted with Carlyle, Tennyson arrives at an "Everlasting Yea," i.e., at a reconciliation of "Mere Reason" and "Understanding" through renunciation (Selbsttötung). In addition, the poem displays many similarities with Sartor Hesartus. But whereas in Carlyle's writings the resolution of the "basic romantic polarity" is mainly rational, it becomes an intense emotional experience in Tennyson's poem. "Locksley Hall" displays many similarities with Sartor Resartus in general, and with Book II in particular. These similarities have led William D. Templeman to maintain that "Locksley Hall" is a dramatization of Book II of Sartor. But apart from parallels "between the two works, there is no evidence to support this view. After 1850, when Tennyson received the laureateship and founded a family, he became more self-reliant. His meetings with Carlyle became less frequent and more formal. However, there are many indications that both men held each other in high esteem, despite the fact that Carlyle often criticised Tennyson. The plot and the characters in Maud resemble Book II of Sartor Resartus. In addition, there are several other parallels between Maud and some of Carlyle’s works. In one instance it appears likely that Tennyson has used an image from Past and Present. Furthermore, the hero in Maud undergoes a progression from an "Everlasting No" to an "Everlasting Yea," but there is little evidence to prove that such parallels reflect influences. After 1855, the friendship between Carlyle and Tennyson may be described as a "friendly companionship between two equals, neither ignoring the other, but each enjoying full intellectual independence." After a temporary estrangement, probably caused by Carlyle's overbearing manner, Tennyson appears to have taken the initiative in reviving the friendship (1865). Although Carlyle's criticism of Tennyson continued to be unfair and destructive, Tennyson often indicated that he had an affectionate regard for Carlyle. "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After" suggests that Tennyson agreed closely with Carlyle's political views. Because Carlyle and Tennyson were interested in the same intellectual problems; because Carlyle formulated solutions to these problems much earlier than Tennyson; because Tennyson appears to have accepted these solutions after he had met Carlyle; because the two men were personal friends; and because there are many parallels between their works, it appears likely that Carlyle has exerted some influence over Tennyson, although the extent of such influence cannot be determined. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

This study on the Baron de Lahontan endeavours to present an up-to-date account of his life, the highlights of his literary achievements and studies the fortunes and influence his works enjoyed during the eighteenth century. An attempt has also been made to present evidence identifying Lahontan as an important precursor of the philosophe movement in eighteenth-century France. Almost all of the biographical information available on Lahontan is found only in his own writings, and this study has consequently drawn heavily on his original volumes, published in 1703. The Lahontan bibliography, published in 1905 by Paltsits, along with its subsequent recension in 1954 by Greenly, remains the principal bibliographical source available. A definitive bibliography of Lahontan is not yet fully established, however. The recent discovery of several unpublished manuscripts by Lahontan suggests that more may yet come to light. No attempt has been made in this study to discuss Lahontan's role as an historian or geographer, although it has become evident that some of the more important eighteenth-century chroniclers used his works as a source of information for their own accounts of New France. Finally, this study endeavours to confirm Lahontan's role as a precursor of the philosophe movement in France and it examines the extent to which the great writers of that period may have drawn on his observations. Although there is considerable evidence in support of the claim that Lahontan probably influenced such great figures as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau, it would be erroneous to assume too much in this regard. It is more the less certain, however, that Lahontan's writings did constitute an essential contribution to the diffusion of philosophical ideas at the beginning of the eighteenth century. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

This thesis, which is a close textual analysis of Tennyson's The Idylls of the King, attempts to explicate the poem in terms of Arthur's Vow. The Vow is seen as the thematic and structural centre of the poem. Accordingly, the thesis falls into two sections. The first is concerned with a discussion of the themes found in the Idylls and how they relate to the Vow; the second is concerned with the structural unity of the poem in terms of its imagery, mood and motifs. The thesis attempts to explain why in a world characterized by the eternal conflict between good and evil, between man and nature, it is necessary for the knights to obey Arthur's Vow. The knights and ladies are then discussed, in particular their failure to obey the Vow, and the consequences of their failure. Since the adultery between Lancelot and Guinevere is at the heart of the dissolution of the Round Table, and is never described explicitly, an attempt is made to interpret their relationship in terms of disobedience to the Vow. The thesis also examines the ways in which Tennyson gives unity to what appears to be a collection of independent poems. Unity, in particular in mood, is supplied by the poet's moralistic voice as well as by the use of lyrics. Imagistic and verbal motifs are traced through, the poem, and are shown to have a cumulative effect corresponding to the narrative climax. Finally, the use of nature imagery is shown to emphasize the struggle between man and nature as well as to sharpen the contrast between the civilization of Camelot and the ever-constant threat of anarchic nature, which threatens to erupt once the knights fail to obey the Vow. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

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