Les éléments transposables (ET) sont des séquences d’ADN capables de catalyser son propre mouvement et d’entrer dans de nouvelles régions du génome. Dans la présente étude, nous avons étudié Helena, un élément LINE qui est à différents stades de son cycle évolutif et donc, il est un bon modèle pour l’étude de la dynamique évolutive des TE. À travers une analyse de bio-informatique dans les douze génomes séquencés de la drosophile nous avons étudié l’évolution de Helena, et nous proposons un scénario possible pour l’évolution de cet élément. Helena est à différents stades de son cycle de vie, allant d’un état complet (D. simulans et D. mojavensis) à très dégradé (D. yakuba, D.erecta, D. ananassae et D. virilis) ou absent (D. pseudoobscura, D. persimilis, D. grimshawi et d. willistoni). L’analyse phylogénétique a montré que Helena était présent chez l’ancêtre commun du genre Drosophila et a été transmis verticalement dans des lignées dérivées. De plus, nous avons détectées des copies intactes uniquement chez D. mojavensis et nous avons étudié plus en détail sa région 5’ (extrémité). Nous avons utilisé un gène rapporteur et confirmé la présence du promoteur interne pour Pol II qui est associé à des modifications épigénétiques de l’histone : hétérochromatine permissive (H3K4me2) et répressive (H3K27me3). Ces « marques bivalents » indiquent que Helena peuvent être exprimés en réponse à un stimulus spécifique. Une étude de l’élément BS, un TE étroitement liée à Helena, a montré que la dynamique évolutive des deux ETs sont très similaires. Les résultats montrent que CET élément, comme Helena, se trouve à différents stades de son cycle évolutif / The transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences capable of catalyze its own movement and to enter into new regions of the genome. In the present study we studied Helena, a LINE element that is at different stages of its evolutionary cycle and therefore, it is a good model for studies of TEs evolutionary dynamics. Through bioinformatics analysis of 12 Drosophila species which have their genomes sequenced, we found Helena in different stages of its evolutionary cycle, that varies of at least one full active copy (D. mojavensis) an putatively complete copy, but inactive (D. simulans) to highly degenerate (D. yakuba, D. erecta, D. ananassae and D. virilis) or absent (D. pseudoobscura, D. persimilis, D. willistoni and D. grimshawi) sequences. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Helena was present in the common ancestor of the Drosophila genus and has been vertically transmitted in derived lineages, but lost on some of them. Since a complete highly active copy was observed only in D. mojavensis, we studied in more detail its 5' end region. We used a reporter gene and verified the presence of internal promoter for Pol II that is associated with epigenetic histone modifications for permissive (H3K4me2) and repressive heterochromatin (H3K27me3). These “bivalent marks” indicate that Helena can be expressed in response to specific stimulus. A study of BS element, a TE closely related to Helena, showed that the evolutionary dynamics of both TEs are very similar. Bioinformatics analysis of the 12 Drosophila genomes revealed that BS is also widely variable in the species analyzed regarding to distribution, abundance, degree of degradation and also about their evolutionary cycle

La caractérisation moléculaire de la réponse des plantes aux contraintes environnementales permet de mieux comprendre les bases de l’adaptation des plantes à leur milieu, et pourrait aider à l’amélioration des plantes cultivées. L’épigénome est constitué de l’ensemble des marques présentes sur la chromatine et participe à la régulation de l’expression du génome, notamment au cours du développement. Il contribue aussi à la stabilité des génomes, notamment en empêchant la transposition des éléments transposables (ET). L’épigénome varie en fonction des contraintes environnementales et une meilleure compréhension de ces variations pourrait permettre d’apporter une vision nouvelle de l’interaction entre la plante et son environnement. Cependant, l’étendue des modifications de l’épigénome, le type de séquences affectées et les mécanismes impliqués restent à déterminer. Dans ce cadre, j’ai analysé l’impact du froid sur le méthylome du maïs, une plante à génome complexe riche en ET. Dans un premier axe, j’ai analysé le méthylome d’un génotype sensible au froid, B73, par séquençage haut-débit d’ADN traité au bisulfite de sodium (BS-seq). Cette analyse comparative entre plantes « stressées » et « non stressées » a été menée (i) à l’échelle chromosomique, sans a priori sur le niveau de variation de méthylation de l’ADN et (ii) à l’échelle locale (régions différentiellements méthylées, ou « DMR ») en fixant des niveaux de variations forts (>10%). Ces deux types d’analyses ont permis de montrer que le froid déclenche une hyperméthylation à l’échelle du génome, à laquelle se superposent des hyper- et hypométhylations à l’échelle locale. Ces variations sont observées pour les trois contextes de cytosine et dans différentes régions génomiques associées aux gènes et aux ET. Ceci suggère l’activation parallèle de plusieurs mécanismes de régulation de la méthylation de l’ADN en réponse au froid. Dans un second axe, j’ai suivi ces DMR au cours du développement et dans la descendance afin d’étudier leur transmission, en lien avec leur localisation génomique et les contextes de cytosine affectés. Dans un troisième axe, j’ai étudié le lien entre variations de méthylation et sensibilité au froid en comparant la réponse du méthylome chez trois génotypes de maïs (B73, F2 et F331) présentant une réponse phénotypique contrastée pour ce caractère. / Molecular characterization of plant response to environnemental constraints allows to both better understand plant adaptation and help crop improvement. The epigenome is composed of chromatin marks and participates to the regulation of genome expression, notably through development. It is also involved in genome stability, essentially by preventing the transposition of transposable elements (TE). The epigenome can be modified by environmental cues and better understanding this variation could give new insights on the interaction between the plant and its environnement. However, the extent of this modification, targeted sequences and underlying mecanisms remain to be elucidated. In this context, I analyzed the impact of cold on the methylome of maize, a plant with a complex genome with high proportion of TEs. In a first part, I analyzed the methylome of a cold-sensitive genotype, B73, using whole genome bisulfite sequecing (BS-seq). This comparative analysis between “stressed” and “unstressed” plants was carried out (i) at the chromosome scale, without a priori definition of a DNA methylation difference and (ii) at a localized scale (Differentially Methylated regions, « DMRs ») using high minimum methylation difference rate (10%). These two types of analysis revealed that cold triggers hypermethylation at the genome scale, as well as. hyper-and-hypo-methylation at the local scale. These variations were observed in the 3 contexts of cytosine and occur in different genomic regions associated with genes and TEs. This suggests the parallel activation of different regulatory pathways in response to cold. In a second part, I focused on following-up methylation changes through development and in the progeny in conjunction with the genomic sequences and the cytosine context involved. In a third part, I studied the relationship between methylome variations and cold sensitivity by comparing the methylomes of three maize genotypes (B73, F2 and F331) with a contrasted phenotypic response to cold.

Dans le Modèle Standard, la différence de phase apparaissant dans la désintégration B0s --> J/psi phi est prèdite avec une grande précision. Cette observable est une sonde pour mettre en évidence de la Nouvelle Physique car l’oscillation B0s -B0sbar s’effectue via un diagramme en boucles sensible à la nouvelles particules. Nous avons développé une sélection simplifiée pour les données de 2010. Elle évite tous biais sur la distribution en temps propre afin de réduire l’incertitude systématique. De plus, nous contrôlons les performances d’étiquetage pour les événements B0s --> J/psi phi en utilisant les canaux similaires B0d--> J/psi K*0 et B+ --> J/psi K+. Avec les données de 2010, nous obtenons 570 événements de signal avec une luminosité intégré de 36 pb−1, une puissance de d’étiquetage de (2, 2 ± 0, 4)% et une résolution temporelle de 50 fs. Nous avons étudié une sélection alternative, qui maximise la sensibilité à la phase phis en utilisant des coupures biasant le temp propre. Nous avons proposé une méthode pour corriger la déformation de temps propre à partir des données. Nous avons développé un programme d’ajustement pour déterminer la phase phis. Avec les données 2010, la valeur touvée est phis = [−2, 7,−0, 5] rad à 68% de confiance. Ce résultat est compatible avec la prédiction du Modèle Standard. / In the PsB $to$ PJpsi $phi$ channel, the phase difference phis between decays with and without oscillation is predicted to be significantly small in the SM. Furthermore, the PsB-PasB mixing phenomena takes place via a loop diagram. These two reasons makes the phis parameter an excellent probe for New Physics processes. We developed a simplified selection for the 2010 data. It avoids any bias on the proper time distribution in order to reduce systematic uncertainty. In addition, we control the tagging performance for PsB $to$ PJpsi $phi$ events using the similar $PBdtoPJpsiPKstar^0$ and $PButoPJpsiPKplus$ channels. With the 2010 data, we obtain $570$ signal events in $36invpb$ of integrated luminosity, a tagging power of $(2.2pm 0.4)%$ and a proper time resolution of $50fs$. We investigated an alternative selection which is designed to maximize the phis sensitivity using a proper time biasing cuts. We proposed a data-driven method to correct the proper time acceptance. We designed a fitting program to determine the phis phase. Using fast Monte Carlo simulation we validated the fitter program, determine the LHCb sensitivity to the phis phase and advise the use of interval estimate at low signal yield. We reviewed the first determination of the phis phase by the LHCb collaboration. It is found to be: $phis in [-2.7,-0.5] rad ~ {rm at~68%~CL}$. This result is compatible with the Standard Model prediction.

Submitted by Gustavo Nascimento (gustavo.diniz@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-01-29T11:51:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DANIELLA CIBELE BEZERRA - TESE PPGCMAT 2014.pdf: 4550868 bytes, checksum: d91b2b560040e4f5f101c7f129c13aab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-29T11:51:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DANIELLA CIBELE BEZERRA - TESE PPGCMAT 2014.pdf: 4550868 bytes, checksum: d91b2b560040e4f5f101c7f129c13aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-03 / CNPq / Um dos principais problemas do isolamento elétrico externo é o acúmulo de contaminantes em sua superfície. A ocorrência deste evento faz com que a resistência da superfície diminua, aumentando a presença de correntes de fuga pela superfície. Entre as técnicas desenvolvidas para diminuir esse tipo de efeito, está o revestimento do isolador existente convencional (porcelana ou vidro, conforme o caso) com uma borracha de silicone que é vulcanizada à temperatura ambiente (BS). O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma mistura de borracha de silicone/alumina trihidratada/nanosílica (BS/ATH:NS) para ser usada em revestimento de isoladores elétricos de vidro. Cargas de ATH e NS foram adicionadas à BS, produzindo uma mistura feita em diferentes proporções mássicas (79/21; 77/23 e 75/25) de BS/ATH:NS, utilizada nos revestimento dos isoladores elétricos de vidro. As cargas e os revestimentos foram caracterizados por difração de raios X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), teste de inflamabilidade, ensaio na câmara de névoa salina, molhabilidade e avaliação da hidrofobicidade. As cargas apresentaram características morfológicas bem distintas, o que interferiu diretamente na morfologia dos revestimentos. A silanização das cargas favoreceu uma interação entre elas, assim como houve uma pequena melhora na interação das cargas com a BS. Observou-se também que no teste de inflamabilidade, os revestimentos que continham ATH, apresentaram resultados mais significativos, não havendo queima. Para os ensaios na câmara de névoa salina, o revestimento com BS/20:1 e os revestimentos com cargas silanizadas apresentaram os menores valores de corrente de fuga, o que foi comprovado com a avaliação da hidrofobicidade, na qual estes conseguiram recuperar a hidrofobicidade até HC=1 (nível de hidrofobicidade), de acordo com o guia STIR (Swedish Transmission Research Institute). / One of the main problems of external electrical isolation is due to accumulation of contaminants on its surface. The occurrence of this event causes the insulation resistance of the surface decreases, increasing the flow of leakage currents on the surface. Among the techniques developed to reduce this type of event is the coating of the conventional existing insulator (porcelain or glass, as appropriate) with a silicone rubber vulcanized at room temperature (BS). The aim of this study was to develop a mixture of silicone rubber/ alumina trihydrate/nanosílica (BS/ATH:NS) for use in coating glass electrical insulators. Loads of ATH and NS were added to BS, producing a mixture made in different mass ratios (79/21, 77/23 and 75/25) BS/ATH:NS used in the coating of glass electrical insulators. Loads and coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), flammability test, measurement salt spray chamber, test of wettability and hydrophobicity. Loads showed distinct morphological features, which directly affects the morphology of the coatings. The silanization loads favored interaction among them, as there was a small improvement in the interaction of the loads with the BS. It was also observed that the flammability test, the coatings containing ATH showed more significant results, without burning. For tests of the salt spray chamber, coat with BS/20:1 and with silanized fillers had the lowest leakage current, which was confirmed by measuring the hydrophobicity, where they managed to recover the hydrophobicity HC = 1 (level of hydrophobicity) according to STIR (Swedish Transmission Research Institute) guide.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoseADA.pdf: 1177025 bytes, checksum: 7b60e9ae5f0d99d9f5dfa04052eacd28 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-05 / The Oil Measurement Evaluation Laboratory (LAMP), located in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), has as main goal to evaluate flow and BS&W meters, where the simulation of a bigger number of operation variable in field, guarantees a less uncertain evaluation. The objective of this work is to purpose a heating system design and implementation, which will control the temperature safely and efficiently in order to evaluate and measure it. Temperature is one of the variables which influence the flow and BS&W accurate measurement, directly affecting the fluid viscosity and density in the experiment. To project the heating system it is of great importance to take the laboratory requirements, conditions and current restrictions into consideration. Three alternatives were evaluated: heat exchanger, internal resistance and external resistance. After the analyses are made in order to choose the best alternative for the heating system in the laboratory, control strategies were determined for it, PID control methods in combination with fuzzy logic were used. Results showed a better performance with fuzzy logic than with classic PID / O Laborat?rio de Avalia??o de Medi??o em Petr?leo (LAMP) da Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) tem como meta principal avaliar medidores de vaz?o e BS&W,em que a utiliza??o de um maior n?mero de vari?veis de opera??o garante uma avalia??o com menor porcentagem de incertezas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi projetar e implementar um sistema de aquecimento que dar? cobertura ao controle de temperatura, de forma segura e eficiente, para fins de avalia??o e medi??o. A temperatura ? uma das vari?veis que exerce influ?ncia na hora de medir com exatid?o a vaz?o e BS&W, afetando diretamente a viscosidade e a densidade do fluido. Para projetar o sistema de aquecimento foi de vital import?ncia os requisitos do laborat?rio, como condi??es e restri??es atuais. Tr?s alternativas foram avaliadas: trocador de calor, resist?ncias externas e resist?ncias internas. Depois da an?lise feita, a fim de escolher a melhor alternativa para o sistema de aquecimento do laborat?rio, foram determinadas estrat?gias de controle para o mesmo. T?cnicas de controle PID combinadas com l?gica Fuzzy foram implementadas. Os resultados mostraram um melhor desempenho desta estrat?gia de controle comparada com um PID cl?ssico

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:56:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FelipeOQ.pdf: 747278 bytes, checksum: f691d6a9ce8be5219c439938928265e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-03-31 / The considered work presents the procedure for evaluation of the uncertainty related to the calibration of flow measurers and to BS&W. It is about a new method of measurement purposed by the conceptual project of the laboratory LAMP, at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, that intends to determine the conventional true value of the BS&W from the total height of the liquid column in the auditor tank, hydrostatic pressure exerted by the liquid column, local gravity, specific mass of the water and the specific mass of the oil, and, to determine the flow, from total height of liquid column and transfer time. The calibration uses a automatized system of monitoration and data acquisition of some necessary largnesses to determine of flow and BS&W, allowing a better trustworthiness of through measurements / O trabalho proposto apresenta o procedimento para avalia??o da incerteza relacionada ? calibra??o de medidores de vaz?o e BS&W. Trata-se de um novo m?todo de medi??o proposto no projeto conceitual do Laborat?rio de Avalia??o de Medi??o em Petr?leo -LAMP, localizado na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, que se prop?e a determinar o valor verdadeiro convencional do BS&W a partir da altura total da coluna l?quida no tanque auditor, press?o hidrost?tica exercida pela coluna l?quida, gravidade local, massa espec?fica da ?gua e a massa espec?fica do ?leo, e para a vaz?o em fun??o da altura total da coluna l?quida e do tempo de transfer?ncia. A calibra??o realizada conta com um sistema automatizado de monitora??o e aquisi??o de dados de algumas das grandezas necess?rias a determina??o da vaz?o e do BS&W, permitindo uma maior confiabilidade das medi??es realizadas

The thesis contains a new building project documentation pension Zadov, first in the form of studies and subsequently as an implementation project. It is a detached building, with two floors and one partial basement. Part of the work is technical thermal technical assessment of selected structures, fire safety report, and the summary accompanying technical report.

Les études des propriétés et du mécanisme de la production du charmonium ont débuté avec la découverte du méson J/ψ. Depuis plus de 40 ans, le mécanisme de production de charmonium n'est toujours pas clair. Les états de charmonium sont copieusement produits dans les collisionneurs hadroniques, ce qui permet d'étudier systématiquement leurs paramètres de résonance, leur production et leurs désintégrations. En dépit des taux de production élevés, de nombreux états de charmonium sont peu étudiés suite aux difficultés de leur reconstruction avec le bruit de fond important. L’expérience LHCb offre une opportunité unique d’étudier les états S et P de charmonium en utilisant leurs désintégrations vers des hadrons, et en particulier la production des états ηc et χc. Selon le formalisme de la QCD non relativiste (NRQCD), les éléments de matrice décrivant l’hadronisation des états S (ou P) du charmonium sont liés. Par conséquent, les mesures LHCb fournissent les nouveaux tests rigoureux de NRQCD. Dans le cadre de la thèse, la première mesure de la section efficace de production de l’état ηc(1S) à √s=13 TeV et la mesure la plus précise de la masse sont effectués, avec la désintégration de l'état ηc(1S) vers proton et antiproton. De plus, la production des états χc et ηc(2S) dans les désintégrations des hadrons b est étudiée en utilisant leurs désintégrations vers φφ. Les résultats obtenus sont confrontés aux prédictions de modèles théoriques. L’analyse phénoménologique originale démontre que la description de la production de charmonium dans les collisions hadroniques et de la production dans les désintégrations inclusives des hadrons b dans la gamme entière des impulsions transverses demeure un défi. / Studies of charmonium properties and production mechanism started with the discovery of J/ψ meson. Since more than 40 years the charmonium production mechanism is still not entirely understood. Following the era of investigations at e⁺e⁻ machines, nowadays, charmonium states are copiously produced at hadron colliders, that allows systematic studies of their resonance parameters, production observables and decays. Despite large production rates, many charmonium states are barely studied due to the complications of their reconstruction against a large background level. The LHCb experiment provides a unique opportunity to study S-wave and P-wave charmonium states using their decays to hadrons. This allows measuring production observables of ηc and χc charmonium states. According to the theoretical formalism of Non-Relativistic QCD (NRQCD), the production observables of the same wave charmonium states are linked. Hence, the LHCb measurements provide a series of stringent tests of NRQCD. In the framework of this thesis, the first measurement of the ηc(1S) differential production cross-section at √s=13 TeV and the most precise to date single mass measurement are performed, where the ηc(1S)$ state is reconstructed via its decay to proton and antiproton. In addition, the production of the χc and ηc(2S) states in b-hadron decays is studied using decays to φφ. The obtained results are confronted with existing theory predictions. The original phenomenological analysis concludes that the description of charmonium prompt production and production in inclusive b-hadron decays in an entire range of transverse momentum remains a challenge.

The dissertation pushes the boundaries of biblical interpretation by formulating relationships between passages of the Hebrew Bible and unrelated works of Modern art. While a growing field of criticism addresses the representation of scriptural stories in painting, sculpture and film, the artwork in this study does not look to the Bible for its subject matter. The intertextual/intermedia comparisons instead address five different genres of biblical literature and read them according to various dynamics found in Modern images. In forming these relationships I challenge traditional perceptions of characters and literary style by allowing an artistic representation or pictorial method to highlight issues of selfhood, gender and power and by revaluing narrative and poetry in nuanced aesthetic terms. The comparative analysis derives its two-subject structure for each section from the undergraduate art history seminar, in which two slides are projected and the group encouraged to identify similarities between disparate works. My use of this heuristic method then appropriates secondary sources to forge a relationship in which art criticism ultimately speaks for the biblical text. Chapter I juxtaposes the figure of Michal in 2 Samuel 6 against that of Queen Guenevere (1858) by William Morris in an essay that questions the portrait popular opinion has painted of the barren daughter of Saul. The Pre-Raphaelite painting and Morris’s related poetry help to build a defence for Michal against those who inflict her barrenness upon her as if it were a punishment from God. Morris’s sympathy for his adulterous heroine allows us to see the Deuteronomistic History’s maligned queen as one whose character and action in fact seem very in tune with the prophetic agenda of the greater work. In Chapter II, a woodcut portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche (1905) by Erich Heckel provides a counterpart to Abraham’s representation in Genesis 23. The German Expressionist reduced his palette to a bold black on white to memorialise the Modern father of great men. The comparison frames Abraham as the embodiment of the Übermensch, as one who laid waste to his father’s heritage and followed his own God. His role as one who lives ‘over’ others casts the haste with which he gets up and buys Sarah’s plot as a sign of his will to possess. Luce Irigaray’s Marine Lover of Friedrich Nietzsche (1991) is then incorporated to create a dialogue between the dark space of the portrait (symbolic of Abraham’s masculine ego) and the white space caused by Sarah’s death. Sarah thus speaks to ‘Abraham the Overman’ as the ‘Marine Lover’, beckoning him down from his high place and resisting the force in him that wants to bury her out of his sight. Chapter III turns to prophecy and reconsiders Isaiah 44 first as a collage made in exile and then as a performance piece conducted in diaspora. The Merzbild by Kurt Schwitters entitled Green Over Yellow (1947) takes a critical Modern step away from representation and forward to abstraction. Schwitters assembled his cut-up forms to give them new visual value and made conspicuous their arbitrary edges and artful overlapping—a compositional and structural ethos not unlike the collage of forms in the exilic prophecy. Schwitters’ relative ease as an exile and expatriate in Britain also fuels questions scholars have asked about the nature and scale of the biblical exile. Finding that the text does not fully orient itself towards Jerusalem, a second part to this comparison introduces an alternative analogue for Is. 44 by treating it as a record of performance and drawing upon the work of Ana Mendieta (1948-1985) to discuss the passage’s broad approach to land and identity. The fourth chapter hangs an individual lament alongside Jackson Pollock’s Cathedral (1947), likening its parallelisms to streams of paint poured across the canvas and foregrounding the site of Psalm 13 as a field of/for abstract expression. Short though this hymn may be, its generalised language makes it accessible to a universal audience and lets emotion be splattered about in a personal protest against pain. Finally, Chapter V envisions wisdom literature and the character of Qoheleth with an understanding for the genre’s ‘conceptual’ outlook and the speaker’s sense of irony. A readymade gambler’s bond by Marcel Duchamp is projected opposite the opening chapter of Qoheleth’s reflections to introduce the wise man as a dandy who entertains his admirers through pleasing words. The comparison thus establishes a context in which a book that scholars have attempted to classify as either the work of an optimist or a pessimist can be appreciated for the attitude of witty indifference its author appears to affect. The project actively conceives of the biblical text as a ‘Modern’ phenomenon by emphasising areas in which it seems to invite abstract or metaphorical modes of understanding over literal interpretation. It utilizes an understanding of Modernism based not on the rejection of tradition but on the desire to rectify it. And it draws out the ways in which the Bible scandalizes the pious pictures critics have painted of it. Thinking not only of reading and visualising the Bible as an artistic process, the analysis aims to illustrate the legitimacy of viewing the text itself as a work of art.

This study is intended as a dialogue between literature and theology, utilizing selected works of the playwright and novelist, Henry Fielding (1707-54). While historical studies of Fielding have clearly yielded much of importance, a broader and less deterministic assessment concerning the latent ambivalences of this, one of the earliest novelists, has yet to be explored. Such an assessment has implications for the current relationship between, and the separate study of, literature and theology. The methodology is informed by an awareness of human frailty (what Fielding described as HUMAN NATURE) and centres upon the use of a specific interpretative tool that I call misplacement. By this, I mean the continuous parting with the ineffable – the perpetual recognition that, in writing, there is always a sense of the other, be that an alternative path not taken, the nagging sense of the numinous, or the coming to terms with the ludicrous nature of the human condition. Such fragile, comedic alterity provides a weak metaphysical root which is shared by both literature and theology. To illustrate the effects of such misplacement, this thesis sets the novels of Henry Fielding alongside works of contemporary philosophical theology such as the post onto-theological critique of Gianni Vattimo and John Caputo, as well as alongside postmodern works of fiction, such as those of Vonnegut and Calvino. In so doing, common critical zones such as epistemology, ethics, mimesis, canonicity, and revelation are investigated. The result of this analysis is that, in all these areas, the novel form, in Fielding’s hands, displays a powerful comic resonance with a theology which seeks to move beyond a strictly deterministic approach. Thus, we discover that Fielding’s work, rather than simply being expressive of proto-Enlightenment principles, actually subverts those assumed securities regarding the status of the individual and his place in the world, before God. In its conclusion, this study reveals the challenge of recognising the inescapably theological nature of the novel and that theology itself, is fictive. This assessment points to a greater need for further shared exploration of the relationship between theology and literature - to their mutual benefit.