This thesis explored the nature of change in women's roles as reflected in British and American fiction from the turn of the century to date. The characters of women detectives were evaluated for how they functioned as active agents toward a solution to a given problem.This evaluation was based on three diagnostic points: 1) what rationale was offered to justify the characters as problem solvers; 2) what connections didthe characters hold with formal institutions of authority; and 3) what institutional skills, knowledge, training, etc. did the characters employ.This study revealed that the characters, though placed in an active role, operated from a strictly traditional orientation. Their motivations, "raison d'etre" and connections with formal institutions of authority were based on affective relationships, particularly those of a familial or romantic nature. The characters relied on intuition rather than skill or knowledge.

Access to abstract restricted until 12/14/2016 / Historical context -- Character analysis : Susannah Polk -- Character analyses : Little Bat McLean and Sam Polk -- Character analysis : Reverend Olin Blitch -- Character analyses : Mrs. McLean and chorus. / Access to thesis restricted until 12/14/2016 / School of Music

This thesis studies the ways in which female characters in Chaucer's poetry use language. Differences between feminine and masculine discourse in the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde are examined, along with factors shaping the poetic articulation of the feminine in the Middle Ages. Part I sets out the background material which provides the context for the close readings of Parts II and III. Since the framework within which Chaucer's female characters speak is poetic, the first chapter is concerned with contemporary views about how poetic meaning is produced: what is the status of the author? How does the author read - and rewrite - his or her sources? Which rhetorical conventions govern literary representation, and how is the literary text justified? Part I also considers why rhetoric should be an issue as regards women in the Middle Ages, and what modes of signifying are available to women in social, spiritual and literary contexts. Perspectives on appropriate female behaviour and discourse are gained through an examination of the rhetorical traction, works of devotional and didactic instruction, and the conventions of fin'amor. Parts II and III present a close reading of Chaucer's poetry. The readings are informed by the perspectives outlined in Part I, and by modern literary theories, and involve some assessment of the applicability of recent theory to Chaucer's poetry. The Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde are both seen as vitally concerned with poetic practice and theory, and with the poetic representation of female characters. The poet's representation of the heroines in the course of the Legend provides a critique of the conception of poetry articulated by the god of Love in the Prologue. The hermeneutical and representational difficulties that the poet of the Troilus experiences with his poem are intimately linked with his treatment of Criseyde. The thesis considers the intersection between poetics and the poetic representation of the feminine.

This thesis is a study of the male character in the works of Michel Tremblay, particularly as depicted in his novels and original plays, excluding translated works, adaptations, musical comedies and movies. Beginning with the play entitled Les Belles-Soeurs (1968) and up to Marcel poursuivi par les chiens (1992), this thesis presents a threefold analysis of the males in Tremblay's dramatic and romanesque universe. The first part of this thesis focuses on Tremblay's methods of characterization; this provides us with the description of the physical and psychological attributes of the character. This first part also features a chapter describing the physical environment and socio-historical context in which the male character evolves. The second part of this thesis and by far the most important, describes the masculine archetypes in Tremblay's works. Since the male archetypes have so far been set aside in favor of extensive study of the female archetypes, our research in the former seems most appropriate. Finally, the third part presents the symbolic representation of the characters: Is the male, according to Tremblay, the image of a powerless and tortured Quebec, as it has often been claimed? In conclusion, this thesis attempts to show that the males, in Tremblay's works, play an important role despite appearances and statements to the contrary made by the author in the course of many interviews.

Doctor of Philosophy / The alternating Hecke algebra is a q-analogue of the alternating subgroups of the finite Coxeter groups. Mitsuhashi has looked at the representation theory in the cases of the Coxeter groups of type A_n, and B_n, and here we provide a general approach that can be applied to any finite Coxeter group. We give various bases and a generating set for the alternating Hecke algebra. We then use Tits' deformation theorem to prove that, over a large enough field, the alternating Hecke algebra is isomorphic to the group algebra of the corresponding alternating Coxeter group. In particular, there is a bijection between the irreducible representations of the alternating Hecke algebra and the irreducible representations of the alternating subgroup. In chapter 5 we discuss the branching rules from the Iwahori-Hecke algebra to the alternating Hecke algebra and give criteria that determine these for the Iwahori-Hecke algebras of types A_n, B_n and D_n. We then look specifically at the alternating Hecke algebra associated to the symmetric group and calculate the values of the irreducible characters on a set of minimal length conjugacy class representatives.

The author's inaugural dissertation, Munich. / "Verzeichnis der für die arbeit benützten literatur": p. [7]-9.

Thesis (M.A.)--Liberty University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The author's inaugural dissertation, Munich. / "Verzeichnis der für die arbeit benützten literatur": p. [7]-9.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-146).