Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bryn Mawr College, 1928. / Vita.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-123). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

The aim of this thesis is to arrive at an understanding of the authority of scripture that is able to accommodate both a faith perspective and the fruits of the historical-critical approach to the New Testament. Put differently, the aim of this thesis is the pursuit of a specifically christian, faith-promoting, reading of the New Testament whilst still enjoying the benefit, in an as uncompromised a form as possible, of the historical- critical approach. In a sense it may be said that this task, given that the roots of both the historical-critical approach and modern Western culture are deeply imbedded in Rationalism, is equivalent to the basic hermeneutical question of whether it is possible to interpret scripture relevantly from within a cultural web of meaning that does not readily accommodate that embodied in the New Testament. In section one of this dissertation we present a characteristic depiction, based on the historical-critical theory of literature, of the authority of the New Testament. This is followed by a brief assessment that makes explicit why the historical- critical approach is not conducive to the adoption of a faith perspective on these writings. In section two, still and inevitably based on critical foundations, we adopt a perspective that is more sympathetic to faith and that seeks to discover in the concerns evidenced in the canonical process, when traditions about Jesus gradually took on more complex and stable forms, culminating in the canon of the New Testament, guidelines in helping us to deal with the problem with which this study is concerned . In the specific example of the rather ordinary concerns underlying the unusual history of the pericope de adultera (John 7:53-8:11), examined against the background of the interests underlying the canonical process, it becomes clear that christians from the very beginning faced a dilemma not unlike that with which the historical-critical approach confronts us. They had to interpret afresh, and faithfully, the traditions in order to meet the demands of situations that had never been foreseen by earlier tradents. In this respect, therefore, the history of the pericope de adultera presents us with an ongoing struggle to hold in tension the demands of new contexts with the imperative of strict continuity with Jesus. In section three, on the basis of the foundation of the authority of scripture in strict continuity with Jesus combined with the contextual reinterpretation of the tradition, the social sciences are employed. Using the social sciences, it is discovered that the two contradictory approaches that we wish to reconcile form part of two different models for interpreting reality. It is on this basis, and made possible by the common culture underlying these opposing models and by the common contact with an unspecified common core of concrete reality, that a solution is proposed in terms of a complex 'fusion of horizons', promoted by a 'precipitative environment'. In the conclusion our solution is decisively aligned with the concerns evidenced in the canonical process

This dissertation focuses on understanding and investigating the role of the idea of the literary canon in the teaching of literature—especially at the secondary level. This role, in the form of “standard authors” of literary works, is as old as the field itself in U.S. schools (Applebee, 1974). While many who have argued for and against the literary canon have done so by slinging vituperative remarks at each other (Lauter, 1991; Guillory, 1993; Bloom, 1995; Cain, 2013), this study is not an argument against the canon or its bedfellows, nor does it advocate a “counter canon,” the teaching of any specific texts, or the teaching of a singular interpretive approach. In this study, I attempt to describe and interrogate forces of canon formation that intersect with the teaching of literature, and offer speculations as to how the role of the canon in the teaching of literature may be reconceptualized to better understand the manifold processes involved in selecting and teaching texts in an English classroom. The concept of the canon is much older than the discipline of the teaching of literature, dating as far back as to ancient Greek thinkers like Polycletus and Aristotle (Gorak, 1991). I briefly trace the history of the idea of the canon from antiquity to its more modern usage for imaginative literary works, appearing in the 1700s (Patey, 1988; Kramnick, 1997; Ross, 1998), and the subsequent notion of some texts being worthier than others in the teaching of literature. I examine how social and philosophical movements gaining ground in the 1960s and 1970s led to serious criticisms of the literary canon (Smith, 1983; Lauter, 1991; Gallagher, 1997; Franke, 2011). I then posit three broad forces of canon formation in the teaching of literature: cultural forces, processes of categorization, and changing interpretive practices. To further understand how these forces shape and change the literary canon as the teaching of literature changes at the local level of teachers who at times self-govern what counts as a teachable literary text (Aston, 2017), I develop a conceptual framework based on Michel Foucault’s ideas of power relations and Manuel DeLanda’s assemblage theory (based on the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari). This is again not to eliminate or suggest a counter canon, but to describe and shine a light on operations of canon formation (encoded in teaching documents, standards, and anthologies) that may at times narrow the teaching of literature while at other times expand it, pointing to the flexible and adaptive, though often contested, nature of the canon in the teaching of literature.

Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--Cambridge University. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-178) and index. Also issued online.

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Creole Gatherings examines the relationship between canon formation and belonging. It studies the evolution of a print culture in New Orleans during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and argues that textual collection and other paratextual practices were a means of claiming cultural belonging in a society organized around linguistic and racial hierarchies. It proposes an extensive study of the Creole print culture of New Orleans that also takes into account New Orleans’ position as a major American city that entertained connections with many other places in the Atlantic world. Stepping away from a regionalist framework, the dissertation seeks to expand existing literary scholarship on Louisiana and to participate in the production of knowledge about literary exchange in the Atlantic. The dissertation examines the category of identification “Creole,” which became racialized in the late nineteenth century, and the emergence of a scholarly discourse about a “Creole literature.” It argues that two canons were established in the twentieth century, an Afro-Creole canon that would, in time, become affiliated to the canon of African-American literature, and a white Creole canon that would fail to become part of either the American or French canons that formed in the second half of the twentieth century. The study of these canons relies on the analysis of a variety of texts, mainly anthologies, literary criticism, bibliographical essays, collections of poetry, and the literary sections of newspapers. These constitute a continuity of practices indicative of an attempt to record and organize literary production. This study reveals a tension between goals of protecting one’s culture and incorporating it into an emerging field of study and underscores the racializing processes at play within the category of “Creole literature.” Highlighting connections between New Orleans and Haiti’s literary cultures in the nineteenth century, the dissertation points to the need for a large-scale transnational study of these two cultures.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, 2004. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-202).

This dissertation thesis follows on the contemporary research focused on the early modern manuscript culture. The thesis deals with the Moravian manuscript hymnals from the 17th and 18th century and with their repertoire. The manuscript hymnography is one of the richest sources for an understanding of the popular piety, the Baroque literature and the church music. Some of the hymnals are accompanied by musical notation and a large number of them are beautiful illuminated. However, they have never been made accessible through modern edition, and there are hardly any analytical studies concerning these hymnbooks. The opening chapter summarizes the existing research on the given topic. It is followed by the description of approximately forty manuscript hymnals. The next chapter concentrates on some specific qualities of the manuscript publication and focuses on the song repertoire. The third chapter further develops the general theses. It is devoted to four manuscript hymnals from the sixties and the seventies of the 17th century. The analysis of their writing, ilumination and repertoire proves the same author - Jan Klabík from Želechovice. This chapter concentrates on the song repertoire, relations to older hymnals and the song canon. The fourth chapter focuses on two specific groups of songs: the...

Introduction. This empirical study investigates the attitudes of Swedish public librarians who work in the children’s and/or young adult departments, towards children’s literary classics. This is achieved by examining work with the Classics shelf, a genre classification located in the children’s or young adult section. Method. The empirical material consists of transcripts from interviews with seven children’s and young adult public librarians in four Swedish municipalities, the Classics shelves and the libraries’ policy documents. Analysis. The Classics shelves’ genre definition, target group and location were investigated and compared to the libraries’ policy documents. Interview transcripts were examined in regard to the explicit contents of the participants’ statements and divided in themes by perceptions of value, function and use of the literature in a library context. Magnus Persson’s concept of myths describing naturalised perceptions of literature was used to interpret attitudes. A concluding analysis was conducted using the discourse theories of Michel Foucault, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Results. The analysis indicated both shared and conflicting attitudes to children’s and young adult literary classics, with perceptions predominantly taken for granted. Three coexisting discourses were identified: the Reading experience discourse, the Durability discourse and the Fresh discourse. These are mainly tied to different tasks and influenced by the librarians’ preconceived notions, workplace management and external influences such as media debates, with the user perspective as a prerequisite. Conclusion. The results show that the librarian accommodates contradictory and ambivalent views of children’s and young adult literary classics in the library. Literature is mediated indirectly and directly, and expresses the librarian’s personal experience rather than a professional identity. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.