This thesis is comprised of two articles that examine sympathy, material culture, and ownership in Victorian literature. In the first article, I explore the figure of the heiress in the Victorian literary tradition, focusing on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. George Eliot marked the heiress figure as unsympathetic, no matter her incarnation: whether the moralist of popular fiction or madwoman of gothic fiction, she is representative of excess and indulgence—ideas that society wanted to condemn in harmony with Georges Batailles's observation that a time of indulgence will be checked by a return to conservative bourgeois ideals. The heiress is made a vessel for these cultural anxieties, representing both the desire for and reaction against material possession within the larger male imperial imaginary landscape. The heiress is a way for the male protagonist to indulge in a decadent coming-of-age narrative before being scalded by his secular desires, abandoning this dream for bourgeois security. I employ the criticism of Batailles, Laura Brown, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, etc., in order to discover how the heiress is objectified and controlled, yet, in the greater narrative structure, finds ways to act outside of the male linguistic system as an agent for change—bringing about the collapse of the fake set and props of the material world. In the second article, I examine Charles Dickens's attempts to control his printed materials and his belief that he could coalesce the expanding literate public into a faithful readership. However, Dickens was troubled by illicit reproductions of his work by the popular presses. In order to look at Dickens's concerns not only over losing control of his product, but also having the emotional essence of his characters and stories compromised, I turn to Bleak House which, critics have established, is in part a treatise against unlicensed copies. I argue that the character of Lady Dedlock serves as a representation of Dickens since she, like him, relies on the popular press in order to maintain her social standing, yet she also imagines that she is above them—though, in reality, much of her "private" life is already in public hands. I focus, specifically, on an unlicensed image of Lady Dedlock (that she is unaware of) that has been reproduced in a collection that anyone can purchase. In the end, Dickens allows his fiction to speak for him, forcing the reader to process the invasive horror of unlicensed copies through the emotion they feel for the actual, authentic woman. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from June 20, 2012 - June 20, 2014

In this study I analyse the role of the heroine in the work of four New Zealand writers, Katherine Mansfield, Robin Hyde, Janet Frame and Keri Hulme, starting from the assumption that such a role is influenced by the notion of the fall and by the perception of the vertigo entailed in it. In order to prove this I turn to the texts of four New Zealand writers dedicating one chapter to each. In the first chapter a few of Katherine Mansfield's short stories are analysed from the vantage point of the fall, investigated both in the construction of the character's subjectivity and in the construction of the narration. In the second chapter a link is established between Katherine Mansfield and Robin Hyde. A particular emphasis is put on the notion of subjectivity in relationship developed by the two writers, highlighting the link between this kind of subjectivity and the notion of the fall. In the third chapter the focus is subsequently shifted to Robin Hyde's work, in particular one of her novels, Wednesday's Children, which is read in the context of Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalistic. In the fourth chapter the notion of the fall is analysed in the fiction of Janet Frame, which is related to the treatment of the notion of the fall present in Keri Hulme's The Bone People. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the analysis of The Bone People as in the novel the notion of the fall and the vertigo perception find their fullest expression, whilst in the sixth chapter a significant parallel is drawn between Janet Frame's Scented Gardens for the Blind and Keri Hulme's The Bone People and links are established with their predecessors. Finally in the seventh chapter the critical perspective is broadened to comprise those common elements in the writing of Katherine Mansfield, Robin Hyde, Janet Frame and Keri Hulme that have been neglected by focusing uniquely on the notion of the fall, and thus to contribute to a more complete overall picture of the comparison presented in this study.

The novel is one means by which writers can provide examples of the possibilities for women in patriarchal societies to seek greater independence. Sabina Berman (1955- ) and Silvia Molina (1946- ) are modern day Mexican novelists whose writings support the betterment of the female condition in this Latin American society. This study focuses on these two authors and describes and analyzes several of their female protagonists who can be characterized as being in search of their self-identity and self-realization. The novels of interest are La Bobe (2006) and La Mujer que Buceó Dentro del Corazón del Mundo (2010) by Sabina Berman and La Mañana Debe Seguir Gris (1977) and El Amor Que Me Juraste (1998) by Silvia Molina. The theoretical framework used to analyze these novels is based on The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and on the writings of the Mexican author Rosario Castellanos. These novels provide examples of how women can challenge patriarchal social norms in order to seek their identity as an individual and their self-realization. However, to do this, women must be willing to accept the risks and costs that may accompany this self-searching. By seeking identity women can satisfy their longings and desires, but at the same time this may also produce undesired results. Nevertheless, these novels show that women have the ability to seek their personal identity if they take the initiative to do so.

No description available.

This dissertation focuses on the textual analysis of the representation of female and male characters in the drama book Ishashalazi, based on the two drama stories: Kwakuhle kwethu! and Umninimuzi. Both of these stories depict male and female characters differently. The findings of this study suggest that the representation of male characters in the selected stories is generally in line with patriarchal attitudes and reflect women's suppression. Male characters are positively represented by most texts and reflect triumph, intelligence, and strength and these forms of representation affirm the traditionally held beliefs about men as rulers and heads of families. On the contrary, this study finds that the representation of women differs greatly from that in which males are represented. Women are given feminine roles represented negatively as failures or as being capricious and disrespectful of social norms. The division of labour into gender-hyper-specific roles widens the gap of differences in the representation of female and male characters. Situated in the imbalance representation is culture. Texts and Ishashalazi in particular, echo unequal representation of male and female characters by promoting the observation of cultural principles in the roles played by characters. African culture is the major phenomenon that promotes patriarchy and ensures that women remain suppressed by the rule of men. Such processes are perpetuated by texts that we read every day. Texts are powerful means of sending messages. It is through texts that social actions and processes are interpreted and acted. Thus textual meaning is both visible and invisible. Through analysis of the two drama plays the hidden meaning of text is disclosed and it is through this analysis that actions that promote the marginalization of women are challenged. Family is one of the institutions where women are oppressed on the pretext of culture (Cameron. 1990). The findings of this study allude to Cameron's observation that the roles assigned to female characters serve as a valuable clue to the constitution of women's silence. Roles represented by female characters in Ishashalazi do not gain the respect of the greater community instead, some (such as women who violate cultural principles) actually damage the reputation of women and tarnish their image. Thus culture oppresses women while giving opportunities to their male counterparts to dominate and exercise authority over women. It is with such social actions and processes that this study concerns itself. Sexist language and stereotypes used by society continue to pose problems that reflect negatively on women. In responding to such challenges this study analyses the representation of female and male characters from a feminist standpoint and calls for the emancipation of women and children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

M.A. (English) / The fallen woman is the central figure in much of the fiction written in Britain during the nineteenth century, and she frequently reappears in colonial writing. In this study, fictional interpretations of the English victorian stereotype of the fallen woman in The story of an African Farm and From Man to Man by Olive Schreiner and in The Beadle by Pauline smith are examined. The first chapter of this dissertation is an attempt to establish the fallen woman's classic stereotypical qualities as exhibited in five British novels. Location in their historical context explains the subtle changes in metropolitan attitudes towards women in general, and fallen women in particular, brought about by the advent of organisations designed for the protection of young girls and the assertion of women's rights. Analysis reveals certain clearly defined conventional trends in characterisation, plot and imagery. The novels studied are Ruth (1853) by Mrs.Gaskell, Adam Bede (1859) by George Eliot, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859) by George Meredith, East Lynne (1861) by Mrs. Henry Wood, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891) by Thoma~ Hardy. In chapter two, the close interrelation between the predominant Western conceptions of manhood, colonialism, and racism is examined and an explanation given for the exaggeration in the colonies of the dual role of woman - as chaste angel or fallen devil. Examples of the social engineering undertaken in tribal or chieftainly patriarchies in Southern Africa and by the British Imperial administration at the turn of the century are given. The strong link between the oppression of blacks and women is illustrated. Dutch hierarchical notions of social caste and attitudes to women, which were in place when the British arrived, are discussed. The rapid internalisation of white male attitudes towards women of other races as reflected in the writing of white women in South Africa is then shown. Texts examined are The Letters of Lady Anne Barnard to Henry Dundas (1793 - 1803), edited by A.M. Lewin Robinson, Lady Duff Gordon's Letters from The Cape edited by John Purves, Sophie Levisseur: Memories, edited by Karel Schoeman, AVictorian Lady at the Cape (1849 -1851) edited by Alan F. Hattersley, Charlotte Moor's Marina de la Rey (i903), W.P.Livingstone's Christina Forsyth of Fingoland, the Story of the Loneliest Woman in Africa (circa 1911), Gertrude Page's The Pathway, and A Sketch of Women's Work (1893) edited by Lady Loch. It becomes evident in Saul Solomon's collection of letters entitled The contagious Diseases Act : Its operation at the Cape of Good Hope (1897), in G. Emily Conybeare's treatise entitled Womenly Women and Social Purity (1892) and in the Reverend C. Spoetstra's open letter to the editor of the Volksstem, published as a booklet under the title Delicate Matters (1896), that feminists, Members of the Cape Legislature, and clergymen were opposed to the double standard against women enshrined in Cape statutes. The reasons for their opposition are discussed. The character of the Afrikaner patriarchy which predominated at the turn of the century and into the early years of the twentieth century is described, and reasons suggested for the more mystical and sacrificial approach of this group towards the fallen woman as detected in the Reverend Spoetstra's letter. Having outlined the distortion of British attitudes towards women in South Africa in chapter two, I then examine the fictional interpretations of the fallen woman in Olive Schreiner's novels The story of an African Farm and From Man to Man. Her treatment of this character is related to the British stereotypes and to the influence of colonial attitudes to women and race already established. Biographical details and facts related to the composition of From Man to Man, which are of value in determining why the novelist chose, or was compelled, to represent her characters in the way she did, are studied. A progression of ideas regarding female autonomy and independence is traced in her novels by means of close textual analysis. The chapter ends with an evaluation of Schreiner's attitude to race and racism and of Schreiner's colonial version of a fate of women.

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The central problem of this thesis is the situation of women in Reza De Wet's dramatic-oeuvre, and their yearning to escape from unacceptable circumstances. Chapter 1 deals with the historical background of the changing position of women in South African history, and indicates De Wet's dramatic oeuvre as the climax of this genre in the eighties. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the female characters of Vrystaat-trilogie and Trits: Mis, Mirakel, Drif. Within the central problem, this study focuses on an ongoing liberation process which reaches its climax in Trits. Chapter 4 (A Russian trilogy) investigates the inner liberation process of female characters before and after the Russian Revolution, and focuses on their yearning for a better future. The conclusion of this thesis is that De Wet, by making use of concepts like intertextuality and fantasy, succeeded in deconstructing the image of a mythical Afrikaans countryside portrayed in earlier literature. Simultaneously the ongoing theme of an inner liberation takes place in the lives of most of the female characters throughout De Wet's dramatic oeuvre / Afrikaans & Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

Many types of literary criticism have been used successfully in the analysis of literature for oral interpretation. Feminist criticism looks at literature from a female perspective and explores the effects of society's beliefs about the nature, place, and function of women as revealed in literary plots and characters. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that feminist criticism will prove to be of value for interpreters in the analysis stage of preparation. An original method of analysis, based on the tenets of feminist criticism, was developed by this author and applied to women in the four major plays of Lillian Hellman. The methodology focusses on character analysis, featuring inquiry into the character's role, values, self image, finances, attitudes toward sex, and measure of power. To judge the value of the methodology, critics' opinions of the women were surveyed and compared. This comparison revealed the method's power to generate fresh, innovative insights into the characters and to disclose new interpretations of the plays themselves. The method focussed attention onto the societal forces of sexual conditioning which restrict women and cause them to adopt stereotypical roles and patterns of behavior. The study concluded that feminist analysis is a viable critical approach for interpreters and that the methodology of this dissertation, being defined, consistent, and reliable, was capable of producing valuable and useful results.

Shelby Hearon's eight novels--Armadillo in the Grass, The Second Dune, Hannah's House, Now and Another Time, A Prince of a Fellow, Painted Dresses, Afternoon of a Faun, and Group Therapy- -are unified by the theme of the fairy-tale princess and her quest to assert her autonomy and gain self-fulfillment while struggling with marriage, family, and the mother-daughter relationship. This study traces the development of Hearon' s feminist convictions in each of her novels by focusing on the changing quests of her heroines. This analysis of Hearon's novels attests to their lasting literary significance.