Il saggio consta di introduzione generale, testo, commento: la prima parte studia la struttura del libro, traccia i profili dei protagonisti di Arg. VIII ed, infine, discute i problemi relativi allo stato di incompiutezza del poema. Al testo di Arg. VIII segue il commento, costituito da introduzioni particolari alle singole sezioni e scene in cui si suddivide il libro e da note lemmatiche di carattere linguistico, stilistico, filologico, prosodico e metrico. La tesi è corredata di bibliografia e indici (generale, dei notabilia e dei passi discussi). / The essay is formed by general introduction, text, commentary: the first part studies the structure of the book, characterizes the protagonists of Arg. VIII and, finally, discusses the problem of the incompleteness of the poem. After the whole text of book VIII, there is the commentary: it is made up of specific introductions to each section and scene of the book and of linguistic, stylistic, philological, prosodic and metrical notes to the text. The work is complete with bibliography and indexes (of the notabilia, of the quoted passages and of the whole essay).

This exhibition is a direct response to my own religious upbringing. I chose to explore the oppression upon women, gays and people of color by religious intolerance. The Church dictates social and political mores that affect our society and culture and the way we are treated and governed. The use of the bible and conservative belief structures to defend the ill manner in which we are treated should not be ordained in today’s social construct. In the Name of god addresses issues from the Inquisition to the current war for control over women’s bodies and our reproductive systems. By revisiting the past and illustrating earlier evidence of religious corruption, I intend to demonstrate this countries lack of understanding of anything other.

This thesis explores causal attribution statements on performance outcomes given in annual reports of UK listed rms. The objectives are three-fold. First, it analyses the nature and extent of attribution statements provided. Second, it explores corporate governance factors and rm-speci c characteristics that are related to the provision of attribution statements. Finally, it investigates the economic consequences of providing attribution statements by examining their association with the rm's cost of equity capital. Using data drawn from a sample of 142 UK rms listed on the London Stock Exchange, content analysis was used to measure the extent of attributions in the annual reports for the year 2006. The results show that the volume of attribution statement provision is generally low and variation across rms is low. Firms also show a strong tendency to explain performance with internal rather than with external reasons. The results from regression analysis show that the volume of attribution statements and the space given to internal and external attribution statements is associated with the proportion of non-executive directors, director share ownership, audit committee size, market value, gearing, pro tability and new share issues. With respect to the relationship between the attribution statements and the cost of capital, the PEG model was employed to estimate the cost of equity capital. The ndings indicate an association between attribution statement provision and the cost of equity capital, but only for rms with low analyst following. For these rms, more extensive performance explanations and more extensive internal explanations are associated with a higher cost of equity capital. However, attribution statements are unrelated to the cost of equity capital for rms with high analyst following. The thesis makes two contributions in the area of attribution determinants. First, it measures attribution provision with a measure that has not been previously applied in the literature to measure attribution statements. Second, it provides evidence on how rm-speci c characteristics and the rm's corporate governance mechanisms in uence the extent and the type of performance explanations provided by rms. The thesis makes four contributions regarding the e ect of attribution statements on the cost of capital. First, it uses a quantitative approach to directly estimate the cost of capital e ects of attribution statements. Second, it provides evidence that the association between attribution statements and the cost of equity capital is in uenced by an interaction between attribution statements and analyst following. Third, the thesis provides the rst evidence of the relationship between attribution statements and the cost of equity capital in a UK setting. Fourth, it provides evidence that the relationship between disclosure and the cost of equity capital is complex and is in uenced by interactions between disclosure and information intermediaries.

To scholars of Victorian literature, Samuel Butler has always been a rebel who strikes out at society with wide-ranging criticism. After years of studying subjects as varied as music, art, biology, literature, and theology, Butler felt (like many Victorian writers) that he could make valuable social comments with his satires, travelogues, biological studies and one novel. Critical studies of Butler have tended to treat in broad outline all facets of his life and work. This study, however, examines in depth Butler’s novel The Way of All Flesh, as the focal point of his critical analysis of Victorian society. It treats the work as a sociological novel showing the main character Ernest Pontifex manipulated by harsh societal forces and presents the thesis that man needs to be freed from restrictive social determinism. It is thus the purpose of this study to suggest that Samuel Butler wrote The Way of All Flesh to summarize his criticism of Victorian society and to set forth his plea for a society governed by the principle rational moderation in human affairs. To demonstrate this thesis, the present study will begin with Butler’s life, emphasizing his study with schoolmasters, exposure to the clergy, and life with his parents in an attempt to show the development of his unconventional attitude toward contemporary society. A short introduction to Butler’s life is particularly important to study of The Way of All Flesh because this novel contains a great deal of pure autobiography. Following this introduction, the three strongest areas of sociological comment will be examined as they appear in The Way of All Flesh. Victorian schoolmasters, clergymen, and parents all force Ernest Pontifex to suffer a repressive existence. An inquiry into Butler’s criticism of these three social types and their influence Victorian society will form the main body of this study. The next chapter of this thesis will be devoted to explaining how Butler proposes to solve the problems that he has introduced with his social criticism. Following this chapter, the conclusion will summarize the main ideas of this study and will deal with Butler’s critical reputation. Also the conclusion will show the debt our freer society owes to Samuel Butler’s Way of All Flesh by examining some similarities between his novel’s social criticism and other targets of social criticism found in four influential twentieth century novels of rebellion. It will finally be seen that Samuel Butler was not a flawless novelist (or for that matter, a flawless philosopher), but the critical message of his Way of All Flesh far outweighed the strengths or weaknesses of its artistic form for a whole generation of anti-Victorians.

All that pushes and pulls is a modern dance work that investigates the blurred relationship between individuality and conformity in Western society. The ensemble piece explores the influence of trends of individuality - social movements that emphasize individualism in an attempt to break from the conformity of mass society yet eventually become adopted into mainstream norms. Through an emphasis on personal movement styles, manipulation of uniform choreography, and explorations of group dynamics and spacing, the piece illustrates how individuals navigate these trends in a society where individual expression has become a requirement rather than a suggestion.

The Argonauts is a one hundred and ten minute screenplay depicted in the genre of children's adventure film, set in the suburbs of Brisbane in the early 1990s. It tells the story of four friends who embark on adventure in an attempt to save their parents' shops from a corporate takeover. The exegesis explores the dual role of the screenwriter/director and the affect on the screenplay of the shifts in mindset required when these roles are undertaken by the same person. Screenwriting and directing are explored as two separate but interlinked disciplines. In this paper I have draw on my experience in these two roles to discuss their inter-relationship. In order to understand how the two roles of screenwriting and directing interact, challenge and compliment one another when carried out by the same person, I analyse the interplay of these roles within the specific areas of character, narrative and setting in the writing and revision of the screenplay, The Argonauts.

Huwiyya is a term that essentially denotes the non-manifest aspect of God, His essence. But in the works of Ibn 'Arabī and al-Qāshānī, this term has many different applications corresponding to the many different facets of God and the many different modalities of His interaction with the Cosmos. God is fundamentally non-manifest, unfathomable to a creation that is ontologically and epistemologically incapable of comprehending Him - upon this primary signification both Sufis agree. However, al-Qāshānī discreetly breaks ranks with his master when he emphasises God's connection to His creation more than His dissociation from it in the context of this term, and though this aspect is also present in Ibn 'Arabī's usage of the term, in al-Qāshānī it is far more prominent. Moreoever, his scientific style and analytic approach stand in stark contrast to that of his predecessor. Both are the result of a pedagogical concern that supercedes commentative fidelity. However, though it is undeniable that al-Qāshānī's style is far more didactic, it more than just that, it is the forging of a new worldview - one that is completely congruent with, but still subtly different from, that of Ibn 'Arabī. But in order to elucidate this, it is necessary to analyse relevant aspects of Ibn 'Arabī's thought. In attempting to excavate these and other nuances of difference, I have been influenced by the method of Toshihiko Izutsu in using a term, huwiyya, as a window in to the thought and cosmology of Ibn 'Arabī and al-Qāshānī. I have also been influenced by Ronald Nettler's approach in Sufi Metaphysics and Qur'ānic Prophets, where Ibn 'Arabi's thought is rigorously pursued to expose underlying assumptions and arguments. I have used these approaches in my own way, and towards my own interpretative analysis which compares the works of Ibn 'Arabī and al-Qāshāni. Furthermore, I have supplemented this type of analysis, which is primary source based (and appears as such in the works of both Izutsu and Nettler) with secondary material to provide a broader context of the rationale behind the differences in style and content between the master and his disciple.

The purpose of this thesis is an in-depth analysis of the Eddic poem Grímnismál found in the manuscript known as Codex Regius (GKS 2365 4to), located in Reykjavík, dated to c. 1270 and a fragment (AM 748 I 4to), located in Copenhagen, dated to c. 1300. While a great deal of work has been done on Grímnismál as part of the Elder Edda, there is yet no specific edition focusing on it alone. New studies on Germanic paganism and mythology show its shifting nature and the absence of specific tenets or uniform beliefs throughout the Germanic speaking world and in time. The relatively absent sources are similarly scattered. As such, the thesis suggests a new method of study, following a focused historical approach in which only Grímnismál is analysed in an attempt to understand the beliefs of the people that composed it. The nature of pagan belief itself prevents one from drawing more general conclusions on ‘Norse mythology' as a whole. Part 1 is divided into two chapters and deals with my approach, the nature of Germanic belief, and the sources available as well as techniques of interpretation for them, all relevant to the production of the arguments made in the thesis. Part 2 deals with Grímnismál itself: Chapter 1 provides an analysis of the manuscripts, Chapter 2 contains my editing notes and Chapter 3 analyses the contents of the poem, Chapter 4 consists of my conclusions to this study, focusing on the cosmology and the dating of the poem. Part 3 contains the edition of Grímnismál and is followed by Part 4 which is the commentary to the poem. The thesis is followed by two appendices, one containing a facing transcription of the manuscripts and the other being a glossary to all words used in Grímnismál. Finally, this thesis includes a digital edition worked on xml. This is available in the following link: https://starescomp.github.io/grimnismal/#idm140518410334752

This thesis looks to explore the musical Cabaret through a critical, historical and political lens, with particular focus on Sally Bowles, questioning the creation and agency of this character in contrast with the political and societal values of various productions. Using a socio-political analysis, this thesis discusses the important relationship between politics and theater, using the pro-choice abortion movements of the 1960's as a way to understand Sally Bowles as a complex device for political and social commentary.

La présente étude propose une recherche sur la fortune de Perse (auteur satirique latin du I siècle ap. J. Ch.) pendant la Renaissance et l’édition critique du commentaire des Satires de Giovanni Britannico (humaniste, imprimeur et professeur de Rhétorique à Brescia au XVe siècle), ouvrage publié pour la première fois à Brescia en 1481 et qui bénéficia d’une énorme diffusion en France. Le premier chapitre de la thèse est consacré à la réception de Perse en Italie durant le XVe siècle et passe en revue les commentaires des Satires précédent l’ouvrage de Britannico. Le deuxième propose un profil biographique de l’humaniste et analyse son oeuvre, en l’inscrivant dans le cadre de l’activité éditoriale et typographique de sa famille. Le troisième présente la structure et les caractéristiques du commentaire et met en lumière les nouveautés exégétiques de l’ouvrage en rapport avec la production contemporaine. Le quatrième chapitre est consacré à la réception du commentaire en Europe durant la première moitié du XVIe siècle. La thèse se termine avec l’édition du commentaire, accompagnée d’un apparat critique qui présente les variantes et les sources de l’ouvrage. / The aim of the thesis is to investigate about the reception of Persius’ poetry in the Renaissance period and to provide a critical edition of Giovanni Britannico’s commentary on Satires. Britannico’s work was published in Brescia in 1481 and it enjoyed a great diffusion and great appreciation in France during the 16th Century. The first chapter analyses Persius Satires reception in Italy during the second half of the 15th Century, by reviewing commentaries written before Britannico’s work.Then the thesis provides a biographical profile of the author and it analyses his literary production in the context of editorial and printing press activity of his family. The third chapter describes the structure and the features of the commentary, by comparing it with contemporary production on Persius. The last one studies the reception of the commentary in Europe in 16th Century. The critical edition of Britannico’s commentary is accompanied by a critical apparatus providing information about variant reading of the text and about its sources.