The objective of this thesis comes from a desire to ponder on the role played by Benito Perez Galdos' novels. As a prolific Spanish journalist, novelist and "historian," his work offers a deep insight into the second half of the nineteenth-century society for it depicts historical situations of that particular moment. Through the evolution of the author's artistic representation, we will assess the values he seeks to impart. Moreover, in conjunction with this artistic evolution, there is our perception of the various political changes and turmoils, that is, we shall try to understand these historial events, not so much in a rational manner, but rather according to the author's philosophical perception.

Real Benoit (1916-1972), a native of Sainte-Therese-de-Blainville, studied at Sainte-Therese Seminary and at Sainte-Croix College. His early career in journalism involved writing for "Le Soleil", "Le Petit Journal", "La Presse", "Horizons", "Le Jour" and "Regards". In the latter publication his first fiction appeared. In 1945 his anthology of fiction, Nezon, was well-received by the critics. Later, Benoit became news editor and music programmer for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. After a trip to Brazil, he founded Benoit- de Tonnancour Films, a concern which ended in 1959. In 1960, Benoit became supervisor of network films for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. From then until his demise in 1972, Benoit, profoundly affected by his long-time companionship with Andree Lariviere and by his second marriage to Francine Laurendeau, became a prolific writer: he published Rhum soda (trip novel), Mes Voisins (short novel), Quelqu'un pour m'ecouter (novel which obtained in 1965 The Grand Prix de la Ville de Montreal), and the dramas Le Marin d'Athenes and La Nuit de la Saint-Theodore, adapted for television by Jean-Paul Fugere. The drama Le Chant des grenouilles apres la pluie was published posthumously in 1973 by La Cercle du livre de France. Benoit's work was coloured by numerous personal sorrows, not the least of which were the breakup of his first marriage to Marthe Lafontaine, and the accidental death of his first son.

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This thesis examines Beckett's trilogy as a work of metafiction, approaching each novel through its primary metafictional device, the self-conscious narrator. Since the narrators are aware of their roles as story-tellers, the examination is carried out in light of Beckett's pronouncements on the nature of art and the artist. Not only are the narrators found to meet Beckett's criteria for artists and artistic development, but Beckett's aesthetic is seen virtually to require self-consciousness. In their situations, their relationship to the audience (both reader and narratee) and the nature of their tales, the self-conscious narrators follow the artistic trajectory Beckett maps out in his critical writings. As Beckett's aesthetic is fulfilled, the narrators' increasing self-consciousness intensifies the metafictional aspects of the trilogy. The trilogy is thus a demonstration of Beckett's self-conscious aesthetic--a descent into reflexivity on the part of the narrators, and through the narrators, on the part of trilogy as a whole.

In the introductory definition of spots of time, Wordsworth claims that these important childhood episodes are virtuous and worthy of celebration. This definition is incongruous with the episodes considered independently, because they reveal themselves as essentially disturbing memories. As he revised the spots of time, Wordsworth attempted to mitigate the disturbing nature of the episodes, betraying his need to repress certain undesireable aspects of the early texts. / The following study is a Freudian reading of Wordsworth's spots of time in their various stages of revision. The Introduction to this study addresses some of the problems of interpretation. Chapter One places a Freudian reading of Wordsworth within the context of previous scholarship. Chapter Two is a close reading of the earliest spots of time as informed by Oedipal memories. Chapter Three examines Wordsworth's attempt, through revision, to repress these Oedipal memories.

This study is an attempt to examine the use of realism in three African novels by different authors from different countries, which are set at different phases of independence. Sembene Ousmane's God's Bits of Wood, is set in Senegal and is a pre-independence novel. On the other hand, Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, is a Kenyan post-independence novel. Pepetela's Mayombe is set in Angola during the resistance struggle. What these novels share, though, is the use of realism. It is the use of realism, I argue, that enables these authors to capture the political realities of their respective countries. However, each author's employment of realism remains umque. The first chapter engages with the foundational theory of this study. Georg Lukacs' argument on realism will be the point of reference. I attempt to illustrate certain observable characteristics of realism through the examination of this argument found in The Meaning of Contemporary Realism (1956). Lukacs' notions on naturalism, critical realism and socialist realism will be closely examined. But, before that discussion, I will demonstrate the importance of realism in arriving at the "novel" form, which is distinguished from previous literature (for example literature of the Middle Ages). Chapter Two establishes Ousmane's God's Bits of Wood as a socialist realist text. The possible influence of Zola' s Germinal on God's Bits of Wood is examined. The argument being that certain elements of Germinal are resonated in God's Bits of Wood, yet they each still retain their uniqueness. Zola's naturalist style is also evident in Ousmane's novel. But it is in the area of ideology that the two novels differ. God's Bits of Wood is a working class novel that successfully employs socialist realism. Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood is the subject of the third chapter. This chapter reflects on Ngugi's use of the socialist realist principles to convey the social and political climate of post-independence Kenya. However, his formulaic use of socialist realism is questioned as it gives rise to a novel that reads as didactic. The Marxist ideology that informs this novel is altogether too obvious. The fourth chapter is an examination of Mayombe by Pepetela. This is a very significant novel in regard to Angolan history. This novel successfully deals with the complexities of the resistance movement. The employment of realism is obvious, however, the kind of realism employed is difficult to categorize. The emotional and psychological trauma of war is illuminated. Although a socialist perspective is evident, a formulaic use of socialist realism is avoided. Pepetela seems to be more interested in engaging in discussion of issues surrounding independence, such as tribalism and power hunger. It is then evident that these authors use realism to attain a simulacrum of reality. However, it is the author's specific perspective that shapes the text that is produced. / Thesis (M.A)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004

Montaigne qui a le don d'être toujours nouveau et inattendu a, on serait tenté de dire, le don de l'ubiquité morale et philosophique aussi, de sorte que des esprits de tendances opposées ont pu se réclamer de lui avec la même facilité, et peut-être avec la même justification. La littérature sur Montaigne est volumineuse, et les commentaires en sont nombreux, de sorte qu'il faut beaucoup d'invention pour pouvoir trouver quelque chose de nouveau à dire sur notre auteur.