From Introduction: Au cours d'une interview accordée à deux critiques littéraires, le 9 novembre 1976 , Ionesco déclare : Un retour à la métaphysique me semble, à notré epoque, indispensable. Ce point de vue nous semble être d'une importance fondamentale, tant par la référence à un probleme spécifiquement moderne, que par la formulation d'une profonde préoccupation de l'auteur. Ionesco résume par là un débat qui informe continuellement son oeuvre théàtrale. Ce débat, et cette quête, sont les thèmes essentiels que nous voudrions mettre à jour dans cette oeuvre . Nous proposons donc d'étudier le désir et l'effort que manifeste et que tente l ' homme moderne, imbu d'une culture matérialiste, laïque et profane, pour retrouver la vie spirituelle de ses ancêtres son aspiration à la connaissance du sacré . Ce sujet, aussi vaste qu'il est élémentaire, exige l'examen de l'oeuvre complàte afin d'en dégager les constantes.

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vii, 50 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Emmanuel Levinas has recently been given much attention for the resources that his writing could provide for an ethics of the non-human. While some commentators dismiss the humanistic biases of Levinas' analyses in favor of expanded sites of application, others argue that Levinas' anthropocentrism is central to his philosophy. This debate is resolved by demonstrating that Levinas' analysis oflanguage and separation in Totality and Infinity is an analysis of the hW11an on!.v. For Levinas, ethics signifies the peculiar way ofbeing in the world that is found in the site of the human. This way of being in the world is the emergence of concems about justice, the emergence of reason and discourse, but it does not restrict moral consideration to hwnans. Despite Levinas' own tendency to align the non-human animal against the ethical, there is nothing in Levinas' analysis that prevents granting full moral consideration to the non-human. / Adviser: Ted Toadvine

D.Litt et Phil. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Mortality has always been a popular theme in literature. By means of a semiological and narratological approach, it has been endeavoured in this study to prove that transience comprises a complex code constituted by a whole series of codes. In each of the chosen volumes one specific short story is analysed and all the codes related to transience are defined and described. Then these codes are discussed within the context of the volume as a whole. The following codes have been identified and analysed: death and death related codes, decay, distress, frustration, emptiness, loneliness observe, look and see, reproduction, the code of ageing, youth/ageing, lost love, time. The following texts of Aucamp have been used as the object of study: Die Hartseerwals, Spitsuur and 'n Bruidsbed vir Tant Nonnie. The reason these texts were selected, is twofold: They represent the early works of the author. The continuity is essential for making meaningful deductions. The final conclusions are: Man's bond with an environment which is characterised by continual change, influences his existence and makes his life a tentative experience. Transience involves more than merely ageing, obsolescence and death. Transience is a complex experience, related to the physical and mental in man. Besides ageing, sexuality contributes to man's downfall. Loneliness, isolation and frustration determine his actions and stress his experience of transience. The result is a painful experience of life.

The thesis provides an interpretation of the poem ʺ(Taalstryd)ʺ (Lewendood, p.143) by employing deconstruction theory, particularly as it has been developed by Jacques Derrida. The main assumption is that the text is not a self-sufficient entity, but finds itself in a continually changing relationship with other texts, a relationship described by deconstructionists as intertextuality. This relationship, as it has been described by Julia Kristeva, does not only involve literary works, but also the world-as- text. In chapter one this point of view is illustrated in a discussion around the title of the poem. It is postulated that the title is not a neutral description of a period in the history of the development of the Afrikaans language. Rather, it represents an ideological concept which can be interpreted in various ways. The poem clearly lends itself to an interpretation of "the struggle for the Taal" as a struggle which has manifested itself in many different areas and historical periods within the South African context. In chapter two the discussion of the relationship between language, history and ideology is continued. It is shown how the ʺofficialʺ history represents a one-sided view of Afrikaans as a ʺEuropeanʺ language, greatly ignoring its African component. This representation relies on a logocentric approach to the relationship between language and writing. Breytenbach's poetry, like the writings of Derrida, can be regarded as a "deconstruction" of this approach. The ʺdisseminationʺ of meaning in ʺ(Taalstryd)ʺ is illustrated in terms of the poem's intertextual relationship with Breytenbachʾs ʺPlease don't feed the animalsʺ and Krigeʾs ʺLied van die Fascistiese bomwerpersʺ. Chapter three sets ʺ(Taalstryd)ʺ within the current debate surrounding Afrikaner survival. It is shown how the Afrikaner power base has been established and strengthened by way of legislation, the system of Christian National Education, as well as the creation of a nationalist-orientated history. This power base is currently in a state of crisis, in which different political groupings are continuing the ʺ(Taalstryd)ʺ

"Now let us refrain, I said, from calling Homer or any other poet to account regarding those arts to which his poems incidentally refer: we will not ask them, in case any poet has been a doctor and not a mere imitator of medical parlance, to show what patients have been restored to health by a poet" (Plato 1979 19). (1) Soos alle lesers van literatuur weet Plato dat die digter weinig bewys kan lewer dat die werklikheid waaroor hy skryf ook deur hom verander is. Uiteindelik sit hy net met die" sweet influence" van sy welluidende gedig (ibid . 21). Tog word hy verbied, en nie net, soos Plato wou veronderstel, omdat hy die irrasionele, die emosionele, die "laere" in die mens stimuleer nie.

Hierdie studie is In poging om uit die veelgeskakeerde digwerk van Sheila Cussons een draad te neem en dit deur te volg; in die hoop dat dit 'n Ariadne-draad mag word tot beter besef van die ryk gestruktureerdheid en diepte van haar verwysingsveld, en die betekenis daarvan vir ons tyd. Dis dan primer die beeld van die engel wat nagespeur word, as bonatuurlike wese wat nie tot die vlak van die fisiese inkorporeer nie. (From Ch. 1)

M.A. (Afrikaans) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This thesis is an exploration of three interrelated modes - the psychological, the religious or mythopoeic, and the metafictional - in the early novels of Russell Hoban. It investigates the relationship between Hoban's religious vision and his literary style, through the lens of his 'fictional philosophy' as it is presented in his essay collection The Moment under the Moment. In Chapter One, Kleinzeit is analysed to illustrate Hoban's portrayal of a contemporary crisis of meaning. It includes an introduction to the pattern of individuation and an exposition of Hoban's unique notion of heroism as embodied in Kleinzeit's journey of self-discovery. Hoban's mythopoeic impulse is elucidated with particular reference to his use of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Finally, in an attempt to demonstrate Hoban's ideas on the relationship between language and reality, various metafictional techniques are examined, especially in relation to the theme of transcendence. In Chapter Two, the individuation theme in The Medusa Frequenry is considered as a work of mourning, portraying Herman Orfrs movement towards reconciliation and creative renewal. Following Paul Ricoeur, the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is seen as a myth of fault, embodying a primal transgression, and a source of the creative arts. The metafictional style is examined, especially the narrative mode, in order to show how Hoban dissolves the everyday world of reality into a fantastic realm of myth. Chapter Three focuses on the individuation pattern as initiation in Riddley Walker, charting the hero's growth into adulthood. Various myths in the text are analysed to show how they portray human development and the nuclear catastrophe as a mythic Fall. The chapter argues that through Riddley's quest Hoban evokes a redemptive and regenerative fertility myth. The unique literary style of the novel, including the characteristics of 'Riddleyspeak' and the complexity of the process of interpretation is studied. In Chapter Four, which deals with Pilgermann, the final phase of individuation - preparation for death - is discussed. Hoban's religious vision is dissected in relation to his mystical impulse as exemplified in the construction of the Hidden Lion pattern. Hoban's notion of God is investigated in relation to the philosophical problem of evil and suffering. Finally, Pilger mann is shown to be Hoban's mOSt experimental literary novel as it activates his recurring meta fictional techniques, investigations into narrative, and the relationship between language and the sacred. This thesis concludes that Hoban's fiction is best understood holistically with both his religious and literary concerns inextricably entwined. Throughout his novels Hoban explores the human condition in modernity affirming the paradoxical, dialectical and mysterious nature of being. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in