This thesis traces the growth of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro as a narrative artist through the three stages of his long career. A number of representative works are studied, with varying emphasis on narrative perspective, structure, character creation, and style, depending on the prominence.of these aspects of fiction in each work. Underlying the individual analyses is the basic question: how does the author resolve the problem of rendering himself in his fiction? Chapter I, covering the initial period (1910-1928), first deals with a split in the author's sensibility. The emerging storyteller is most successful as an anti-realist, in a small number of stories with idealized, remote settings, such as "Shisei." In contrast, he fails when seeking to represent himself and his immediate environment in the shi-shosetsu. Near the end of this period, with Chijin no ai , Tanizaki begins to reconcile his need for illusion with the rendering of mundane experience. Tanizaki's technical skills are in germ in this period. The author often demonstrates an ability to build firm structures, and to forge an elaborate style. He also establishes a conception of characters as powerful psychic forces, not as pedestrian, "realistic" creations. Chapter II shows the fully mature artist, in his second period (1928-1950), which contains most of his major achievements. The author's continuing attachment to distant, illusory worlds is fully expressed in works drawing on Japanese tradition, such as Momoku monogatari, a romance. He also resolves the dichotomy between the demands of the imagination and those of external realities; he projects himself into his fiction with complete success. He is able to represent everyday experience in Tade kuu mushi and Sasameyuki, but these are not novels of bourgeois realism. Idealization still moves below the surface, creating a balance between versimilitude and fantasy. The rendering of the characters as idealized types is explored particularly in the study of Sasameyuki. Tanizaki's enormous advances in method include an intricate treatment of narrative viewpoints, as in "Shunkinsho," a subtle approach to structure, notably in "Yoshino kuzu," and a new style unique in its fluidity and amplitude, as in "Ashikari." Chapter III treats the last phase of Tanizaki's writing (1951-1965), a period of renewal and purification. Abandoning the filter of history and romance, he now tends to observe and record contemporary circumstance. He also returns to the concerns of his first phase, most significantly the shi-shosetsu, fictionalizing himself in Futen rojin nikki; in the forceful portrayal of the protagonist of this novel Tanizaki reaches the climactic point in his characterizations. Sobriety of manner marks the writing of this phase. The characters often appear in distilled, stylized form, most remarkably in Kagi. The rich, full style of the second period disappears; instead, the author often uses notations, as in the diary form. He loses none of his skill in structure, as the two contrasting novels using the diary genre show: while Kagi is an obvious craftsman's triumph, Futen rojin is constructed with equal care but deceptive naturalness. It is hoped that this study, concentrating on the development of Tanizaki's techniques and of his outlook, helps to account for his singularly strong grip on the reader. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Beginning with the premise that Virginia Woolf's novels exhibit a dual perspective of psychological mimesis and apocalyptic allegory, this dissertation formulates a critical theory of vision which operates on literary principles extracted, with a number of modifications, from two studies of Romantic transcendence: Thomas Weiskel's The Romantic Sublime: Studies in the Structure and Psychology of Transcendence, and the Second Essay of Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism. The narrative role of the Woolfian "moment of being" is explored in her nine novels as a fictional analogue of Weiskel's "sublime moment," a metaphorical subplot in which the harmonious relation between the self and nature breaks down. When the moment of being does not merely collapse into a cycle of nature worship, it follows an Oepidal path of reactive identification in which the character identifies with the prevailing cultural pattern, or "father." Thus the fictional character experiences the moment of being as a failed psychological transcendence. From the perspective of apocalyptic allegory, these novels engage the imagination of the reader by means of the "logical imagination": that is, the poetic Logos becomes-, the anagogic Word. This revolutionary concept of apocalypse is adapted from the theory of symbols that Frye discusses in Anatomy of Criticism, where the "anagogic symbol" is identified with the divine Word. In Woolf's allegory, "there is no God; we are the words" (Moments of Being, 72). The view of Woolf's vision as a dual perspective implies that Woolf advocated, and developed, fictional forms that juxtapose realistic and mythopoeic constructs. Her characters, plots, and settings represent life in this world as a failed transcendence, while her mythical and metaphorical structures define for the reader an imaginative apocalyptic quest having five identifiable stages: 1) the presentation of an inner psychological realm where the imaginary and the real seem inextricable, 2) the discovery of the "out there" as a solid basis for imaginative identity, 3) the exploration of a crisis of vacancy out of which the imaginative self becomes reborn, 4) the establishment of an imaginative pattern as a prelude to the rejection of the "fatherhood" influence of history and society, and 5) the apocalyptic awakening of "ourselves" from the dream of history and of selfhood. From the investigation of these developments in Woolf's vision emerges a distinct novelistic canon. This study, as a whole, documents Virginia Woolf's "own particular search--not after morality or beauty or reality--no ; but after literature itself" (The Diary of Virginia Woolf, I, 214). / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

This study examines the literary works of the Argentine writer, Leopoldo Lugones (I874-I938), from an integral perspective. Although Lugones attained almost immediate recognition as one of the most outstanding and representative Argentine writers and published numerous books, he is known today primarily and almost exclusively for his contribution to the "modernist" movement in Argentina and Hispanic America. His poetry has not been duly considered within the context of the totality of his writings. The significance of the integral relationship that exists between his thought and his artistic expression has been neglected by his critics or at best only superficially viewed by them. This dissertation seeks to throw new light on the literary works of Leopoldo Lugones by examining the convergence of his thought and his art on a central issue identified in this study as "the quest for national identity in the writings of Leopoldo Lugones." The far-reaching effects produced by the cosmopolitan immigration and the positivist philosophy of progress, also of foreign origin, represented a contradictory view to Lugones's concept of the Argentine realities. His reaction is clearly evidenced by the intense and continuous search for an authentic national image for his country. The problem of national identity thus became one of the foremost preoccupations of his thought and a predominant theme of his writings. In order to counteract the European cultural influence in Argentina and the materialistic philosophy of non-Argentine origin, Lugones attempts to revive the "gaucho" legacy and to promote a departure from the prevailing materialistic interests by adopting a more meaningful system of values based on what he terms the principle of "spiritualization". Furthermore, the concept of "spiritualization" functions as an underlying theme in Lugones 's writings, securing the unity of the totality of his works. This study attempts to determine to what extent Lugones unfolds a systematic program corresponding to his ideal view of national identity, and how the author directs his aesthetic work to achieve his central objective. The first chapter of this thesis establishes the historical background of Argentina from the period of national emancipation (1810) to the generation of Leopoldo Lugones. The second chapter outlines a biographical profile of Lugones in an attempt to trace the personal traits that caracterize his literary creations. Chapters three and four examine respectively Lugones's concept of "spiritualization" and the author's concern with the cultural dimension of his native country. The fifth chapter approaches Lugones's treatment of national identity from the archetypal perspective, examining the author's deductions from the Greek myth of Prometheus, the national forefathers and the exemplary traits of the "gaucho". The sixth chapter investigates how the poetic writings of Lugones reflect the author's primary objective of the search for national identity. The analysis is centred on three principal areas: (1) the continuity of thought between the author's prose writings and his poetry, (2) the social function of aesthetics and (3) the role of poetry in the formation of a national language . The conclusion sums up the findings of this study, confirming that Lugones's literary creations represent a reflection of the objective formulated at the outset of his literary career. It may be restated, therefore, that the literary productions of Lugones confirm the author's intense commitment to the creation of a genuine national identity for Argentina. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

The letters and diary of Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) show that he was much concerned with the problem of language and the nature of its strengths and weaknesses. This thesis demonstrates the manifestation in Barlach's plays of his ambivalent attitude towards language by investigating the way in which the specific language used by the individual characters simultaneously portrays the values and structure of their society while revealing the inadequacy of language as a vehicle of communication. This portrayal reflects also Barlach's attitude to his own society, which he criticized as being too "verblirgerlicht" (petty-bourgeois, lacking in vision, habit-ridden) at the time . The second chapter sets Barlach's ideas of language in context by comparing them with those of some of his contemporaries, such as Fritz Mauthner, Hugo Ball, Ferdinand de Saussure, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is obvious from this comparison that there are two distinct critical points of view regarding language, affecting both the individual who uses the language for communication and also the society to which he belongs. According to one view, language is an historical phenomenon, subject to change with time, and tending towards a stage where words are meaningless, without impact, and no longer capable of conveying an authentic picture even of everyday objects. According to the second view, language is capable of giving an adequate picture of the phenomenal world, but fails to express what is intangible. Both critical standpoints are to be found in Barlach's dramatic works. The third chapter investigates how these views of language find their expression in Barlach's plays. By the use of textual examples the most striking linguistic devices -- quotations, neologisms, stock phrases, proverbs, repetition are analysed and their importance for the individual character as well as for society as it is portrayed in the plays is explored. It emerges that while most characters use language as in a game, applying linguistic rules which reflect social rules, a few characters use a more individualized language, indicating attitudes which differ from those of society and are frequently unacceptable to it. Although these latter characters may use similar vocabulary and conventional syntax, their partners in conversation, trapped by these habitual speech patterns, seldom understand what they want to convey- Applying the findings of the previous chapters, the fourth chapter analyses in detail three of Barlach's plays which are commonly grouped together under the heading of "burgerliche Dramen": Der arme Vetter (1918), Die echten Sedemunds (1920), and Der blaue Boll (1926). In these plays Barlach criticizes conventional language as used in the small-town German society of his day. At the same time, however, by illustrating the fruitless endeavours of his more problematic characters to express their emotions, he strongly suggests not only that it is impossible for one human being to understand fully the innermost thoughts of another, but that it is also impossible for any human being to formulate and express his own insights fully by the use of language. Based on their use of language the characters in the three plays can thus be divided into those who speak in cliches, platitudes, and quotations, on the one hand, automatically conforming linguistically as otherwise to the rules of a society whose values, customs, and culture are never questioned; and, on the other hand, less conformist characters who variously perceive the meaninglessness of conventional language as reflecting the shallowness of society, and who are aware of areas of human experience which elude the grasp of language. The analysis of the three plays demonstrates that Barlach's critique of language develops towards the presentation of an increasingly complex picture of society as well as of individual characters. The stratification of society as reflected in language becomes a major theme in Der blaue Boll, indicating a deepening of Barlach's vision, and the characters who fail to conform to this more complexly seen system do so in progressively more differentiated fashion. The thesis traces and illuminates this development from the weak character of Iver in the early play Der arme Vetter to the powerful figure of Boll in his later play Der blaue Boll; the former is broken by his incapacity to formulate his spiritual experiences in an alien surrounding, the latter, though conscious of the inadequacy of language to express reality, decides to live an integrated life within the boundaries of his social -- and linguistic -- context. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this thesis is to attempt to demonstrate the function of the Hylas myth in Propertius 1.20. The first chapter consists of a text and translation of the poem. Chapter 2 introduces the question of the role of mythological exempla in Propertius' poetry. It is found that while scholars recognize the relevance and importance of mythological material in other elegies they deny that the Hylas tale bears more than a superficial relevance to its context. Chapter 3 considers the poetry of the Monobiblos, to which 1.20 belongs. Three elegies are analysed so as to illustrate Propertius' purpose and methods in adducing mythological material in his poems. It is concluded from these analyses that mythological exempla not only illustrate the poet's portrayal of contemporary figures and situations but also contribute new elements that suggest or develop aspects of his theme not otherwise made explicit. Four general means by which Propertius adapts traditional mythology for his own purposes are noted. A study of 1.20, to which Chapter 4 is devoted, begins with a brief discussion of the Hylas myth as it was known in Propertius' day. Texts of Apollonius Rhodius' and Theocritus' versions of the tale, the two most important extant literary accounts, and several illustrations of the myth in art are provided. The main component of the chapter, however, is an analysis of 1.20 that attempts to reveal the skilful manner in which Propertius narrates the tale of Hylas, adapting traditional material with a purpose and method similar to that observed in his other elegies, and presenting it as a relevant and integral part of his portrayal of the contemporary figures and situation with which the poem is concerned. There follow an appendix and a bibliography. / Arts, Faculty of / Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Department of / Graduate

"Storied Voices in Native American Texts: Harry Robinson, Thomas King, James Welch and Leslie Marmon Silko" approaches Native American literatures from within an interdisciplinary framework that complicates traditional notions o f literary "origins" and canon. It situates the discussion of Native literatures in a Native American context, suggesting that contemporary Native American writing has its roots in Native oral storytelling traditions. Each of these authors draws on specific stories and histories from his or her Native culture. They also draw on European elements and contexts because these are now part o f Native American experience. I suggest that Native oral tradition is already inherently novelistic, and the stories that lie behind contemporary Native American writing explicitly connect past and present as aspects o f current Native reality. Contemporary Native American writers are continuing an on-going and vital storytelling tradition through written forms. A comparison of the texts o f a traditional Native storyteller, Robinson, with the highly literate novels of King, Welch and Silko, shows how orally told stories connect with the process o f writing. Robinson's storytelling suggests how these stories "theorize" the world as he experiences it; the Native American novel continues to theorize Native experience in contemporary times. Native writers use culturally specific stories to express an on-going Native history. Their novels require readers to examine their assumptions about who is telling whose story, and the traditional distinctions made between fact and fiction, history and story. King's Green Grass. Running Water takes stories from Western European literary traditions and Judeao-Christian mythology and presents them as part of a Native creation story. Welch's novel Fools Crow re-writes a particular episode from history, the Marias River Massacre, from a Blackfeet perspective. Silko's Almanac of the Dead recreates the Mayan creation story o f the Popol Vuh in the context o f twentiethcentury American culture. Each of these authors maintains the dialogic fluidity of oral storytelling performance in written forms and suggests that stories not only reflect the world, but that they create it in the way that Robinson understands storytelling as a form of theory. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

An electronic (HTML) thesis on late University of British Columbia professor Wilson Duff, an anthropologist central to the construction of Northwest Coast art in the 1960s and 1970s. It brings together textual fragments (historic and contemporary, archival, interview transcripts) within a framework which attempts to balance truth (original authorial intent and the context and academic debates of that period) with the impossibility of truth (the notion of partial, situated truths and critical, presentist re-readings of Duffs work some twenty-five years later). The narrative structure is simultaneously linear and pure hypertext, depending on the reader's choices. No two paths will be the same. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

This dissertation argues that the four writers named above use the grotesque to illustrate the increasingly peculiar consequences of the assault of modernity on traditional Southern culture. The basic conflict between the views of Bakhtin and Kayser provides the foundation for defining the grotesque herein, and Geoffrey Harpham's concept of "margins" helps to define interior and exterior areas for the discussion. Chapter 1 lays a foundation for why the South is different from other regions of America, emphasizing the influences of Anglo-Saxon culture and traditions brought to these shores by the English gentlemen who settled the earliest tidewater colonies as well as the later influx of Scots-Irish immigrants (the Celtic-Southern thesis) who settled the Piedmont and mountain regions. This chapter also notes that part of the South's peculiarity derives from the cultural conflicts inherent between these two groups. Chapters 2 through 5 analyze selected short fiction from each of these respective authors and offer readings that explain how the grotesque relates to the drastic social changes taking place over the half-century represented by these authors. Chapter 6 offers an evaluation of how and why such traditions might be preserved. The overall argument suggests that traditional Southern culture grows out of four foundations, i. e., devotion to one's community, devotion to one's family, devotion to God, and love of place. As increasing modernization and homogenization impact the South, these cultural foundations have been systematically replaced by unsatisfactory or confusing substitutes, thereby generating something arguably grotesque. Through this exchange, the grotesque has moved from the observably physical, as shown in the earlier works discussed, to something internalized that is ultimately depicted through a kind of intellectual if not physical stasis, as shown through the later works.

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