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The following discussion of Northrop Frye and Herman Melville is based on the theoretical framework outlined in Words With Power which emphasizes the "demonic" and "titanic" elements in the ascent and descent of the hero's quest. The study focusses upon Frye's archetype of the labyrinth and the Biblical typology which aids the critic in the task of literary interpretation. Frye claims that "anyone interested in both the Bible and literature will eventually find himself revolving around the Book of Job like a satellite" (Frye WP 310). Melville's MobyDick is "interested" in the Bible more than any other source; it revolves around the mysteries therein which condemn the "titanic" elements that appear to lead to the discovery of a "Knowledge" or "Wisdom" related to Original sin. Thus, Ahab is a Promethean figure whose challenge of the demonic categorization of this area of imagery in the Bible is inextricably related to Job's challenge of God and subsequent invocation of Leviathan. In an application of Frye's theory of the patterns of ascent and descent imagery outlined in Anatomy of Criticism, The Secular Scripture, and Words With Power, chapters 1 & 2 examine the purely "demonic" descent of the quest hero and its "positive analogies" in the myth of Narcissus. Chapter 3 discusses the "titanic" descent quest in relation to its "presiding deity" Prometheus (Ahab), and chapter 4 briefly addresses the images of ascent surrounding Ishmael at the end of the novel. Notably, each chapter also examines the relation of the quest to patterns of Leviathan symbolism which are also represented in the image of the whale. Finally, the Conclusion reconsiders the Biblical Leviathan and Job's vision of "primal creation" which Frye points to in his verbal universe or axis mundi imagery. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This study examines how two writers deal with demonic possession and exorcism in their written works that both have a common theme, the same alleged case of possession and exorcism. By comparing these written works I explore if the authors share any common or varying theories on possession and exorcism and investigate if the common theme of the two books has contributed to the authors writing similar books.My results show that the two authors deal with demonic possession and exorcism differently, one has theological views of the phenomena but is sceptical of their role in the alleged case, whilst the other believes that demonic possession and exorcism can be explained using scientific theories and that they are phenomena that played a part in the alleged case. The two books are quite different. I conclude that both writers’ theories of the phenomena are dependent on the existence of the phenomenon of religion.

RUP (Reasoning Utility Package) is a collection of procedures for performing various computations relevant to automated reasoning. RUP contains a truth maintenance system (TMS) which can be used to perform simple propositional deduction (unit clause resolution) to record justifications, to track down underlying assumptions and to perform incremental modifications when premises are changed. This TMS can be used with an automatic premise controller which automatically retracts "assumptions" before "solid facts" when contradictions arise and searches for the most solid proof of an assertion. RUP also contains a procedure for efficiently computing all the relevant consequences of any set of equalities between ground terms. A related utility computes "substitution simplifications" of terms under an arbitrary set of unquantified equalities and a user defined simplicity order. RUP also contains demon writing macros which allow one to write PLANNER like demons that trigger on various types of events in the data base. Finally there is a utility for reasoning about partial orders and arbitrary transitive relations. In writing all of these utilities an attempt has been made to provide a maximally flexible environment for automated reasoning.

This thesis adopts the medieval medical discourse on love melancholy to analyze the representation of erotic love in Keats¡¦s poetry and to the changes in his ideas concerning love. In medieval discourse on love melancholy, women are seen as demonic agents to seduce men. In the process of their seductions, these temptresses also use amatory magic and love philters to bewilder and to enthrall their ¡§games.¡¨ People who fall in love usually lose their minds, their senses, and their judgments. They appear obsessed and insane, which leads to weakness, absurdity, and mental obscurity. Many of Keats¡¦s poems depict lovesickness, such as ¡§Lamia¡¨ and ¡§La Belle Dame sans Merci.¡¨ There are evidences showing that when he was composing these poems, he was also reading medieval treaties on love melancholy, which suggests that he might to a great extent be influenced by medieval concepts on lovesickness and sexuality. The characters in these poems, furthermore, can be seen as representations of the medieval images of the ¡§agents of love,¡¦ who, usually female, seduce men and cause all kinds of symptoms of ¡§love.¡¨ Keats was influenced by medieval discourse on lovesickness not only in his poetry but also in his personal life. When he first fell in love with Fanny Brawne, seemed to act under the influence of the so-called ¡§love-sickness,¡¨ and he strived to escape from love. Nevertheless, his failure to cure himself of this ¡§disease¡¨ enabled him to perceive the restraining viewpoint of this medieval discourse in regard to being love sick. Realizing this restrictive rational ideology lurking behind the medieval ideas of love melancholy and sexuality, Keats changed his belief in lovesickness. With Lycius¡¦s accusation of Apollonius and the knight¡¦s aimless loitering, he satirizes in ¡§Lamia¡¨ and ¡§La Belle Dame sans Merci¡¨ the derogation of reason on lovesickness, while in ¡§the Ode on Melancholy¡¨ and ¡§To Autumn,¡¨ Keats represents melancholy in a way that differs from the discourse he has inherited. Instead of showing feminine beauty as threatening and haunting, he delineates it as giving a perplexing delight. Rather than sober male characters, he prefers and describes indecisive male characters in love who demonstrates qualities such as softness, capriciousness and uncertainty¡Xqualities usually associated with females. Keats came to realize that the female perplexing beauty is suppressed and disliked in a society dominated by men, and males were not allowed to express feminine traits and emotions. The emphasis on rationality in late-eighteenth century somewhat resembled the medieval times in that both emphasize male calmness and intelligence. However, experience enabled Keats to realize that, rather than singularly repel the feminizing symptoms aroused by love melancholy, it is healthier to accept both the female and male features demonstrated within a man. Emotional perturbation and temporary irrational passions are human emotions that should be permitted. Instead of running away from love, Keats with his insight into lovesickness cured his fear for lovesickness. The idea of medieval sexuality no longer haunted on Keats on his journey to love, but is criticized for its excessive rationality.

Adopting historical perspectives, this thesis explores domestic, aesthetic, and cultural conflicts in modern Japan surrounding Masuji Ono, the protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguro¡¦s An Artist of the Floating World, as he looks back on his past. His memory narrative reveals his transformation from an iconoclastic young artist to a militarist propagandist in pre-war time, and finally to an old man who comes to terms with the loss of his prestige through none too reliable remembrances. Reading Ono¡¦s narrative in cross reference to historical texts, I argue that his transformation is in step with Japan¡¦s shift from a thriving nation to a militarist empire, and ultimately to a defeated nation subject to the Occupation after World War II and subsequent social changes. These changes are induced by democratization and disarmament engineered by the American army, which drastically undermine Japanese values, including the apotheosis of the Emperor, patriarchy, and social hierarchy. Forced to redefine themselves in the midst of the drastic social transformation, the Japanese harbor mixed feelings toward the emperor, regarding him as a guardian of the nation and a traitor. This ambivalence is profoundly felt by Ono, whose fall parallels the emperor¡¦s, since his authority as a father and a painting master is interrogated by the younger generation, most notably his daughter. In particular, his interaction with his grandson, who is brought up with American values, registers the Japanese attitudes toward the American, considering the occupier as both a welcomed authority and an alien monster. By examining three prominent authority figures in the novel¡Xfather, master, and monster¡Xthis thesis uncovers Ishiguro¡¦s agenda for negotiating an interface between history and personal memory.

Artists creating images of demonic possession during the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation communicated theological messages by accentuating the most famous and dramatic exorcisms. This project proposes an interpretive structure, called cultural theatrics, for analyzing these works. Brian Levack’s theory of cultural performance provides the framework from which cultural theatrics develops. Levack’s cultural performance includes the demoniac and the exorcist as participants in religious dramas who act in a way that their religious communities expected them to act. However, this thesis proposes that images of possession and exorcism (rather than the historical events of alleged possession and exorcism themselves) are more appropriate subject matter for studying the theatricality of possession because artists held the interpretative leverage of conveying theological messages through depictions of exorcisms. This research shows how the artist, patron, and learned advisor mobilize cultural theatrics in images of demonic possession.

The thesis examines texts that indicate how Jews of Early and Late Antiquity dealt with a world ruled by an omnipotent God who governed a cosmos where disorder vied with order. God's bounty reflected his good will towards those faithful to his laws, and disobedience resulted in the infliction of misfortune. A state of disorder, labelled “the ways of the Emorites”, was perceived by Judaeans as the realm of superstition and foreign practices, typified by idolatry, incest and bloodshed. Sacrifice in the Temple allowed people to fulfil God's commandments, drawing near to him by means of animal or cereal offerings. When the Temple was destroyed, prayer rituals replaced the sacrifices. The absence of priestly authority allowed Rabbis to take control of everyday religious laws and customs. Concepts such as the sacred and mundane, and ritual purity and impurity, are integral to the scriptural texts. Later texts retained paradoxical notions relating to these older traditions concerning ambiguity or ambivalence associated with purification and pollution, and these notions remained within the ambit of the rabbinic purview. The transformation of public sacrifice into communal prayer was accompanied by aspirations to draw near to God, no longer simply as an act of obedience, but to attain aspects of his wisdom and power. God was no longer present in his Temple, but had taken on the role of King of Heaven, seated upon his Throne in the celestial heights, and the power attained by some Rabbinic sages in mystical ascents enabled them to perform miraculous feats. Ideas of the sacrificial cult and notions of ritual purity retained their influence in prayers, and esoteric Rabbinic traditions were appropriated by exponents of private magical rituals. Angels and demons inhabited the Talmudic cosmology, and angelic forces summoned in God's name might control the misfortune resulting from demonic intrusions.

Esta tese tem como objetivo analisar os casos de possessão demoníaca e a prática de exorcismos em Portugal, no âmbito da sua história cultural. Baseia-se principalmente em registros inquisitoriais e episcopais, e tem como principal objetivo demonstrar que, no contexto da disciplina espiritual e social, da propaganda religiosa e dos horizontes hagiográficos, floresceram em Portugal casos de possessão demoníaca. Por outro lado, a prática de exorcismos provou ser um fenômeno cultural muito difundido, agindo no contexto do infortúnio e da doença. / This thesis has the goal of analysing the cases of demonic possession and the practice of exorcisms in Portugal, on the context of their cultural history. It is based mainly on inquisitorial and episcopal records, and its main purpose is to demonstrate that, in the context of spiritual and social discipline, religious propaganda and hagiographic horizons, cases of demonic possession flourished in Portugal. By the other side, the practice of exorcisms has provd to be a very widespread cultural phenomenon, acting on the context of misfortune and malady.

John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi subverts early modern hierarchical structures of matter and life by characterizing the human body as fundamentally deceptive and inferior to the animal body. Through close readings of Bosola’s meditations and Ferdinand’s lycanthropy, I consider how Webster constructs animals as simplistic creatures that enjoy a desirable existence, where body and soul are continuous. Within Webster’s play, the dualist conflict between human body and human soul is a primary subject of discourse. Various human characters see animal existence as preferential, as they view animals as automated creatures that do not suffer the self-consciousness that humans do. This model of animal existence further increases the thematic significance of Ferdinand’s lycanthropy, which I argue is an escape from the discontinuity between the human body and human soul. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.