This dissertation examines the legacy of secrecy, silences, and the unspoken in twentieth century African American literary texts. Using a range of texts representing various eras within the genre of African American literature, this dissertation contends that secrecy is a trope and may be attributed to inherited, maintained traditional practices from West and West Central Africa. Having read a number of African American texts and connecting my personal experiences with these works, I noticed a pattern of withheld discourse throughout. Most notably, Leslie Lewis’s Telling Narratives posits a reason for this trope by examining earlier narratives, specifically nineteenth-century African American texts. She argues the master/slave relationship as the prevailing reason for the secretive motif. Yet, traditional and cultural practices noted in early African publications demonstrate that Africans were keeping secrets prior to their diasporic scatterings. By examining early West African-derived works, as well as nineteenth-century African American texts, I ground my position that secrecy as we see it evolves from or relates to early signifying and language manipulations, particular to African-derived people. Thus, the early works connect sustained homeland ties to the literature that follows, providing an explanation for the secrecy reflected in African American literature. This study highlights three types of secrets: identity, family, and sexual, all of which are interrelated and, out of one, the other type may result. The texts that best demonstrate these silences are James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nella Larsen’s Passing; James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple; and Gayl Jones’s Corregidora and Lalita Tademy’s Cane River. Each text group corresponds with a secret type. Overall, this dissertation challenges the notion that secrecy as a trope in African American literature limits itself to the master/slave relationship in the United States. The previously mentioned texts highlight a direct link to West and West Central African traditions maintained after the Middle Passage. Hence, these preserved homeland customs, including secrecy, are reflected in twentieth-century African American literature.

Thesis (M.A.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "December 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaf 9). Also available online.

Thesis (M.A.)--McGill University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-56).

This collection of short stories and the accompanying critical exegesis interrogates whether eroticism, as defined by Georges Bataille, is possible in contemporary erotic writing. The project employs a Lacanian lens through which to examine the notions of transgression, selfhood, transcendence and language as aspects of Bataillean eroticism. It argues that works in the erotica genre such as 'Fifty Shades of Grey' rely on nostalgia for the transgression of prohibitions that no longer hold moral authority. This project argues, theoretically and creatively, that we must discover and define what constitutes contemporary taboos and prohibitions in mainstream society if we are to formulate new erotic works that explore their transgression.

This thesis {\clqq}The last paladin`` of czech decadence Jarmil Krecar from Ruzokvet. Erotic, stylization and inspiration in his life and creation tries to present the personality of Jarmil Krecar and tries to place him in to the cultural {--} historical context of Czech history at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Than reflects the erotic themes in his literary works and his life attitude. And also concentrates how his life was pervaded by anachronism decadent stylizations, esthete and dandyism. The thesis is devided into five chapters. The first part of the introduction essay should outline the complex atmosphere of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and should deal circumstances, rise and progress of the important periodical organ of Czech decadent artists, Moderni revue. The second part of the introduction essay tries to describe the phenomenon of decadent stylizations and place it in to the larger Europe connections. The subject of the third part of the first chapter is the reflection of erotic and sex in Czech culture at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The second chapter describes Jarmil´s life, emphasizes to the condition which Jarmil came from and the condition he was later living in. The third chapter analysis in literary way Krecar´s published and unpublished literary works with consideration to the substitution of erotic and pornography motives. The fourth chapter tries hard on the basis of the relation to Jarmil´s Muses and mistresses to understand his personality of a radical decadent artist. The fifth chapter want to present by using concrete example the selfpresentation of the decadent personage in his imaginary and his real world.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A presente dissertaÃÃo investiga a elocuÃÃo de onze poemas da obra atribuÃda ao poeta latino Ãlbio Tibulo (c. 55-19 a.C.): os poemas 1.1-6, 1.8-9, 2.3-4 e 2.6. A delimitaÃÃo desse corpus de anÃlise baseia-se na temÃtica erÃtica e nos personagens aos quais os poemas sÃo direcionados, DÃlia, MÃrato e NÃmesis; a investigaÃÃo formal da elocuÃÃo ampara a discussÃo de aspectos dessa temÃtica; em funÃÃo disso, dividimos em trÃs ciclos os poemas a serem analisados; a elocuÃÃo de cada ciclo serà examinada em separado e depois comparada com a dos demais. Para desenvolver esta pesquisa, utilizamos como fundamentaÃÃo teÃrica estudos e comentÃrios da obra de Tibulo, textos de retÃrica da Antiguidade greco-latina e estudos de retÃrica, especialmente os que abordam a elocuÃÃo. A anÃlise dos poemas foi fundamentada principalmente na RetÃrica a HerÃnio e no Manual de RetÃrica LiterÃria, de Lausberg. Uma discussÃo mais aprofundada de poesia latina requer um exame da elocuÃÃo, pois os poetas latinos tinham o estudo da retÃrica como formaÃÃo bÃsica. Na obra de Tibulo, à perceptÃvel que a seleÃÃo e a disposiÃÃo de palavras nos versos servem-se de figuras de linguagem em consonÃncia com o conteÃdo e ainda sublevam o teor erÃtico dos poemas. / This dissertation investigates the elocution of eleven poems from Albius Tibullus (c. 55-19 BC) work: poems 1.1-6, 1.8-9, 2.3-4 and 2.6. The demilitation of this corpus of analysis is based on the erotic subject and it is also based on the characters to which the poems are addressed: Delia, Marathus and Nemesis; the formal investigation of the elocution sustains the discussion about some aspects from this subject; therefore, we divided the poems analyzed in three cycles; the elocution of those cycles is going to be analyzed separately and compared to each other. In order to develop this research, as theoretical foundation we use research and commentaries on the work of Tibullus, rhetorical texts from Greco-Roman Antiquity, and researches about rhetoric, especially those woks that develop the elocution. The analysis is based mainly on Ad Herennium and also on Manual de RetÃrica LiterÃria, from Lausberg. A further discussion of Latin poetry requires an examination of the elocution, since the Latin poets had rhetoric as their foundation. It is noticeable, that Tibullus selection and arrangement of the words in his verses utilizes figures of speech in order to mimic their content; moreover the disposition rise up the erotic content of the poems.

Neste estudo propomos uma leitura interdisciplinar, confrontando a trajetória e o encontro de dois olhares, a saber: de um lado, o olhar do escritor belga-argentino Julio Cortázar (1914/1984), e, do outro, o do cineasta italiano Michelangelo Antonioni (1912), e dado às divergências consideráveis que existem entre as duas linguagens, buscaremos encontrar o ponto onde nos parece que acontece o diálogo das poéticas do autor e do diretor. Ao postular a aproximação entre a palavra e a imagem, o olhar é eleito como questão nuclear, transitando ainda pelo erótico e a personagem feminina. / In this study we propose an interdisciplinary interpretation that evaluates the trajectories and convergence of two looks: on the one hand, the view of the Belgian-Argentinean writer Julio Cortazar (1914/1984), and on the other, the view of the Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni (1912). Given the considerable incongruities between the two languages, we aim to find a poetical meeting point at which the dialogue between the writer and the director can be established. By postulating a convergence between word and image, the gaze is chosen as the core issue, transiting also through the erotic and the feminine character.

Le fonctionnement de la société romaine reposait en partie sur la distinction de genre et de groupe social. Cela était particulièrement prégnant dans le domaine de l’érotisme. Au-dessus de tous les groupes sociaux se situait celui des hommes libres dont le rôle sexuel était celui de dominant-pénétrant. De fait, l’érotisme à la romaine peut être défini comme étant phallocentrique. Par opposition, toutes les autres catégories de personnes formaient le groupe des dominés-pénétrés. Néanmoins, le degré de soumission de chacun était déterminé par sa position sur l’échelle sociale. Les matrones avaient accès à un érotisme restreint qui se voulait procréatif. Les autres femmes, dans une certaine mesure, pouvaient être utilisées par les hommes de qui elles dépendaient comme des instruments de plaisir. Ainsi, la prostitution a toujours eu un rôle important à Rome. Bien qu’infâmes, les prostituées avaient pour mission d’assouvir les besoins charnels des hommes et pratiquaient une sexualité récréative plutôt décomplexée. Toutes les pratiques sexuelles n’étaient cependant pas admises et si, contrairement aux chastes matrones, les prostituées pouvaient s’autoriser des formes de sexualité non fécondantes, les pratiques jugées perverses (scopophilie, exhibitionnisme, agalmatophilie, etc…) étaient, selon la morale, à bannir de tous les lits. / The functioning of the Roman society was based partially on the distinction of genre and social group. It was particularly strong in the eroticism. Over all the social groups was situated that of the free men whose sexual role was the one of dominating - penetrating. Actually, the Roman type eroticism can be defined as being phallocentric. By opposition, all other categories of persons formed the group of dominated penetrated. Nevertheless, the degree of submission of each was determined by its position on the social scale. The stout women had access to an eroticism restricts who was procreative. Other women, to a certain extent, could be used by the men as instruments of pleasure. So, the prostitution always had an important role in Rome. The prostitutes had an important mission. But, all the sexual practices were not allowed and if, contrary of the matronae, the prostitutes could adduce forms of sexuality for not being pregnant, the practices considered perverse (scopophilia, exhibitionism, agalmatophilia, etc.) were banished, according to the morality, of all the beds.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sexual relationships in the psychotherapeutic setting have always been regarded as unethical and sexual attraction between therapist and client has generally proved to be awkward and anxiety provoking for those involved. Although research indicates that these relationships do occur, and that sexual feelings between therapists and clients are not infrequent, there is little conceptual clarity on the dynamics thereof. Consequently, the available guidelines and ethical rules regulating such sexual contact generally take the form of “thou shalt not…” and provide limited assistance to therapists in managing such situations in a manner that protects the integrity of the therapeutic relationship. This review assumes the presence of the psychodynamic phenomenon of transference in all psychotherapeutic relationships, and constructs sexual attraction and contact as the product of the sub-concept of erotic transference. Against this background, the review presents the dynamics of erotic transference in terms of its nature, impact and management. On this basis, current ethical codes and training issues are reviewed, guidelines for proper prevention and management are suggested and important directions for future research are identified.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on September 3, 2009). Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): John Parrish-Sprowl. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83).