The thesis will examine the influence of Biblical literature on some of the novels of George Eliot. In doing so it will consider the following aspects of Eliot criticism: current theoretical debate about the use of midrash; modes of discourse and narrative style; prophetic language and vision; the influence of Judaism and Jewish exegetical methods on Adam Bede, "The Lifted Veil", The Mill on the Floss, Felix Holt, and Daniel Deronda. Literary critics have, for a long time, been interested in the influence of the Bible and Biblical hermeneutics on literature and the extent to which Biblical narratives and themes are used typologically and allegorically in fiction has been well researched. In this regard, the concept of midrash is not a new one in literary theory. It refers both to a genre of writing and to an ancient Rabbinic method of exegesis. It has, however, been given new meaning by literary critics and theoriticians such as Frank Kermode, Harold Bloom, and Jacques Derrida. In The Genesis of Secrecy, Kermode gives a new nuance to the word and demonstrates how it may be used to read not only Biblical stories but secular literature as well. It is an innovative, self-reflexive, and intricate hermeneutic processs which has been used by scholars such as Geoffrey Hartman and Sanford Budick, editors of Midrash and Literature, a seminal work in this thesis. Eliot's interest in Judaism and her fascination with religion, religious writing, and religious characters are closely connected to her understanding of the novelist's role as an interpreter of stories. In this regard, the prophetic figure as poet, seer, and interpreter of the past, present, and future of society is of special significance. The thesis will investigate Eliot's reinterpretation of this important Biblical type as well as her retelling of Biblical stories. It will attempt to establish the extent to which Eliot's work may be called midrash, and enter the current debate on how and why literary works have been and can be interpreted. It will address the questions of why Eliot, who abjures normative religious faith, has such a profound interest in the Bible, how the Bible serves her creative purposes, why she is interested in Judaism, and to what extent the latter informs and permeates her novels.

In diploma thesis Open Call I focus on unequal position of artists in current art world in which, despite the transparent practices like open calls, still persists the cult of name, the power of networking and personal recommendation. This topic I artistically process in form of practical artistic intervention, which is close to the tactics of 1:1 scale of Arte Útil - specifically by creation of software tool called Nomin. Its purpose is to support weakened or marginalized groups of artists. Nomin uses properties of email protocol SMTP to allow its users-spectators to send fake self-recommending emails - from email addresses of famous curators to the inboxes various galleries or other art institutions. During development of program Nomin and its technical background (software documentation, web page etc.) I followed the paradigm of free, libre, open source software (FLOSS) and also the methodology of agile software development in order to provide in this gesamtsoftwerk the users-spectators with fully functional, user-friendly software and give them possibility to influence further development of Nomin or directly participate on it. Created artwork is thus not a single artefact but rather a set of interconnected objects and practices grounded in the network of social bonds and behaviours which balances on the edge of institutional critique, useful art, participatory art and collective performance.

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