Bibliography: leaves105-117 / Summaries followed the Bibliography / The study investigates the abuse of husbands’ property by widows in the two selected isiZulu novels Ifa ngukufa and Ifa lenkululeko, which is found to have a huge impact on children and family members. The study presents the causes of the abuse of husbands’ property, the course of action of abusing husbands’ property and the consequences thereof. The content analytical approach has been used to analyse the two novels. The analysis reveals that some of the causes of the abuse of husbands’ property by widows are the widows’ carelessness, weakness, lack of respect, stress and laziness. In both literary texts, widows abuse their husbands’ property with their new lovers. As persons living in modern times, they do not respect the African cultural practices. They refuse to wear mourning clothes for their late husbands, as required by the African culture. Instead, they find new lovers within a few days of their husbands’ death, and invite them to stay in their husbands’ houses. The study highlights how easily some people, including widows, can be influenced by other peoples’ cultures. They do not respect their parents, children and the in-laws; and do not pay attention to the wellbeing of their children. When the money is depleted, the new lovers go back to their families. The study further reveals that, after the departure of the new lovers, the widows realise that they (new lovers) were not in love with them, but were after their properties. The presence of the new lovers in the widows’ lives has a negative effect on family members. Consequently, the relationship between the widows and the in-laws, parents and children suffers. The investigation is concluded by presenting recommendations that will help widows to avoid tricksters from robbing them of their property. The study is of great value to children who become the victims of circumstance. / Ucwaningo luphenya ngokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni ngabafelokazi kumanoveli amabili akhethiwe esiZulu ethi Ifa ngukufa nethi Ifa lenkululeko, okutholakala ukuthi kunomthelela omkhulu ezinganeni nakumalungu omndeni. Ucwaningo luveza izimbangela zokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni, isenzo sokwenza kabi impahla yabayeni nemiphumela yakhona. Indlela yokuhlaziya okuqukethwe isetshenziselwe ukuhlaziya lamanoveli amabili. Ukuhlaziywa kuveza ukuthi ezinye zezimbangela zokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni ngabafelokazi ukunganaki kwabafelokazi, ubuthakathaka, ukungabi nenhlonipho, ingcindezi nobuvila. Kuyo yomibili imibhalo ebhaliwe, abafelokazi bahlukumeza impahla yabayeni babo namashende abo amasha. Njengabantu abaphila ezikhathini zanamuhla, abayihloniphi imikhuba yamasiko ase-Afrika. Bayenqaba ukugqoka izingubo zokuzila zabayeni babo abangasekho, njengoba kudingeka ngokwesiko lase-Afrika. Esikhundleni salokho, bathola amashende amasha ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngemuva nje kokushona kwabayeni babo, futhi bagcine behlala nabo ezindlini zabayeni babo. Ucwaningo luqhakambisa ukuthi kulula kanjani ukuthi abanye abantu, kufaka phakathi nabafelokazi, bathonywe ngamasiko abanye abantu. Abahloniphi abazali babo, izingane kanye nabasemzini lapho bendele khona; futhi abanaki ngisho nenhlalakahle yezingane zabo. Lapho imali isiphelile, amashende abo amasha abuyela emindenini yabo. Ucwaningo luqhubeka ngokuveza ukuthi, ngemuva kokuhamba kwamashende abo amasha, abafelokazi bayabona ukuthi wona (amashende amasha) abengabathandi, kepha babelandela impahla yabo. Ukuba khona kwamashende amasha ezimpilweni zabafelokazi kunomthelela omubi kumalungu omndeni. Ngenxa yalokho, ubudlelwano phakathi kwabafelokazi nabasemzini, abazali nezingane buyaphazamiseka. Uphenyo luphethwa ngokwethula izincomo ezizosiza abafelokazi ukuthi bagweme abakhohlisi ekubaphuceni impahla yabo. Ucwaningo lubaluleke kakhulu ezinganeni eziba yizisulu zalezi zezimo. / Phuputso e batlisisa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna ke bahlolohadi dibukeng tse pedi tsa dipale tse kgethilweng tsa Sezulu Ifa ngukufa le Ifa lenkululeko, e eleng taba e fumanwang e na le tshusumetso e kgolo ho bana le ditho tsa malapa. Phuputso e hlahisa disosa tsa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna, mokgwa wa ho sebedisa ka tsela e mpe thepa ya banna le ditlamorao tsa teng. Mokgwa wa katamelo ya manollo ya dikateng o sebedisitswe ho manolla dipale tse pedi. Manollo e senola hore tse ding tsa disosa tsa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna ke bahlolohadi ke ho se tsotelle, bofokodi, ho hloka tlhompho, kgatello ya maikutlo le botswa. Ditemaneng tsa bongodi ka bobedi, bahlolohadi ba hlekefetsa thepa ya banna ba bona le baratuwa ba bona ba batjha. Jwalo ka batho ba phelang mehleng ya kajeno, ha ba hlomphe ditlwaelo tsa setso sa Maafrika. Ba hana ho apara diaparo tsa bofifi bakeng sa banna ba bona ba seng ba hlokahetse, jwalo ka ha moetlo wa Maafrika o hloka hore ho be jwalo. Ho ena le moo, ba fumana baratuwa ba batjha matsatsi a mmalwa kamora lefu la banna ba bona, ebe ba ba memela ho dula ka matlung a banna ba bona. Phuputso e bontsha hore na batho ba bang, ho kenyeletswa le bahlolohadi, ba ka susumetswa habonolo jwang ke ditso tsa batho ba bang. Ha ba hlomphe batswadi ba bona, bana le ba bohading; mme ha ba tsotelle boiketlo ba bana ba bona. Ha tjhelete e fedile, baratuwa ba batjha ba kgutlela malapeng a bona. Phuputso e tswela pele ho senola hore, kamora hore baratuwa ba batjha ba tsamaye, bahlolohadi ba hlokomela hore (baratuwa ba batjha) ba ne ba sa ba rate, empa ba ne ba le kamora thepa ya bona. Boteng ba baratuwa ba batjha bophelong ba bahlolohadi bo na le phello e mpe ho ditho tsa lelapa. Ka hona, kamano dipakeng tsa bahlolohadi le ba bohading, batswadi le bana e ya senyeha. Phuputso e phethelwa ka ho hlahisa dikgothaletso tse tla thusa bahlolohadi ho qoba hore baqhekelli ba ba utswetse thepa ya bona. Phuputso ena e bohlokwa haholo ho bana ba fetohang diphofu tsa maemo a tjena. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Text in French, with abstracts in French and English / Au lendemain des indépendances africaines, les écrivains tentent de dénoncer, sinon l’aliénation des intellectuels, du moins ce que le peuple désignait sous ce terme dans les excolonies françaises et belges. Le recours fréquent, dans la construction du récit, à la thématique de la faute de l’intellectuel se présente comme résultat d’un manquement au rôle qui lui revient. Pour mener à bien notre enquête, la théorie utilisée est l’Analyse de contenu thématique (A.C.T.) de Pierre Lannoy. Ce modèle aidera à cerner tout ce qui menace l’équilibre de l’édifice social. Cependant l’étude de l’aliénation des intellectuels a montré que l’émergence d’une crise semblable relève d’une série de causes complexes. Sa compréhension fait appel à de multiples champs scientifiques : sociologie, psychologie, économie, […] La seule solution est le compromis pour tous. C’est une vaine prétention que de vouloir établir ici un bilan exhaustif : l’étude de l’image de l’intellectuel ne peut qu’être évolutive. / In the aftermath of African independence, writers tried to denounce, if not the alienation of intellectuals, at least what people meant by this term in the former French and Belgian colonies. Frequent recourse to the theme of the fault of the intellectual in the construction of the narrative is presented as the result of a failure to fulfil the role that was assigned to him. To carry out our investigation, the theory used is Pierre Lannoy's Thematic Content Analysis (T.C.A.). This model will help to identify anything that threatens the balance of the social edifice. However, the study of the alienation of intellectuals has shown that the emergence of a similar crisis is due to a series of complex causes. Its understanding involves multiple scientific fields: sociology, psychology, economics, [...] The only solution is compromise for all. It is a vain claim to want to establish an exhaustive assessment here: the study of the image of the intellectual can only be evolutionary. / Classics and World Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (French)

This thesis deals with the depiction of meaningfulness and meaning-making, as seen in human characters in the 2000 animated science fiction film Titan A.E. (directed by Don Bluth). The analysis aims to show how Titan A.E. portrays a collective humanity in their search for a meaningful existence, given the outer space setting of its story. Evil is also brought up, in the context of how it creates meaning within the main narrative of the story. The emotions expressed by the story's characters are treated as if they were real. Meaningfulness and meaning-making get exemplified in both dialogue and visual components seen in the film. In addition to this, some reflection is made on the promotional trailers of Titan A.E. and how their displayed contents differ from the finished product. In parallel to the main analysis, there is a wider discussion made about the relationship between films and their real-world process of production, especially regarding whether theological reflection and the film industry can intersect or not.

This thesis investigates the prevalence of religious themes in the work of several prominent contemporary women writers—Margaret Atwood, Michèle Roberts, Alice Walker and A.L. Kennedy. Relying on Luce Irigaray’s recent theorisations of the religious and its relationship to feminine subjectivity, this research considers the subversive potential of engaging with religious discourse through literature, and contributes to burgeoning criticism of feminist revisionary writing. The novels analysed in this thesis show, often in violent detail, that the way the religious dimension has been conceptualised and articulated enforces negative views of female sexuality, justifies violence against the body, alienates women from autonomous creative expression and paralyses the development of a subjectivity in the feminine. Rather than looking at women’s religious revision primarily as a means of asserting female authority, as previous studies have done, I argue that these writers, in addition to critiquing patriarchal religion, articulate ways of being and knowing that subvert the binary logic that dominates Western religious discourse. Chapter I contextualises this research in Luce Irigaray’s theories and outlines existing work on feminist revisionist literature. The remaining chapters offer close readings of key novels in light of these theories: Chapter II examines Atwood’s interrogation of oppositional logic in religious discourse through her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Chapter III explores two novels by Roberts that expose the violence inherent in religious discourse and deconstruct the subjection of the (female) body to the (masculine) Word. Chapters IV and V analyse the fiction of Kennedy and Walker respectively, revealing how their novels confront the religious denigration of feminine sexuality and refigure the connection between eroticism and divinity. Evident in each of these fictional accounts is a forceful critique of religious discourse, as well as an attempt to more closely reconcile foundational religious oppositions between divinity and humanity, flesh and spirit, and body and Word.

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