This study investigates a thus far neglected aspect of Olive Schreiner’s feminism, namely her subversion of Victorian gender models in her early novels, Undine and The Story of an African Farm. In order to determine what is being subverted a brief outline is first provided of the nature of traditional male and female Victorian gender characteristics; thereafter, the key arguments of Gender Theory are provided, the cornerstone of which is that gender is a social construct and not determined by biology. Analysis of Undine focusses on Schreiner’s eponymous heroine’s subversion of female gender roles, finding that Undine’s subversion is incomplete, due to her repeated lapses into conventional behaviour, seen mainly in her need to fulfil a role of service. In addition, details in Undine are linked to biographical aspects of Schreiner’s own life as many critics have made a link between Schreiner’s fiction and instances in her life. In The Story of an African Farm attention is given to both female and male gender subversion. Female gender subversion is analysed in the character Lyndall who deviates from accepted female characteristics of women as meek and docile, while discussion also focusses on her more conventional cousin, Em, who by acting as her foil, highlights Lyndall’s subversiveness. Although in comparison to Undine, Lyndall shows great progress in her ability to free herself from traditional roles for women, she remains held back by her inability to break free from the idea that service to something was an inherent part of women’s natures. Finally, Schreiner’s most radical work regarding gender is found in connection with her male characters, Gregory Rose and Waldo. While Schreiner shows the constructed nature of male gender models in her characterisation of Gregory who identifies more with the female gender, Waldo avoids gender categories completely, aligning himself with neither femininity nor masculinity, by finding an “escape” from these artificial social constructs in the natural world. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / English / MA / Unrestricted

Travesti show - in other words men's dressing as women (especially famous singers) in order to create a parody - has become a legitimate part of the Czech cultural events for the last twenty years. Moreover, in comparison with a foreign production of that kind it is very specific as regards terminology and content. Although travesti show theme has penetrated into the Czech academic ground too, it is still understood only from the perspective of gender performativity and is focused on performers themselves. On the contrary, this paper tries to grasp spectators' perspectives regarding not only the audience perception of the performers, but also a wide range of spectators' characteristics related to their general degree of tolerance towards gender roles in the society as well as LGBT issues in comparison with common population.

This thesis is concerned with the question of gender identification in drag culture. The research, upon which this work is based, focuses on Czech drag queens that participate in drag (travesti) show in an LGBTQ+ enterprise in Prague. In my research, I have attempted to grasp the motivation of my informants to do drag, their connection to queer culture and the ways in which they create their own aesthetic on stage. With the help of these topics, I approach the problem of their gender identification, both in and out of drag. On the basis of the collected fieldwork material and relevant literature, I problematize gender identification among my informants. On the basis of such identification, I furthermore attempt to demonstrate limitations and shortcomings of the heteronormative framework of gender performativity, gender performance and gender identification in general. Keywords: travesty show, drag, queer, homosexuality, performativity, performance, heteronormativity, gender subversion