Georg Lukács The Historical Novel continues to have a wide influence in Walter Scott criticism. However, Lukács theoretical insights into the role of genre in Scotts work remains underappreciated. This thesis takes for its departure Lukács summary that "the profound grasp of the historical factor in human life demands a dramatic concentration of the epic framework" (41). Lukács description of these two forms, dramatic and epic, is then applied in a reading of Scotts The Heart of Midlothian. Lukács terms offer a way of describing how Scotts fiction works, as the interplay of dramatic and epic motifs provide the aesthetic mediation for Midlothians social and political concerns. The chief problem raised through this reading is the role of genre in establishing a sense of historical necessity. In The Heart of Midlothian, the role of genre is made concrete in the novels gradual transition. Opening with dramatic social unrest, the novel shifts attention to the epic journey of Jeanie Deans and how her intervention re-establishes domestic and political harmony within the world of the novel. The interplay of dramatic and epic forms establishes a sense of internal necessity, as each major character organically finds his or her role in the overall course of progress. The thesis turns in its final chapter and conclusion to a resistance in Midlothian to the "dramatic concentration of the epic framework." Thus instead of solely applying Lukács categories to a Scott, the conclusion of the thesis turns Scott against Lukács. Midlothians conclusion evinces the resistance of Scott the storyteller to Scott the novelist of historical necessity, as the storyteller re-opens a sense of unforeseen possibility at the novels conclusion. The thesis concludes with a meditation on the ethical implications of Scotts competing narrative practices, that is, the dissonance between the historical novelist and the storyteller.

This essay investigates how capitalism affects the characters in John Dos Passos’ novel Manhattan Transfer. It argues how capitalism in many instances leads to alienation in various ways. In order to understand the historical context of the novel and to perform this character study, the concepts of modernism, modernity, Marxism, capitalism and alienation are put forward in the theoretical framework as the foundation of the essay. The main theories used are Georg Lukács’ definition of heaviness, Ferdinand Tönnies’ discussion on community and society and Melvin Seeman’s presentation of the ways in which the term alienation has been used and explained over the years.

This thesis is inspired by an ending—that of a cowboy hero riding away, back turned, into the setting sun. That image, possibly the most evocative and most repeated in the Western, signifies both continuing adventure and ever westward motion as well as a restless lack of final resolution. This thesis examines the ambiguous endings and the conditions leading up to them in two film Westerns of the 1950s, George Steven's Shane (1953) and John Ford's The Searchers (1956). Fascinatingly, the tension and uncertainty conveyed throughout these films is also characteristic of life in modernity, a connection which has previously gone overlooked. In my analysis, I study the ties between the postwar film Western and the philosophy of modernity to interpret these works in a new light, illuminating their generic context and their understudied philosophic dimensions. This reading highlights these films' continued relevance, showing how they have enabled creators and audiences to reflect on experiences of modernity in the idiom of the celluloid century.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:39:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1271241 bytes, checksum: e90695252713a7a6618d41ae69a376cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / La presente investigación tiene el objetivo de realizar una análisis comparativa entre las personajes Peronella y Sinhá Rita, heroinas, respectivamente, del segundo cuento de la séptima jornada del Decameron, de Giovanni Boccaccio, y del cuento O caso da vara, de Machado de Assis. Nos basamos en la tipología del personaje propuesta por George Lukacs en la obra La teoría del romance, tentaremos demonstrar que las dos personajes corresponden al tercero tipo de personaje: lo de la madurez. Además, buscaremos identificar los elementos que caracterizan el anima y el mundo exterior de estas personajes y, en consecuencia, el conflicto que ellas vivencían y la manera encontrada para su adaptación a las adversidades del mundo. / A presente pesquisa tem a finalidade de realizar uma análise comparada entre as personagens Peronella e Sinhá Rita, heroínas, respectivamente, do segundo conto da sétima jornada do Decameron, de Giovanni Boccaccio, e do conto O caso da vara, de Machado de Assis. Baseando-nos na tipologia da personagem proposta por Georg Lukács na obra A teoria do romance, tentamos demonstrar que a caracterização das duas personagens corresponde ao terceiro tipo de personagem lukacsiano: o da maturidade. Além disso, procuramos identificar os elementos que caracterizam a alma e o mundo exterior destas personagens e, consequentemente, o conflito que elas vivenciam e a maneira que elas encontram para se adaptarem às adversidades do mundo.