This thesis explores the literary career of Stephen Crane, concentrating on his war works.

This thesis examines the treatment of the British Army and military themes, in painting, during the period 1815- 1914. All the works discussed were exhibited at the Royal Academy, which, although it underwent modifications in status, remained the nearest equivalent to a State Institution for Art in Britain. All the paintings shown there were painted with the knowledge that they were to be seen by the controllers of the Academy and the dominant classes of society. It will be inferred then, that the paintings shown there may be taken to have been acceptable to ruling class ideologies, and are therefore instructive of 'official' attitudes to military art. Representations of the contemporary Army, in this period, fell into two main catagories - battle paintings and genre depictions of soldiers. Chapters one to three survey battle paintings; studying the relation of this genre to the Academy; the relative popularity of the genre and the career patterns of its practioners. The critical reception of battle pictures at the Academy and certain important public competitions will be noted and considered in the context of contemporary ideologies about art and about the Army and its men. Chapter four discusses the vital concept of 'heroism' and its treatment in English military art. In particular, the reasons for the popularity of certain military figures above their peers, in academic art, will be explored. It will be argued that the process of 'hero-making' in art was not determined by professional success alone, but was often the result of the intervention of patrons, publicists and pressure groups. It will be shown that contemporary ideologies of heroism and art-historical convention precluded innovation in representation to correspond with technological developments in warfare. Battle paintings of heroes remained rooted in the conventions of 'chivalry' until the end of the First World War. Chapters five and six study genre representations of the soldier. Paintings of the 'recruit', the 'veteran' and the soldier and the family are discussed in relation to contemporary ideologies of the soldier held by the dominant classes. This thesis seeks to show that the military genre pictures, exhibited at the Royal Academy, are significantly related to developments in ideas about the Army and society, and that the uncertain status of battle painting was reflective of the equivocal attitude towards the Army and the Empire in this period.

This thesis investigates how the foundational value of connection underlies all forms of heroism within the Homeric epics. It argues that the traditional values of honour and shame that inform heroic choices require the framework of connection to operate upon. Homer takes the foundational value of connection, and the secondary values of honour and shame and presents many forms of both complicated and uncomplicated heroism across two distinct mediums. The Iliad presents the reader with a variety of Iliadic heroes who operate within the medium of the battlefield, including Ajax as the uncomplicated form of Iliadic heroism and Achilles and Hektor as complicated forms of this heroism. The Odyssey showcases the evolution of Homeric heroism from the medium of the battlefield to the medium of the nostos, with Odysseus’ evolution across the poem paralleling the evolution of Homeric heroism. The foundational value of connection is what allows the values of honour/shame to have significance in Homeric society, and therefore by engaging with connection and then the honor/shame matrix, a hero was able to gain time which upon his death was converted into kleos by his connections. Odysseus serves as the focal point for multiple types of heroism as his characterization in the Iliad, while he operates within the parameters of the Iliadic hero, is proleptic of his evolution into the Odyssean hero in the Odyssey. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / This thesis investigates how the foundational value of connection underlies all forms of heroism within the Homeric epics. It argues that the traditional values of honour and shame that inform heroic choices require the framework of connection to operate upon. Homer takes the foundational value of connection, and the secondary values of honour and shame and presents many forms of both complicated and uncomplicated heroism across two distinct mediums. I lay out the many varying forms of heroism through an examination of the various characters that embody them. There is a specific focus on the character of Odysseus as he operates within Iliadic heroism in the Iliad as well as he redefines heroism through his journey in the Odyssey, creating the form of Odyssean heroism.

Being an evildoer and being evil is not always the same thing; author J.K Rowling’s character Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series is balancing on that very line. Although being unfair and mean to the protagonist Harry Potter all through the series, Professor Snape is revealed as a hero in the seventh book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). This essay focuses on some of the complex psychological reasons as to why Snape acts the way he does towards Harry and why many readers consider him to be just as great a hero as the protagonist. It argues that his difficult upbringing is the cause of his complexity and the series of books are analyzed from a structuralist perspective, using A.J Greimas’ actantial model and Frank Kermode’s theories about endings and plot twists. Snape’s hate for Harry’s father, caused by years of bullying, is examined as well as his love for Harry’s mother. This essay also discusses in what ways Snape’s change of allegiance, brought on by his eternal love for Harry’s mother, is a great aid in defeating the Dark Lord.

Enseigner l'histoire militaire à l'école de l'air d'Athènes nous a donné la possibilité d'avoir accès aux archives de l'aviation, dans lesquelles nous avons souvent puisé afin d'en extraire des données historiques. Les documents primaires, donc authentiques, ont à la fois donné une image assez complète et plutôt captivante de l'action héroïque des aviateurs pendant les deux Guerres Mondiales. Des valeurs nationales, sources d’inspiration patriotique telles que l’héroïsme, le courage, le sacrifice de soi, l’abnégation, la solidarité, l’esprit scrupuleux et la fierté nationale, associées à des qualités d’efficacité, armes de la puissance patriotique, comme la compétence, le sang-froid et l’ingéniosité, pourraient-elles fournir, dans un cadre historique, militaire et dramatique marqué par la guerre, des témoignages directs de patriotisme? Fondée sur une méthode « sémantique », nous avons recherché dans les sources primaires des éléments significatifs, considérés indispensables à la représentation de ce qui motivait vraiment ces officiers. Dans tous les cas, le résultat est que les valeurs nationales et les qualités d’efficacité, dont disposaient les aviateurs grecs durant les deux guerres, indépendamment de l’organisation de l’évolution de la nouvelle arme et des conditions, ont fourni des exemples directs de patriotisme. Après une recherche approfondie dans les archives de l’armée de l’air grecque, nous avons constaté l’existence d’un grand nombre de documents historiques sur la Catastrophe d’Asie Mineure, que nous pourrions étudier et analyser dans une future recherche. / Teaching military history at the Greek School of Air Force in Athens gave us the opportunity to have access to the archives of aviation, in which we had often refered to in order to extract historical data. Primary documents, so authentic, have provided a fairly complete but also a quite captivating image of the heroic action of aviators during the two World Wars. Could national values, sources of patriotic inspiration such as heroism, courage, self-sacrifice, selflessness, solidarity, scrupulousness and national pride associated with qualities of efficiency, means of patriotic power, such as competence, composure and ingenuity, provide, within a military and dramatic historical context, marked by war, direct evidence of patriotism?Based on a "semantic" method we searched in the primary sources for those significant elements which were considered essential to the representation of what really motivated these officers.In all cases, the result is that both the national values as well as the qualities of efficiency, available to the Greek aviators during the two world wars, regardless of the organization of the evolution of the new army forces and conditions, provided direct examples of patriotism.After extensive research in the archives of the Greek Air Force, a large number of historical documents on the Asia Minor Catastrophe was found which could be studied and analyzed in future research.

Šio darbo tyrinėjimo objektas – heroizmas ir savanoriška kančia vardan tikėjimo. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti anksčiau skelbtus filosofų darbus šia tema ir paskelbti šiuolaikinį jauno žmogaus požiūrį į heroizmą ir kančią vardan tikėjimo. Darbo uždaviniai: : pasidomėti, kaip tampama herojumi, kokios aplinkybės bei sąlygos tai įtakoja, koks visuomenės vaidmuo, kad žmogus išliktų istorijoje kaip herojus; išanalizuoti religijų, ypač krikščionių, požiūrį į savižudžius ir kankinius; apžvelgti šiuolaikinių filosofų P. Wust‘o, S. Kierkegaardo ir kitų darbus, siekiant sužinoti jų požiūrį į herojaus, didvyrio, kankinio sąvokas; ištirti, kaip kančia veikia žmogaus gyvenimą ir kokie poelgiai iš to atsiranda; ištirti tikėjimo ir proto santykį; remiantis šiuolaikinių filosofų darbais, išsiaiškinti, kas yra tikrasis tikėjimas, kaip jis atsiranda ir kokia visuomenės reakcija į šių laikų tikinčiuosius. Darbą sudaro įvadas, trys dalys, vienuolika skyrių, išvados ir literatūros bei šaltinių sąrašas. Pirmoje dalyje kalbama apie tai, kad žmogus gyvena nuolatos susidurdamas su kliūtimis ir yra priverstas rinktis vieną ar kitą problemos sprendimą. Nors paprasčiau yra rinktis tai, ką pataria visuotinės elgesio normos, taip išvengiant dar didesnių kliūčių, tačiau ne visi taip elgiasi. Pasirinkusieji naują sprendimo būdą, jie įgyja daugiau patirties ir kartais tai tampa stimulu keisti nusistovėjusias taisykles ir, igiję savo poelgio pasekėjų, tampa herojais. Antrojoje dalyje atskiriamos „tragiškojo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The object of this research paper is heroism and voluntary suffering for the sake of Christian belief. The aim of the paper is to analyze and compare the works of the philosophers P. Wust and S. Kierkegaard on the subject and to declare the contemporary approach to heroism and voluntary suffering in the viewpoint of a modern young person. The goals of the paper: to find out the way how a person becomes a hero, what factors and conditions have influence on that, what is the role of the society in which a person becomes prominent in history as a hero; to analyze the religious, especially Christian, point of view to the suicides and martyrs; to look through the works of modern philosophers P. Wust and S. Kierkegaard to find out their point of view to the notions of the hero and the martyr; to investigate what impact the suffering has on the person’s life and what actions come out of it; to investigate the correlation of the belief and the mind; in accordance with the works of modern philosophers, to investigate what is the true belief , how is it born and what is the society’s reaction to modern believers. The paper consists of the introduction, three parts, eleven chapters, the conclusions and the literature and recourse list. The first part deals with the person who constantly faces obstacles and is forced to choose one or the other solution to the problem. It is always simple to choose the solution according to the society standards and to avoid even bigger obstacles, but... [to full text]

My thesis explores the cultural and gender syncretic processes of Old English literature in three Anglo-Saxon poems: The Dream of the Rood, Elene, and Judith. Throughout my research I attempt to answer the question of syncretism as it is applied to Anglo-Saxon concepts of heroes and heroism in literature. While Old English scholars (including John M. Hill, Hugh Magennis, and Jane Chance) have developed this line of inquiry previously, my work pushes back on several assumptions that hinder their analyses. In particular, I resist the tendency of late 20th-century criticism to dichotomize the Germanic and Christian aspects of the texts, contending that since Latin Christianity was completely indigenized over a hundred years prior to the writing of these poems, it is impossible to discern a pre-Christian set of values and social norms. Instead, I discuss the converging influences of monastic and secular aspects of Anglo-Saxon in relation to the literary hero. I also examine the complex gender dynamics and performances that manifest in these three poems, arguing that the triumphant hero or heroine is able to succeed through a wide-ranging set of both masculine and feminine performances. Here I incorporate a subtle commentary of gender theory — especially Judith Butler’s theory of performativity — to complement my own textual criticism. As this sort of gender syncretism meets with the culturally syncretic writings of the Anglo-Saxon poets, a new and idealized type of hero emerges, one who accomplishes victory through both spiritual and secular, as well and masculine and feminine performances. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / This thesis aims to discuss the process and purposes of “remaking” the Anglo-Saxon hero in three Anglo-Saxon poems: The Dream of the Rood, Elene, and Judith. I examine how the poets blend various monastic and secular influences within Christianized Anglo-Saxon culture in order to establish a new and ideal literary hero, one who often resembles spiritual archetypes such as Christ or the Virgin Mary. I also explore the complex gender dynamics that emerge in these poems, and in particular how the protagonist — the hero or heroine — navigates a diverse range of both masculine and feminine performances in order to succeed.

Byron’s women characters have typically been seen as, in Hazlitt’s early observation, ‘yielding slaves’. My study re-examines that assumption, finding instead, across Byron’s career, an abiding concern with the active individuality of women, and, more especially, with the creation of a specifically female form of heroism. Recent critical attention has discussed women in Byron’s poetry in general, notably Nigel Leask (British Romantic Writers and the East: Anxieties of Empire, 2004) and Susan Wolfson (Borderlines: The Shiftings of Gender in British Romanticism, 2006), but Byronic female heroism has gone unstudied. Caroline Franklin’s sociologically couched work (Byron’s Heroines, 1992) is one of the few to tackle the heroine, but she understands the term merely as ‘female protagonist’: my interest, by contrast, is in the development of a specific, new kind of gendered heroism. Byron’s representation of women takes shape within a number of discrete but inter-related discourses. The thesis examines the manner in which Byron engaged with previous literary and historical representations of proscribed gender roles. I remain alert to the literary heritage of Byron’s representation of female heroism, which extends beyond his own socio-historical context. The thesis is organised within the three major influences: (i) contemporary writings on gender and women, and a consideration of how Byron has ‘resisted’ availability for feminist critique, this being a result of an insufficiently nuanced approach to his poetry; (ii) eighteenth-century writings on the Orient and Oceania, which examines the concepts of Orient and Other as central to the destabilization of fixed perimeters of gender spheres in Byron’s Turkish Tales; (iii) epic, which establishes Byron’s relationship with his literary predecessors as one of reformation and resistance before demonstrating how Byron’s particular form of heroism and epic was one way that he made room for the heroic female. The thesis concludes with a brief coda, which extends the parameters of the governing concerns of the thesis, gender and heroism, arguing that Don Juan becomes a formal realization of the gendered heroics of Byron’s poetic consciousness.

Ce travail de thèse interroge la représentation du héros au sein des mouvements réaliste et naturaliste du XIXe siècle. Il s'agit, au travers d'un corpus de six romans et nouvelles, de mettre en lumière la tension inhérente à la figure héroïque chez Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant et Émile Zola. Malgré un refus apparent du modèle classique antique qui se signe par une banalisation du personnage principal, les romanciers réalistes-naturalistes n'échappent finalement pas à la tentation héroïque; en proposant un parcours initiatique et des formes originales de sacralisation, ils fabriquent un nouveau type de héros, à la fois plus proche des préoccupations de la société de l'époque et traversé par des représentations mythiques, éternelles (qu'elles soient issues du domaine mythologique, biblique, littéraire, psychanalytique ou religieux). La dialectique entre temporalité sociétale et permanence du légendaire se donne alors à lire. Cette thèse de doctorat cherche donc à démontrer l'exécution immuable d'une symphonie héroïque au sein de la poétique réaliste et naturaliste tout en rappelant la nature spécifique du héros chez chaque auteur étudié. / This thesis questions the representation of the hero by the realist and naturalist movements of the XIXth century. Transgressing six novels and short stories, it aims at highlighting the inherent tension of the heroic figure in the works of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant and Émile Zola. Despite an apparent refusal of the classic antique model which is illustrated by a trivialization of the main character, the realist-naturalist novelists do not escape from the heroic temptation; by offering a journey of initiation and unusual forms of sacralization, they fabricate a new type of hero, both closer to the concerns of society at that era and influenced by mythical and eternal representations (whether from mythological, biblical, literary, psychoanalytical or religious fields). The dialectic between the societal temporality and the permanence of the legendary is thus to be read. This doctorate thesis therefore seeks to de! monstrate the immutable execution of a heroic symphony within the realist and naturalist poetry while recalling the specific nature of the hero in the work of each author studied

This thesis analyses and interprets the famous Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf with regard to two main topics of the medieval epic poetry: the topics of courage and death. Theoretical background contains a description of medieval epic poetry and its functions. Furthermore, the introduction contains a description of English medieval epic poetry in historical and religious context (perception of death and afterlife with regard to the mixture of paganism and Christianity, meaning of heroism and heroic virtues - loyalty, pride, honour, persistency, determination, suppression of fear, willingness to help, sacrifice). Another chapter focuses on the creation of Beowulf itself and on the content and the form. The analysis draws on the Czech translation by J. Čermák. It focuses on the hero of the poem and it tries to find particular examples of the above mentioned virtues in three important passages of the poem (the fights with Grendel, with his mother and with the dragon). Another section deals with the image of death (the topics of burial, fateful disasters connected with monsters, fights), the question of afterlife, and with the function of the cyclic structure of epic poems (the never ending cycle of life and death) The thesis also tries to interpret the literary influence of the poem and its topicality.