Denna uppsats rör den moral som presenteras för oss i amerikanska äventyrsfilmer. Tre filmer, King Arthur, Robin Hood och Gladiator, presenteras och analyseras. Hjältens handlingar är i fokus men även antagonisten och andra bikaraktärers handlingar är av vikt. Detta ställs mot den traditionella pliktetiken då vi får se om hjältens handlingar är förenliga eller strider mot den. En diskussion följer också kring filmernas upplägg och vad lockelsen med denna typ av film egentligen är.

This dissertation examines rhetorics of heroism and immortality as they are negotiated through a variety of (new) media contexts. The dissertation demonstrates that media technologies in general, and videogames in particular, serve an existential or “death denying” function, which insulates individuals from the terror of mortality. The dissertation also discusses the hero as a rhetorical trope, and suggests that its relationship with immortality makes it a particularly powerful persuasive device. Chapter one provides a historical overview of the hero figure and its relationship with immortality, particularly within the context of ancient Greece. Chapter two examines the material means by which media technologies serve a death denying function, via “symbolic immortality” (inscription), and the McLuhanian concept of extension. Chapter three examines the prevalence of the hero and villain figures in propaganda, with particular attention paid to the use of visual propaganda in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Chapter four situates the videogame as an inherently heroic, death denying medium; videogames can extend the player’s sense of self, provide quantifiable victory criteria, and allow players to participate in “heroic” events. Chapter five examines the soldier-as-hero motif as it appears in two popular genres, the First Person Shooter, and Role-Playing Game. Particular attention is paid to the Call of Duty series and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Chapter six outlines an “epistemological exercise,” which attempts to empirically test the claims made in the previous chapters via Terror Management Theory, an experimental paradigm which examines the relationship between mortality, self-esteem, and ideology. The conclusion discusses how videogames can contest prevailing views of the heroic, and calls for a departure from contemporary game design practices.

Like many other cataclysmic events September 11, a day now popularly believed to have 'changed the world', has become a topic taken up by children's writers. This thesis, titled The Whole World Shook: Ethnic, National and Heroic Identities in Children's Fiction About 9/11, examines how cultural identities are constructed within fictional texts for young people written about the attacks on the Twin Towers. It identifies three significant identity categories encoded in 9/11 books for children: ethnic identities, national identities, and heroic identities. The thesis argues that the identities formed within the selected children's texts are in flux, privileging performances of identities that are contingent on post-9/11 politics. This study is located within the field of children's literature criticism, which supports the understanding that children's books, like all texts, play a role in the production of identities. Children's literature is highly significant both in its pedagogical intent (to instruct and induct children into cultural practices and beliefs) and in its obscurity (in making the complex simple enough for children, and from sometimes intentionally shying away from difficult things). This literary criticism informed the study that the texts, if they were to be written at all, would be complex, varied and most likely as ambiguous and contradictory as the responses to the attacks on New York themselves. The theoretical framework for this thesis draws on a range of critical theories including literary theory, cultural studies, studies of performativity and postmodernism. This critical framework informs the approach by providing ways for: (i) understanding how political and ideological work is performed in children's literature; (ii) interrogating the constructed nature of cultural identities; (iii) developing a nuanced methodology for carrying out a close textual analysis. The textual analysis examines a representative sample of children's texts about 9/11, including picture books, young adult fiction, and a selection of DC Comics. Each chapter focuses on a different though related identity category. Chapter Four examines the performance of ethnic identities and race politics within a sample of picture books and young adult fiction; Chapter Five analyses the construction of collective, national identities in another set of texts; and Chapter Six does analytic work on a third set of texts, demonstrating the strategic performance of particular kinds of heroic identities. I argue that performances of cultural identities constructed in these texts draw on familiar versions of identities as well as contribute to new ones. These textual constructions can be seen as offering some certainties in increasingly uncertain times. The study finds, in its sample of books a co-mingling of xenophobia and tolerance; a binaried competition between good and evil and global harmony and national insularity; and a lauding of both the commonplace hero and the super-human. Being a recent corpus of texts about 9/11, these texts provide information on the kinds of 'selves' that appear to be privileged in the West since 2001. The thesis concludes that the shifting identities evident in texts that are being produced for children about 9/11 offer implicit and explicit accounts of what constitute good citizenship, loyalty to nation and community, and desirable attributes in a Western post-9/11 context. This thesis makes an original contribution to the field of children's literature by providing a focussed and sustained analysis of how texts for children about 9/11 contribute to formations of identity in these complex times of cultural unease and global unrest.

The diploma thesis deals with the relationship between the subject and reality in the work of Ladislav Klíma. Klíma depicts reality as something distressing against which the I struggles. In his work he poses reality as a problem. Literary characters as well as numerous author autostylizations often get into conflict with reality and attempt to solve it by absurd behaviour, banalization of reality and heroization of the individuum. Creativity gains special importance in this situation, as it provides subject with a refuge from the external world. In the act of writing the I constitutes itself as rebelling against the "principle of reality". Inspirations for theoretical approach to the topic can be found in Freudian psychoanalysis, Nietzsche's concept of heroic man, as well as Heidegger's existential phenomenology.

This essay demonstrates how Bilbo, the main protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, is a feminine hero despite being male. The study builds on concepts of traditional gender norms which show men as strong, intelligent beings and overall superior to the weak and emotional women. Also included in the study is Carl Jung’s anima archetype (the hypothesized feminine side of the man) as well as conventional hero-types, comparing Bilbo to three other heroes of Tolkien’s creation (Aragorn, Frodo and Beorn) in order to categorize Bilbo and show what kind of a hero he is. The essay shows that Bilbo, based on his actions and personality, and in accordance with the traditional gender norms, classifies as a feminine hero. / Denna uppsats demonstrerar hur Bilbo, huvudkaraktären i J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit, är en feminin hjälte trots att han är manlig. Studien bygger på koncept av traditionella könsnormer som visar män som starka, intelligenta varelser och allmänt överlägsna de svaga och emotionella kvinnorna. Också inkluderat i studien är Carl Jungs anima-arketyp (den hypotetiserade feminina sidan av mannen) såväl som konventionella hjälte-typer och jämför Bilbo med tre andra hjältar som Tolkien skapat (Aragorn, Frodo och Beorn) för att kunna kategorisera Bilbo och visa vad för slags hjälte han är. Uppsatsen visar att Bilbo, baserat på hans handlingar och personlighet, och i överensstämmelse med de traditionella könsnormerna, klassificeras som en feminin hjälte.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Esta dissertaÃÃo tem por objetivo analisar a construÃÃo do herÃi regional brasileiro por meio de um estudo comparativo entre os romances O sertanejo, de Josà de Alencar, e O matuto e LourenÃo, de Franklin TÃvora. Procurou-se traÃar um paralelo entre os protagonistas das tramas citadas, observando semelhanÃas, tensÃes, contrastes e diÃlogos em suas construÃÃes, bem com refletir sobre as relaÃÃes destes com o contexto sociocultural no qual estavam inseridos, uma vez que, na tentativa de criar, de afirmar e de consolidar uma tradiÃÃo literÃria nacional, Josà de Alencar e Franklin TÃvora escreveram romances que retratavam a natureza exuberante e os aspectos socioculturais de determinadas localidades do paÃs, criando herÃis regionais condizentes com a realidade apresentada nas narrativas. Este estudo divide-se em trÃs capÃtulos: no primeiro, ressaltamos o carÃter mÃtico do herÃi e sua incidÃncia no Ãmbito literÃrio, tornando-se necessÃrio discutir a construÃÃo do herÃi romanesco, com destaque para o herÃi romÃntico e sua construÃÃo no cenÃrio nacional. No segundo, voltamos nossos olhares para a discussÃo da vertente regional na tradiÃÃo literÃria brasileira, mais especificamente, no final do perÃodo romÃntico. E, por fim, o Ãltimo aprofunda nossas discussÃes em relaÃÃo aos projetos literÃrios de cada autor, suas influÃncias na criaÃÃo desses romances e de seus respectivos herÃis, mas, especialmente, expomos o carÃter problemÃtico desses personagens. Neste sentido, este trabalho visa contribuir com os estudos relativos a essas obras e à construÃÃo de seus respectivos herÃis, trazendo à luz uma melhor compreensÃo dos romances analisados. / This dissertation has the purpose of analyzing the construction of the Brazilian regional hero by a comparative study among the novels O sertanejo, by Josà de Alencar, and O matuto and LourenÃo, by Franklin TÃvora. A parallel was drawn between the protagonists of the referred wefts, observing similarities, tensions, contrasts and dialogues in their constructions, as well as reflecting about their relations with the sociocultural context in which they are inserted. Because of attempting to create, affirm and consolidate a national literary tradition, Josà de Alencar and Franklin TÃvora wrote novels that portrayed an exuberant nature and the sociocultural aspects of certain localities of our country, creating regional heroes compatible with reality presented in narratives. This study is divided into three chapters. In the first, we emphasize the heroâs mythical character and its incidence in literary scope, what brings the necessity of discussing the novel heroâs construction, with prominence to the romantic hero and its construction in the national scenario. In the second, we discuss about regional line in the Brazilian literary tradition, more specifically, in the end of the romantic period. Finally, the last chapter deepens our discussions related to each authorâs literary projects, their influences in the creation of these novels and in their respective heroes, but, specially, we demonstrate these heroesâ problematic character. This dissertation, so, aims to better understand the novels analyzed by these two authors, contributing the studies relating to these literary works and to the construction of their respective heroes.

La thèse s’intéresse aux usages de l'épopée chez Rabelais et les histoires comiques du XVIIe siècle (Sorel, Furetière, Scarron, Tristan L’Hermite, d’Aubigné). Elle cherche à dépasser l’interprétation parodique, souvent mobilisée par la critique moderne, et à montrer comment ces auteurs semblent rivaliser avec les poètes héroïques de la même époque (Ronsard, Chapelain, etc.) en tentant de refonder le récit comique long. Tout d’abord, on tente d’évaluer la présence de l’épopée dans ces œuvres comiques par un relevé des références et des citations, et une redéfinition de l’héroïsme tel qu’il apparaît dans les récits. Dans un deuxième temps, on cherche à expliquer l’usage de ces références par les auteurs comiques, autrement que par le concept moderne et trop souvent plaqué de « parodie » : on s’intéresse donc aux usages sociologiques de l’épopée, qui sert à la satire politique, religieuse, mais aussi savante. Les historiens sont, par exemple, des cibles privilégiées, car ils se servent de l’épopée pour cautionner leurs projets d’historiographie nationaliste et mythologique. Ce travail doit enfin permettre de mesurer le rôle du genre épique dans le renouvellement de l’écriture comique, tel que l’a instauré Rabelais, et tel qu’il fut poursuivi par ses successeurs. Cette analyse permet de revenir sur la réception de Rabelais au XVIIe siècle, encore peu étudiée, autant que d’appréhender l’influence de ces longues histoires comiques en prose, dans les siècles suivants : romans d’aventures, romans de cape et d’épée – autant de genres qui ont bénéficié des innovations héroïques et vraisemblables de ces longs récits comiques d’une époque disparue. / This dissertation focuses on the various uses of epic in Rabelais’ Books and in the comic novels of the XVIIth century (d’Aubigné, Sorel, Tristan L’Hermite, Scarron, Furetière). It attempts to go beyond the parodic interpretation commonly adopted by modern criticism towards this corpus, and to underline how these authors compete with the epic poets of that time (Ronsard, Chapelain etc.), as they try to renew the comic narrative. The first part of the study assesses the presence of epic features in the works: using a list of references and quotes, it strives towards a redefinition of heroism, as the paradigm appears in the texts. It then delves into the reasons why the authors so often refer to epic: as an efficient tool for their satiric discourses. The dissertation focuses on the sociological uses of epic that target political, religious and intellectual groups that appropriate epic models for their own purposes. Historians appear as privileged targets because they use epic to validate their historiographic projects, often imbued with nationalist and mythological tendencies. Finally, the work gauges the role of epic in the renewal of comic writing, as established by Rabelais, and continued by his epigones. This analysis sheds light on Rabelais’ reception in the XVIIth century, a topic that has scarcely been studied yet, and offers explanations for the lasting influence of these long comic and prosaic stories in the following centuries: adventure novels, swashbucklers and historical novels are some of the genres that may have taken advantage of the realistic and heroic innovations brought forth by these comic stories of a bygone age.

This study explores the true crime documentary Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story and aims to investigate the protagonist Cyntoia Brown in relation to how her character and story is represented. Due to the consistent rise of awareness in equal rights, as well as the steady increase of black representation in popular television, one might think that it would reflect positively in mass media. Although there have been few changes to representation, the findings that are to be presented suggest otherwise. Narratives within television still heavily relies on stereotyping and following societal norms, which this study desires to expose through a discourse analysis.

Monsters are disruptive characters, who cross boundaries and blend categories. They come in various kinds: Non-human monsters, such as Dracula, created-by-human monsters like Frankenstein, human monsters like Hitler, and more-than-human monsters such as the X-men. These monsters can either be dangerous or helpful to humanity. Dangerous monsters appear as infectious, viral forces, while helpful monsters are inoculative forces for positive change. In either case, they penetrate the borders set up between normatively separate categories. Critics and authors have long realized the connection between heroes and monsters, often portraying them as necessary to one another, as two sides of a single coin. However, this analogy is lacking, because it does not allow for the possibility that a single character can display varying degrees of both heroism and monstrosity. Mario Yerro and Bruna Husky present such characteristics in Yeti and Lágrimas en la lluvia, as evidenced by their physical appearance, their relations to scapegoats, the porosity of species and other boundaries, and the decisions they make in regards to the Other.

The essay compares Madeline Miller's books The Song of Achilles and Circe to their antique originals: the Iliad and the Odyssey. The main focus is the relationship the characters in Miller's books hold to their homeric counterparts and the evolution of the heroic and masculinity ideals they represent. The ideals they carry are examined through western history and compared to Miller's contemporary autorship to observe what adaptations are being performed. The paper considers the texts through Genettes terms of transtextual relationships, including hypotextual, hypertextual relationships and transpositioning to examine the changes in both character and theme. The results show that some aspects of the heroes and theme remain intact through Millers books, while particularly the masculine and heroic aspects differ and that they do so intentionally through the media of historical fiction.