St. Thomas More's Utopia has been the subject of considerable debate over the past 75 years. It claims to be concerned with the 'best state of a commonwealth', but how is it concerned? It is a strange little book that records a fictional dialogue between More, his friend Peter Giles, and a very impulsive and opinionated traveler named Raphael Hythloday. Hythloday has recently returned from a voyage, and the Utopia is mostly taken up with a detailed account of the bizarre customs, laws, and rituals of a people he encountered in a place called Utopia. Hythloday praises them as the best and wisest people. More remains skeptical, but does acknowledge that certain of the Utopian practices have merit. The reader is therefore left wondering whether More created this fictional commonwealth to provide a model for reform, or whether he created it as a satire. This thesis has sought to contribute to the wealth of research on this topic, by interpreting the enthusiasm of Hythloday and the skepticism of More as evidence that More did not intend the Utopia to be taken literally, but neither did he intend for it to be read solely as satire. He meant for the Utopia to be a springboard for discussion and debate. He meant to create a platform to address issues plaguing European commonwealths. I have come to this conclusion by interpreting the Utopia within its historical and literary context. In this thesis I examine the circumstances of the Utopia's publication and distribution; the intellectual and cultural influences of Renaissance England, and More's immediate circumstances in the year 1515 when he wrote the Utopia. I then move from a general study of the Utopia to a more concentrated study of its content where I provide a character analysis of More, Giles and Hythloday. I also examine the inconsistencies inherent within the pages of the Utopia, as well as the inconsistencies that existed between More's life and the ideals he seemingly espoused within the Utopia. Lastly, I examine the Utopia in comparison to many of More's other works on the subjects of religion and property such as the Dialogue Concerning Heresies, A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, and More's letters, poems and prayers.

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This thesis is the first study to examine Canadian and Italian interactions in Ortona from December 1943 until April 1944. The Canadian presence in Ortona is not remembered by the people of the town simply in the context of military operations. As the Canadians occupied Ortona and the surrounding areas for four months, interactions occurred within the context of combat operations, periods of relaxation, and throughout the process of rebuilding infrastructure and developing an economy. Canadian military historians have largely neglected to provide accounts of the various engagements between Canadian soldiers and Italian civilians before, during, and after the Battle of Ortona, unless they affected operations, intelligence, and civil control. The result of these civil-military relationships provided numerous benefits to Canadian and Italian alike. Italians provided Canadian soldiers with intelligence, shelter, food, and psychological support. In turn, the Canadians provided the Italians with medical assistance, food, financial support, and technical support in the rebuilding of Ortona. The interactions promoted Canadians as separate from the other Allied forces in the region and created unique friendships that defined the liberator and the liberated through their mutual dependencies. As historians have focused entirely on the unfolding of military operations in the region of Ortona, this thesis argues that the value of the interactions and the reconstruction process help explain why most Ortonesi developed a positive collective memory of Canadian soldiers.

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) constitutes one of the most definitive events of twentieth-century Spain, leaving the nation with a complex legacy of memory and silence. After decades of censorship under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco and the self-censorship of the Transition to democracy, the Civil War has exploded with visibility and profitability in the literary realm at the turn of the millennium. This dissertation explores the intersection of historical memory, with its inherent ethico-political considerations, and the postmodern destabilization of authority in four novels from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Chapters one and two examine the blurring of generic lines between fiction and non-fiction in Soldados de Salamina (2001) by Javier Cercas and Mala gente que camina (2006) by Benjamin Prado, while chapters three and four deal with the juxtaposition of reality and fantasy in El lapiz del carpintero (1998) by Manuel Rivas and Rabos de lagartija (2000) by Juan Marse. Each of these texts is self-aware with regard to memory and textuality, depicting how the traumas of war and postbellum oppression are recovered, negotiated, and reconstructed in the present, not as a function of personal experience, but rather through their various narratives. The central element of this dissertation lies in its treatment of the way in which irony, a leitmotiv of each novel, frames the self-consciously literary approach to history. These texts employ the ambivalent properties of irony in order to establish points of tension between seemingly paradoxical poles, with regard to what is remembered and how it is remembered, without rejecting either premise. In essence, the irony behind these narratives allows them to suggest that Spain's violent past is both absolutely necessary and determinative, and wholly inaccessible without its mediated, and thus problematic, traces in the present.

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<p> This dissertation investigates the role of <i>El Censor,</i> the essay periodical published in Spain from 1781 to 1787, in challenging government policies and church traditions during the Enlightenment. It argues that the editors and authors of the 167 discursos (essays) criticized social customs and institutions during the last two decades of the antiguo r&eacute;gimen while remaining firmly in their religious faith. The political and historical context of <i>El Censor</i> is presented against the backdrop of the absolutist policies of King Carlos III and the vigilance of the Spanish Inquisition. <i>El Censor</i>&rsquo;s editors and publishers were Luis Garc&iacute;a Ca&ntilde;uelo and Luis Marcelino Pereira, who at first seemed enigmatic because of their political and religious views. Nevertheless, they and their contributors soon identified themselves as veritable enlightened men, who sought to modernize Spain and the Spanish Roman Catholic Church. In the weekly essays, they published their observations of everyday life and the iniquities that existed in the society of their time. Government authorities banned <i>El Censor</i> twice before shutting it down permanently. Afterwards, the Spanish Inquisition placed twenty-three of the discursos on the syllabus of forbidden books. This dissertation presents eight of the banned discursos with English translations and commentaries. More than two-hundred years after <i>El Censor</i>&rsquo;s prohibition, the discursos continue to speak to twenty-first century readers about the absurdities and injustices of society and power. This dissertation gives credence to the study of the religious Enlightenment; it demonstrates that it was possible to be enlightened and a true Christian. It reveals that <i>El Censor </i> held onto idealist views and moral integrity while facing obstacles from government, church, and angry apologists. In the pages of the discursos, there are recognizable characters like Eusebio the pious hypocrite; Calixto the proud, lazy noble; Candido Zorrilla, the baroque fanatic; and Pedro Camueso y Machuca and el equ&iacute;voco. This dissertation reveals several unexpected discoveries that challenge long-held notions about the Enlightenment, the Roman Catholic Church, and Spain.</p>

This dissertation will explore the life and career of Jean Andoche Junot. Junot came from a middle class background and his position in French society rose quickly when he met and befriended Napoleon Bonaparte. His skills as a brave and dynamic soldier distinguished him and he accompanied Bonaparte on his campaigns to Italy and Egypt. After Napoleon was made Emperor of the French, Junot held civilian, diplomatic, and military posts. In 1807, he conquered Portugal but was expelled from the country in 1808 by the British. He continued to serve Napoleon in various capacities until his death in 1813. During his service to France, he emerged as a competent, loyal, and skilled administrator, general, and governor. Junot was at the cross roads of many significant events in Napoleonic Europe and impacted directly their events. For years, he influenced the events in the Peninsular War, he participated in the Russian Campaign, and served as one of Napoleon's hand picked symbols. No serious works in any language have been devoted to his life, although, there have been a fair amount of articles written in French, English, and Portuguese which covered aspects of his life. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-12, Section: A, page: 4908. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

This dissertation aims at providing a fresh evaluation of the military career of Nicolas Charles Oudinot, using extensive archival sources, as well as previously overlooked family papers. A new study is justified because his two previous biographies, both published in the middle of the nineteenth century, are apologetic and often inaccurate. / Oudinot, in many ways was a product of the French Revolution. The son of a brewer, he began his military career during the Revolution in the National Guard, ultimately rising to the rank of marshal of France. His success was made possible by the Revolution's principle of promotion by talent rather than birth. / Though one of the lesser-known marshals, Oudinot played an important role in the military success of France during the Revolution and Empire. As the chief of staff to Massena in 1799 he helped plan the attack on Zurich. Commanding the Grenadier Division between 1804-1808 he fought at Wertingen, Amstetten, Hollabrunn, and Austerlitz. In 1807 Oudinot's Grenadiers defended their position outside Friedland for hours until Napoleon arrived with reinforcements to win the battle. In 1809 he fought at Aspern-Essling and, after the death of Marshal Lannes, assumed command of the Second Corps, acquitting himself with honor at the Battle of Wagram. In 1812 Oudinot was instrumental in saving the army at the crossing of the Beresina. Oudinot continued to lead his troops during the campaigns of 1813 and 1814, fighting at Bautzen, Luckau, Grosbeeren, Dennewitz, and La Rothiere. At both Leipzig and Bar-sur-Aube, Oudinot served as the rear guard of the army, protecting its retreat. / Oudinot was an important figure during the Napoleonic period. His career and reputation is in need of reassessment by historians. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-05, Section: A, page: 1735. / Major Professor: Donald D. Horward. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.