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The works of important Anglophone African novelists, in particular those who have contributed to the growing body of literary criticism, support their claim that there is a distinctive African novel. Their novels clearly demonstrate the attachment of the novel form to the specific cultural, social and political milieu in which it is produced. The thematic concerns of Anglophone African novelists have far-reaching effects on their treatment of subject-matter and on their narrative methods. The structures of certain important novels reveal patterns of experience which are typical of African societies. Symbols and motifs which are used to further structural development in many novels are derived from situations existing within the culture and from traditional oral literature. In depicting character, novelists emphasize African social values and develop characterization with reference to the present problems facing individuals in contemporary African societies. Verbal and narrative style in the novels are also clearly influenced by local idiom and the patterns of the indigenous languages. In general, novels by Anglophone African novelists show how the social motivations of the novelist and his cultural situation control his development of themes and his exercise of technique.

Around the end of the 1930's, when American science fiction was just beginning to emerge, the literature of scientific imagination had already several traditions in France stemming from Jules Verne, J.-H. Rosny the Elder, Maurice Renard and many popular novelists. This literature, however, never succeeded in establishing itself as a literary genre in its own right. It was only with the discovery of American science fiction in the fifties that science fiction was recognized as such in France. / The problematic situation of French science fiction before and after 1950 can only be explained by means of sound hypotheses concerning the genological specificity of science fiction, on the one hand, and a thorough textual analysis of works reflecting the various strains of imagination in our period, on the other hand. / The introduction reviews the current state of research in science fiction, focussing on the main essays on the history and theory of the genre. We then expose our own hypotheses on science fiction as a "poetics of otherness". / An examination of French science fiction from 1918 to 1968 reveals that the genre is made up of heterogeneous strains, despite a real community of themes. There are five such strains, which we analyze through five authors exemplifying their specific characteristics: (1) A strain whose particular characteristic is the appeal of "otherness": J.-H. Rosny the Elder; (2) A strain that could be called "middle-of-the-road science fiction", which is a blend of science fiction proper, the fantastic and the popular novel: Maurice Renard; (3) The "catastrophic imagination" strain: Jacques Spitz; (4) The mass-produced science fiction strain: B. R. Bruss; (5) A strain characterized by an "imaginative drift": Stefan Wul. / In conclusion, the chronic state of crisis of French science fiction is interpreted as a symptom of the difficulty in achieving this literary genre's potential as a "poetics of otherness".

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The purpose of this paper is to show that the English dramatic grotesque is linked inextricably with the medieval stage upon which it originated and that the contemporary Theatre of the Absurd, as it has been called, has at its base a philosophy distinctly medieval which initially gave rise to that dramatic grotesque. This thesis presupposes three essential points of examination. First, the term "English dramatic grotesque" must be completely understood. This task shall be accomplished by a look at the etymology of the term through analysis of its historical background and by definition. Next, the origins of the English dramatic grotesque in medieval culture will be revealed. Finally, correlations between the medieval stage and the Theatre of the Absurd will be drawn, thereby completing the most important observation made in the thesis. While much has been written about the grotesque and the literature of the grotesque, surprisingly few authors have concerned themselves with the various manifestations of the grotesque when presented upon the stage. Because of this, chapter two, though perhaps not concerned directly with the paper's thesis, is, however, a valuable touchstone of meditation upon the subject of the grotesque in drama. May it, as well as the rest of the paper, serve to stimulate thought and further investigation into the topics raised. But most importantly, may it serve to stimulate imagination which after all is the precursor of all aesthetic endeavors.

There are fifty-one instrumental pieces by Philips, many of which occur in versions for ensemble, keyboard and lute. The sources have a wide geographical and chronological span. This research is based upon an extensive first-hand examination of the sources of Philips's instrumental music, and a detailed comparative study of the textual variants of each piece. The thesis divides into three parts. In the first, a biographical chapter relates Philips's instrumental music to the changing nature of his employment. Then the main sources of his instrumental music, the manuscripts copied by Francis Tregian, are discussed at length. The remaining keyboard sources are considered, followed by consort and lute sources. In Part 2 the technique of intabulation is shown to be central to Philips's keyboard style. A distinction is made between arrangements made by Philips of his own works, those made by him of other composers' works, and settings of his music made by others. A case study of the 'Dolorosa Pavan' is used to illustrate how widely Philips's music was disseminated, and allows us to establish a stemma of sources which helps us to elucidate - and improve - our understanding of their inter-relationships. A second case study attempts to establish the origins of the pavan dated by Tregian to 1580: the original 'model' on which the keyboard piece is based has not survived. The thesis ends with an attempt to place Philips's instrumental repertory in the context of his contemporaries, using Philips's music as a 'touchstone' to refer to relationships (mostly stylistic) with other composers. Part 3 comprises transcriptions of Philips's instrumental pieces. The texts of each source for a piece are given in parallel with the minimum of editorial adjustment: Part 3 is intended to be a reference tool, not an edition.