An abstract of a commentary - which must follow the winds and turns of the text it explains - cannot reasonably be expected. The present opportunity may, however, be used to summarise the principles behind my own specimen. Any commentary tries (at least in theory) to examine its subject's work from as many viewpoints - historical, philological, etc. - as are appropriate and possible. When the works, like Stesichorus', only exist in a highly fragmentary state, this impossible ideal seems slightly more capable of fulfilment than usual: there is less text and so more time (and space) to explain it. This approach from a large number of different viewpoints is not only more attainable in Stesichorus' case, it is more necessary: isolated scraps of poetry, whose context is often totally uncertain, require full examination before their secrets can be yielded up. Hence, for instance, the amount of effort devoted by other scholars - and now by me - to the subject of Stesichorus and art. And hence the exceedingly detailed scope of the commentary. For evern one word fragments have a philological and, sometimes, a stylistic value. And the speculation of earlier critics must be evaluated and preserved if plausible, or candidly denounced if unlikely, in an attempt to prevent repetition of the error.

The subject of this study is French-Canadian literature of the middle nineteenth century. This study effectuates an analysis starting with the very idea which constitutes the genesis of this national literature, that is, Messianism. This research consists of applying on a vast corpus of writing the principle concepts developed by the sociology of religions in the study of historical and contemporary Millenarist movements. / The first chapters consolidate the sources of the providencial mission of the French-Canadian people within the greater Catholic tradition of French literature. Bossuet, de Maistre, Chateaubriand, Rameau de Saint-Pere were the thinkers who aroused interest among the writers of French Canada, and are thus subject of consideration. / The second part of this study attempts to acknowledge the ripening of a local intellectual tradition, by considering diverse ideological writings which started by denying the specificity of literature, before eventually manifesting and incorporating literary qualities. / Finally, a study based on same concepts examines works of the period by Frechette, Casgrain, Tache, de Gaspe, Gerin-Lajoie and Buies; works that are clearly literary in nature. / The results of this study clarify within a global perspective the set of questions which have always been posed about French-Canadian literature while at the same time connect literature to the development problems of this society.

This dissertation studies parts of six medieval Jewish Torah commentaries in order to examine how they related to what we call Pentateuchal poetry. It examines their general approaches to Bible interpretation and their treatments of all Pentateuchal poems. It focusses on qualities we associate with poetry--parallelism, structure, metaphor, and syntax--and explores the extent to which they treated poems differently from prose. / The effort begins by defining Pentateuchal poetry and discussing a range of its presentations by various ancient writers. Subsequent chapters examine its treatment by Rabbi Saadia Gaon of Baghdad (882-942), Abraham Ibn Ezra of Spain (1089-1164), Samuel Ben Meir (1080-1160) and Joseph Bekhor Shor (12th century) of Northern France, David Kimhi of Provence (1160-1235), and Obadiah Sforno of Italy (1470-1550). / While all of these commentators wrote on the poetic passages, none differentiated systematically between Pentateuchal prose and poetry or treated them in substantially different ways. Samuel Ben Meir, Ibn Ezra, Bekhor Shor, and Kimhi did discuss some poetic features of these texts. The other two men were far less inclined to do so, but occasionally recognized some differences between prose and poetry and some phenomena unique to the latter.

This dissertation tests and evaluates four current theories of the verse structure of biblical Hebrew poetry. These theories are: the counting of minimal units, such as poetic feet, stresses or syllables, practiced in various forms since antiquity, and recently employed by D. N. Freedman, F. M. Cross and others, the analysis of poetic line-forms proposed by Terence Collins, the syntactic structural analysis proposed by M. O'Connor, and the semantic analysis practiced by Willow van der Meer, Johannes de Moor and a group of scholars associated with the Kampen School of Theology. All of these theories purport to identify and explain the fundamentals of biblical Hebrew verse structure. Each of these theories is presented comprehensively. These presentations include a review of literature relevant to the field of Hebrew verse structure studies in general, and to these four current theories of verse structure in particular. / These four theories are applied to four poetic passages from the Hebrew Bible: Judges 5:2--31, Isaiah 5:1--7, Lamentations 1 and Psalm 126. These applications show how each of these theories describes the verse structure of each of the poems. Following this, the theories and their applications to these passages are compared to determine which, if any, of these theories are effective in distinguishing poetry from prose, distinguishing one poem from another, predicting the form of a poem, and prescribing rules for the composition of poetry. The strengths and weaknesses of each theory are identified. In addition, the reasons for the failure of these theories to provide an adequate description of the verse structure of biblical Hebrew poetry are indicated.

In the twentieth century, Western theatre practitioners, aware of the gap between actor and spectator and the barrier between the stage and the auditorium, experimented with ways to bridge this gap and cross barriers, which in the western theatrical tradition have been ignored over the centuries. Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Piscator, Brecht, Grotowski, and more recently Peter Brook are only a few of the figures who tried to engage spectators and enable them to participate more fully in the play. Yet in Iran there has existed for over three centuries a form of theatre which, thanks to its unique method of approaching reality, creates precise moments in which the worlds of the actor and the spectator come together in perfect unity. It is called ???taziyeh???, and the aim of this thesis is to offer a comprehensive account of this complex and sophisticated theatre. The thesis examines taziyeh through the accounts of eyewitnesses, and explores taziyeh???s method of acting, its form, concepts, the aims of each performance, its sources and origins, and the evolution of this Iranian phenomenon from its emergence in the tenth century. Developed from the philosophical point of view of Iranian mysticism on the one hand, and annual mourning ceremonies with ancient roots on the other, taziyeh has been performed by hundreds of different professional groups for more than three hundred years. Each performance is a significant event in the experience of actors and spectators. The thesis argues that through a careful and comprehensive exploration of taziyeh from its emergence to our time, we can ultimately experience a new horizon in theatre in which we may discover theatrical potentiality and dynamism in a way that has not yet been achieved in conventional Western theatre.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2008. / Title from web page (viewed on June 3, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

In a critical climate that privileges the hermeneutic position of a reader of a text over the irretrievable intentions of its author, this thesis challenges the status quo by considering the elegist Propertius as his own first reader. Through an exploration of what I have called 'mindful reading' - how Propertius appears to engage intratextually with his own poetic material, recasting parts of it lexically and thematically - alongside his interaction with the works of his peers and predecessors and wider cultural discourses, we, as readers, are able to appreciate how he may have understood aspects of his own poetry at a given moment. This particular mode of reading is encouraged, in part, by the repeated treatment of certain themes and ideas by Propertius, and, most conspicuously, by the inherently repetitive nature of the amorous discourse in which he is implicated with Cynthia. There are seven chapters. (1) A rhythm of intratextual reading is established in the generically important funerary elegies of Book I, setting this against the poet's amatory discourse. An analysis of II.i shows that mindful reading is a phenomenon that occurs between, as well as within, books. (2) Consideration is given to editorial division of the canonically named 'Book II', and the ordering of poems; the latter part of the chapter considers the important programmatic elegy, II.xiii. (3) A close reading of III.i and III.ii, and their response to Propertius' predecessors and contemporaries is considered, particularly through a (re)reading of II.xxxiv. (4) Poems treating lovers' brawls and lucubratio are discussed. (5) Propertius' engagement with Maecenas, and his continued adherence to his poetic creed are explored in III.ix and III.x. (6) The notion that Propertius appears to 'un-write' his amatory discourse with Cynthia through mindful reading in the closing cycle of Book III is treated. (7) The place of Cynthia within Book IV, and the elegist's generic explorations are explored through mindful reading.

This study is an analysis of Raditladi’s poetry with special emphasis on three aspects, namely, social, cultural and the historical perspectives. Raditladi blends indigenous African and Western influenced themes and forms to portray the common and shared ethos, beliefs and practices of the Batswana. He depicts artistic and edifying mechanisms of his people’s culture in remarkable styles. In addition to containing history and historical figures, his poetry also addresses social issues that are of particular significance to Africans who for so long have negotiated and navigated a world of contrasting social norms and values. For example, Selelo sa morati or a ‘A Lover’s Lament’ highlights the tensions and conflict between traditional, Batswana versus modern, Western practices of love and marriage. The poem also raises the deep-seated problem of tribalism, and by extension, racism. In the poem, an attempt to harmonise contrasting ways of living, loving and composing poetry, that resonates with contemporary Africans, and their quest for social change is a recurrent preoccupation. Many modern Batswanas continue to attempt to harmonise their cultural values and norms with what they feel to be useful and relevant from so the called modern norms and values. It is a journey beset with fearful odds. Raditladi’s poetry speaks to these everyday struggles we call life in the post-colonial and post-apartheid setting. An important aspect of Batswana cultural identity that emerges from a reading of Raditladi’s collection Sefalana sa Menate is the frequency of allusion to the significance of cattle. Thes significance that is manifested in considerable number of the poetic allusions or metaphors suggest a common view of cattle as nurture, sustenance, comfort, and possession of wealthy. Traditionally, cattle provided for the everyday needs of the Batswana, and in fiction as in real life, represent wealth and well-being. A strong relationship exists between cattle and the Batswana sensibilities. This strong identification with cattle by those who through countless generations have been shepherds is evidenced in cattle allusions carried forward in language, proverbs and poetry. Historical figures and events are conveyed through poetic aestheticism. These historical events constitute: • Leadership Lessons from the House of Kgama • Teaching Batswana Poetry: an African paradigm • South Africans in European Wars: Re-writing History and setting the record straight Raditladi’s work is based on life, lived as firsthand in the communal experiences of milking and caring for cattle as a child and this is viewed in the Batswana society as providing the foundation for understanding the Batswana sensibilities. There is a gap in in Setswana literary criticism regarding a critical exploration of the three themes mentioned above been analyzed.It is hoped that this research study will go a long way to address this gap / African languages / D Litt. et Phil.

Text in Afrikaans / In die proefskrif word gepoog om die Namibies-Afrikaanse literatuur wat gepubliseer is sedert die twintigerjare (met die verskyning van die eerste Afrikaanse gedigte in Afrikaanse koerante) tot met die onafhanklikwording van die land in Maart 1990, bymekaar te bring, en aan te toon hoe die land en al sy mense daarin na vore kom. Daar is hoofsaaklik gekonsentreer op werke wat by gevestigde Suid-Afrikaanse uitgewerye verskyn het. Altesaam 146 bundels prosa, 35 bundels poesie, twee dramas, en 46 gedigte wat in koerante en tydskrifte verskyn het, geskryf deur 92 skrywers en uitgegee deur 26 uitgewerye-, word in die proefskrif geidentifiseer en bespreek. Talle kenmerke van die land en sy mense vind neerslag in bogenoemde werke. Die meeste werke speel in die noorde van die land en die Namib-woestyn af, en die inheemse bevolkingsgroep wat die sterkste na vore kom, is die Boesmans; klem word veral geplaas op hul gewoontes en gebruike. Die hoofkarakters in die verhale is oorwegend plattelandse blanke boeremense. Die tipiese landsomstandighede sedert die einde van die vorige eeu, toe bloedige stamgevegte in die land gewoed het, tot en met die grensoorlog wat met onafhanklikwording beeindig is, word in die literatuur gereflekteer. Wat die invloed van die land op die mens betref, is dit die ontbering en lyding, maar veral die geestelike verryking wat die land die mens hied, wat na vore kom. In die algemeen openbaar die skrywers 'n oorweldigende positiewe gesindheid teenoor die land en sy mense, hoewel ander nuanserings van gesindheid ook voorkom / In this dissertation an attempt is made to bring together Namibian-Afrikaans literature published since the twenties (when the first Afrikaans poems appeared in the Afrikaans papers), until the independence of the country in March 1990, and to illustrate how the country and its people come to the fore as revealed in the literature. Stress is given mainly to works that were published by established South African publishers. A total of 146 anthologies of narrative prose, 35 anthologies of poetry, two dramatic works, and 46 poems which appeared in papers and periodicals, written by 92 authors and published by 26 publishers, are identified and discussed. Hundreds of features of the country and its people are revealed in the abovementioned literature. Most works take place in the northern regions and the Namib desert and the indigenous people that predominate are the Bushmen; stress is mainly laid on their customs and their habits. The main characters in the narratives are to a large extent white rural people. The literature reflects the typical political circumstances of the country since the end of the previous century when bloody tribal conflicts raged, until the border war that ended with independence. As far as the influence of the country on the people is concerned, it is mainly the hardships and suffering, but above all the spiritual enrichment that the country offered that are ascertained. In general the authors reveal an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the country and its people / English Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract