Marguerite Duras' earlier works fit readily into the genre of the traditional novel and, like many early works of fiction, are often autobiographical in content. Un Barrage contre le Pacifique (l950), for example, tells the story of her difficult childhood in Indochina where she was raised by a widowed mother. However, with Moderato Cantabile (1958) her writing style changes markedly. The author associates this alteration in style with a crisis in her personal life whereby her writing becomes poetic and the narrative content increasingly abstruse. It is with the writer's experimentation in film during the sixties and seventies that a group of works, referred to in this paper as the "India Song" texts, appear. In this group of works, beginning with Le Ravissement de Loi V. Stein (1964), and ending with Aurélia Steiner, Aurélia Steiner, Aurélia Steiner (1979), the same story is told and retold, yet the form of the language, the narration, and the dominant mode of perception alters remarkably from text to text. These texts together are proposed, in this study, to form a unique self-portrait of the author. The thesis is divided into two parts. In Part I, the transition in writing style is considered as a movement away from an autobiographical mode into a self-portraiture mode. A comparison is made between the characteristics of her writing style in the texts following Moderato Cantabile and the characteristics of the self-portrait as outlined by Michel Beaujour in Miroirs d'encre. To elucidate the situation of the Durassian heroine prior to the self-portrait revealed in the "India Song" texts, the myth of Narcissus and Echo is utilized. This use of myth provides a background Gestalt against which the patterns within the fiction begin to appear. Part II is a textual analysis of the "India Song" self-portrait works which include Le Ravissement de Loi V. Stein, Le Vice-Consul, L'Amour, La Femme du Gange, India Song, and Aurelia Steiner, Aurelia Steiner, Aurélia Steiner. The ancient Summarian myth of female initiation, the myth of Inanna, when applied to these texts, discloses the transformation in perspective underlying the arcane surface patterns in which the same "story" reappears from text to text. From a one-dimensional world dominated by the masculine "regard", the reader is pulled, via the auditory, into a multidimensional kinaesthetic feminine world of the "lower" senses that is referred to in the analysis as "l'écoute". It is this perspective that the female writing voice of Aurelia Steiner, culmination of this unusual self-portrait, offers to the reader. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

This thesis is a study of the reception by critics in Canada of Anne Hébert's novels. We base our investigation of the critical texts upon the reader reception theory as articulated by Hans Robert Jauss, member of the "School of Constance" in Germany. Jauss explains the process by which a literary work acquires meaning as a fusion of two horizons. The first horizon is that which the reader brings to his reception of the work and contains all of his cultural, political and social attitudes as well as all of his previous experiences remembered either consciously or unconsciously. The second horizon is set up by the literary text itself and guides the reader's attention in certain directions in order to establish expectations and to evoke memories of past reading or experiences, and then sustains breaks, alters or reorients these expectations. Our thesis undertakes a definition and an explanation of the first horizon as pertaining to the reception of Anne Hébert's novels. From our analysis of these critical texts we find that critics from certain periods favour particular types of analysis which lead them to bring out of Anne Hébert's novels specific aspects related to these approaches. The approaches were, in their turn, influenced and even determined by the horizon of expectation of the critic, product of his time and environment. We find that the first type of criticism of Anne Hébert's novels is hermeneutic, favouring the analysis of themes. Through the 1960's and 1970's this criticism takes the form of several approaches such as the psychoanalysis of literature and the study of symbolism among others. However, these critics interpret Anne Hébert's works according to their pertinence to the Québec experience, whether it be in its psychological, religious, social, symbolic or even mythological implications. At a time when Québec society is undergoing a quest for a new collective identity, facing the transformation of a traditional society dominated by the jansenist messianic myth into a modern society, the literary community looks to Québec's contemporary writers to give direction in this process of transformation. Therefore, literature is seen as being subversive of the old order and defining a new collective identity for the Québec people. This is what the critics of this era expect to read about and so it is for this that they search in Anne Hébert's novels. During the early 1980's, the literary community undergoes a transition, perhaps due to the resolution of the independance issue in the 1980 Referendum. The new movement is internationalist, and Canadian critics follow suit by adopting the formalist approaches of literary criticism in vogue in Europe and the United States, and assign Anne Hébert a place in international literary currents such as postmodernism. These critics still see thematic importance in Anne Hébert's work, but as it pertains to man's universal experience rather than only to the Québec situation. The evolution in the works of Anne Hébert is certainly the other principal cause of this changing interpretation. We study the reorientation in the critics' horizon of expectation and leave to future undertakings the investigation of the role played by the original texts in this transition. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Chen Jo-hsi's two anthologies, Yin Xianzhanq (Mayor Yin) and Lao ren (Old Man) and her novel, Gui (Repatriates) depicts social and political conditions in China during the Cultural Revolution. Chen shows the effect of Cultural Revolutionary turbulence on the individual by focusing on his experience of loss. This study examines Chen's use of irony, imagery and psychological profile to portray the various forms of emotional, spiritual and physical losses sustained by her protagonists. Chen's fiction also reflects her seven year sojourn In China during which she experienced disillusionment and a loss of faith in the Marxist dream. Based on Peter Marris' model on loss and grief as outlined in Loss and Change, Chen's work can be seen as a literary catharsis for the tension that arises from her experience of loss and her subsequent resolution of grief. Marris' theory posits that an individual successfully resolves his grief when he is able to abstract meaning from the lost relationship and reformulate it in terms of his changed circumstances. This grieving process helps to explain a change in Chen's fiction from social commentary to political polemic and a corresponding decline in literary quality. In Mayor Yin she is content to merely document the losses sustained by her protagonists stemming from the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. Essentially, her, fiction at this stage shows her attempt to record and validate her China experience. Her restrained tone and skillful use of structural and situational irony, nature Imagery and psychological portraiture to portray her protagonist's response to loss distinguishes this anthology from Old Man and Repatriates. As Chen's purpose of serving China is reformulated, her didactic style undermines the artistic integrity of her fiction. In Old Man Chen's compulsion to protest leads to intrusive commentary and manipulation of plot and character. Repatr iates which is an autobiographical document of Chen's journey towards the resolution of her loss also shows the effects of her renewed purpose. She resorts to using her fiction as a platform to protest against political oppression of the individual and to support basic human rights for the Chinese. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

This thesis is an in-depth analysis of three later short stories "Lust and Restrictions" (Characters Omitted),"Flowers and Pistils Floating on the Waves" (Characters Omitted), and "Happy Reunion" (Characters Omitted), written by the 1921 Shanghai born Chinese author Zhang Ailing. The analysis takes a look at the structure of these short stories and discovers that they differ from her earlier short stories, that is those she wrote ten years earlier in the 1940s, in their structural and narrative approach and thereby place a greater demand upon the reader's participation. These three stories are the only short stories by Zhang Ailing that do not develop in a linear fashion. The author introduces them in the preface of the anthology Sense of Loss by calling the second story "Flowers and Pistils Floating on the Waves" an "experiment." Because of their similar structural and narrative approach, I called all three of them "experimental" which really means the same as "modernists", to distinguish them from her earlier linear stories. The three major characteristics of the experimental stories, that is—the narrative happening in the character's minds, the chronological distortion of the narrative and the almost invisibility of a narrator large subordinated to the character's presence—all have the effect of bringing the reader close to the characters' subjective thoughts and reflect the characters' state of mind in the stories' present time, depending on the frequency of the switches between the times, that is between the past happening in the characters' minds and the stories present time. The reader's participation in these three stories is largely due to the narrative structure while in some of Zhang Ailing's lienar stories, as examined in this paper, it is based on the stories' content. The political changes in China, and the author's move away from the mainland could account for her increasingly pessimistic outlook on life reflected in the disjointed structures of the "experimental" stories. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Sharon Pollock's plays have made a significant contribution to Canadian drama over the last three decades; however, the majority of scholarly research on her work has concentrated on one particular play-Blood Relations-and for the most part these studies focus on feminism and metadrama. My thesis examines Pollock's use of the memory play and how within this genre the playwright metaphorically places one (or more) of her characters under investigation. The notion of memory is present in practically all of her plays, but to focus my argument I select dramatic works where a rememberer distinctly guides the audience from the play's present into the past. Because several of her memory plays are based on historical events I use an historiographical approach to illuminate her texts. In the six Pollock works that I examine a crime or social wrongdoing has taken place in the past, and one of the central characters needs to revisit the injustice from the play's present. Through memory, the past is restaged and the character who experiences the inquiry tries to understand, justify, and/or defend his or her position in the events. Instead of determining if the characters are legally responsible for the crime or wrongdoing, my investigation focuses on their level of moral responsibility in the social injustice. I propose to examine the moral inquiries within Pollock's work in the context of three types of memory plays, and these form the basis of my three main chapters: third-person memory (Walsh, The Komagata Mam Incident), first-person memory (One Tiger to a Hill, Moving Pictures), and multi-person memory (Doc, Fair Liberty's Calf). / Arts, Faculty of / Theatre and Film, Department of / Graduate

This study of narrative fragmentation concentrates on three major novels of Claude Simon's central period — La Route des Flandres, Le Palace and Histoire — though it also looks at the foreshadowing of their composition in the theme of fragmentary vision in Le Vent; a work which, while it does not fully realize its own stated aims, constitutes the novelistic credo of the central period. By narrative fragmentation is meant the discontinuity produced by dechronologization, abrupt sequence shifts, and other devices that disrupt the accustomed continuity of narrative. Only what Ricardou has called "la fragmentation majeure", that is, the major breaks between sequences, and not the minor interruptions or digressions within sequences, are dealt with in detail. It is considered first in the general context of the fragmentedness of much twentieth century fiction and art, with special reference to the parallel with Cubism. Some of the forms fragmented narrative may take are suggested, together with their possible functions and significance as well as the effect of fragmentation on the reading process. The fragmentedness of Simon's novels was viewed initially by many critics as a mimetic reproduction of mental processes, notably those of memory. One aim of this study is to examine narrative fragmentation in the light of that interpretation, showing how and to what extent it serves to evoke mental processes, but also how it often fulfils an anti-realist function, undermining the coherence of the recit. Analysis of the breaks in the narrative and the transitional devices connecting juxtaposed or interwoven sequences in La Route shows that far from imitating the workings of memory, they fulfill mainly thematic functions, serving to superimpose related scenes and figures in a spatial composition in which every element reflects the others. Narrative fragmentation in Le Palace is analyzed for its rendering of a certain experience of the passage of time (discontinuity, alternate slow-motion and lightning progression) through the alternation of two sequences in a rhythmic pattern of interruptions and reprises. In Histoire narrative fragmentation is shown to play a significant role in suggesting the fragmentariness and discontinuity of memory, but here, in this the most fragmented of the three novels analyzed, the exploration of the possibilities of fragmented form is carried to its furthest extent, resulting in a collage type composition of great inventiveness. Narrative fragmentation in the novels of Simon's central period is thus shown to contribute to a certain psychological realism in the twentieth century tradition of stream of consciousness fiction. But its thematic and formal role is shown to be of far greater importance and originality. The replacing of chronological order by a compositional method that juxtaposes or interweaves fragmented sequences emphasizes thematic relations between narrative elements and favours the creation of formal symmetries and patterns. Beneath the surface incoherence and disorder of fragmented narrative lies a tightly knit and formally rigourous composition, made possible by that very fragmentation. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

In this study I am attempting to shed some light on the themes of justice and grace as they are expressed in three different works by Friedrich Durrenmatt, a contemporary Swiss playwright. The drama Es steht geschrieben (1947), the comedy Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon (1953) and the radio-play Das Unternehmen der Wega (1954) were written within a time-span of approximately eight years and can therefore be counted among the author's early works (taking into consideration that his most recent play was published in 1976). In the playwright's first drama, Es steht geschrieben, the topics of justice and grace are presented in balanced proportions, in their negative as well as positive aspects. The themes are expressed by frequent use of symbols; by parody, often of biblical revelations and events; by caricatures of certain characters; and by grotesque contrast in situations and the behaviour of the relevant types. A good deal of irony, satire and humor is explicit or implied as well. In addition, I tried to draw attention to the nature of immanent justice and grace in this drama. In Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon, the two themes are not as evenly distributed as is the case in the first work discussed. The predominance of grace seems to have resulted in less severity in the content of this play. Although the theme of justice clearly exists, it is outweighed here, by the impact of grace on man. I have attempted to elucidate Durren-matt's approach and choice of genre in conveying both of the themes in this comedy, discussing form as well as the characters employed. In Das Unternehmen der Wega, justice and grace are almost exclusively of an immanent kind. The topics are conveyed predominantly by the attitudes, motivations and behaviour of the various individuals or groups. There is little symbolism in this play but irony and satire are implicit throughout. It is a "secular" work as opposed to the two previously discussed ones, which show a strong religious content. This makes for a different philosophical outlook in this play on basic problems and their possible solutions in human existence. In all three works Durrenmatt has demonstrated convincingly, I think, how justice and grace are perceived and interpreted. Acceptance or rejection of these concepts are contingent upon the attitudes and insights of the individuals or groups in question; whether for better or worse, is still up to man's free choice. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

By 1963, Nathalie Sarraute had written five novels. That same year she was commissioned to write a radio play. She has since then written four more novels and five radio plays. In these new works the reader cannot but recognize manifestations of two of Sarraute's major preoccupations which underlie her literary career that is her concern with the creative process and the problem of communication. These two concerns are obviously related since communication is a lower form of the more concentrated artistic production. This essay will study the two themes in her five radio plays and two of her later novels. In the course of writing novels, Sarraute became more: and more interested in the creative process. While several literary artists have been challenged and intrigued by this topic, it has become an increasingly important theme in Sarraute's works. This essay examines the prerequisites to and the problems raised by the creative process. An analysis of the protagonists of each novel and radio play will help determine to what extent each of them participates in the creative process. As for the allied topic, communication, it is directly related to creativity, as the artist must express his 'vision' in order to confirm his creativity. This essay, therefore, both examines how these protagonists communicate with each other and analyses the limitations to mutual understanding. The thesis is divided into three chapters, each one composed of two sections. Chapter I studies Sarraute's first three radio plays, Le Silence, Le Mensonge and Isma. The first half of the chapter deals with the components of creativity and with the way in which the characters participate in the creative process. The second half is a study of the processes of communication and examines as well how language the most common medium of communication, actually limits mutual understanding. Chapter II follows the same pattern as Chapter I, except that the texts analyzed here will be Entre la vie et la mort and Vous les entendez?. The former novel concentrates on the creative act and the life experience of the artist, while the latter is mainly concerned with artistic merit in the form of aesthetic appreciation. The main focus is on the components of creativity as well as the two people necessary to the creative process, the artist and the recipient of the 'creation'. The second half of the chapter deals with the processes of communication as outlined above, but the medium in this section differs from a radio play to a novel. The last chapter concludes with Sarraute's two latest radio plays, C’est beau and Elle est la. The format is consistent with chapters I and II. However, here, the level of creative potential and the ability to communicate have diminished to the point where these two themes, creativity and communication seem to have been exhausted. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

In each of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s ten plays that appeared between 1946 and 1965 there are two protagonists. One of them is powerful and egocentric, strives for fame and power and challenges the world. To destroy his rivals he becomes a 'Judge', sometimes even an executioner. His antagonist is humble and pious, believes in God, and considers life as God’s gift. Christian ethics determine his decisions. He is the 'Righteous'. Dürrenmatt’s work divides into four periods which reflect the author’s times and beliefs. The first three plays (Es steht geschrieben, Der Blinde, Romulus der Grosse show hope for a better world after the horrors of World War II. The 'Righteous' resists the temptations of the 'Judge' and re establishes Christian values. The second phase of Dürrenmatt’s work is a period of expectation for a better world. The 'Righteous' becomes more worldly, no longer prays, but lives in the confidence that God exists. The 'Judge' becomes more powerful and unrestrained. (Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi, Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon, Herkules und der Stall des Augias). The third group reflects disillusionment. The hopes and expectations of the first post-war years were disappointed. Only in a crisis does the 'Righteous' gain insight into the divine order of the world; the 'Judge' gains superhuman powers and plans to destroy mankind. (Der Besuch der alten Dame, Frank der Fünfte, Die Physiker). Dürrenmatt’s last play to date (published in 1965), Der Meteor, depicts an inhuman egocentric who by his mere presence destroys all men around him. The 'Righteous' is expelled from a world which is ruled by the arbitrary power of the 'Judge' and where God is dead. The moral of Dürrenmatt’s work is that man should return to humility under God.

Mark Twain is universally recognized as an important author in American literature, and in addition to his success as an author, he was equally successful as an oral interpreter. His career as an interpreter and lecturer commenced at the age of twelve in Hannibal, Missouri, and in later years expanded to cover the globe. Twain lectured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, India, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Canada. Throughout his writings, Mark Twain included statements pertaining to his delivery of these lectures and platform readings, and he also included comments on techniques for oral interpretation in general.