Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-12-23T11:50:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Valéria Yida.pdf: 23709999 bytes, checksum: 433480f21038e2eb21eb7cb5efeacde0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T11:50:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Valéria Yida.pdf: 23709999 bytes, checksum: 433480f21038e2eb21eb7cb5efeacde0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-08 / This research analyzes the Joker’s figurations of cruelty in the comic book Batman: A Piada Mortal (Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988). The cruelty of this character, understood as the wish to cause pain and suffering to another, has his own style in his lewd speech, in the following of an aesthetic of horror by the image-synthesis of his red rictus shaped mouth, as well as a plot that stages rituals of exhibitionism and sadism, in which the Joker's victims are offered in honor to Batman. This research contributes to the study of the villain in superhero genre comics, a character who, among clashes and truces with the hero, creates a field of tension that moves a suspenseful narrative of action and twists with an appeasing ending that invites the reader to the next adventure of the series. Cruelty is the Joker’s passion that wants to destabilize and corrupt the hero, composing the dynamics of a dense, ambiguous and sinister relationship between Batman and him. The aim of this research lies in this: what makes the Joker’s cruelty so outstanding in his relationship with Batman? By which means this cruelty determines and qualifies the Joker criminal acts, modifying his bound with the hero over the comics? The goal is to delimit the Joker’s imponderable of cruelty through its figurations that make him the quintessential villain in Batman stories. A two-way theoretical foundation was used: the via governed by image, professed by Thierry Groensteen, examining the complex system of narrative in which the drawing and the words are networked, and the psychoanalytical via in the Lacan’s trait unaire and perversion concepts, with the support of the Joker character’s approach to the literary figure of the sadean libertine / Esta pesquisa analisa as figurações da crueldade do Coringa nos quadrinhos de Batman: A Piada Mortal (Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988). A crueldade desse personagem, entendida como a vontade de causar dor e sofrimento ao outro, tem estilo próprio na sua fala devassa, seguindo uma estética do horror na imagem-síntese da sua boca vermelha em forma de ricto, bem como um enredo em que se encenam rituais de exibicionismo e sadismo, nos quais as vítimas do Coringa são oferecidas em louvor a Batman. Esta pesquisa contribui para o estudo do vilão nos quadrinhos do gênero super-herói, personagem que, em confrontos e tréguas com o herói, cria um campo de tensão que movimenta uma narrativa cheia de suspense, ação e de reviravoltas, com um desfecho apaziguador que convida o leitor a uma próxima aventura da série. A crueldade é a paixão do Coringa que quer desestabilizar e corromper o herói, compondo a dinâmica da relação densa, ambígua e sinistra entre ele e Batman. A questão da presente pesquisa reside nisto: o que torna a crueldade do Coringa tão marcante na relação deste com Batman? Por quais vias a crueldade determina e qualifica os atos criminosos do Coringa, modificando o vínculo dele com o herói ao longo destes quadrinhos? O objetivo é delimitar o imponderável da crueldade do Coringa por meio de suas figurações, que o tornam o vilão por excelência nas histórias de Batman. Utilizamos duas vias de fundamentação teórica: a via regida pela imagem, preconizada por Thierry Groensteen, examinando o sistema complexo da narrativa em que o desenho e a palavra funcionam em rede; e a via psicanalítica, no tocante aos conceitos lacanianos de traço unário e de perversão, com apoio da aproximação do personagem Coringa à figura literária do libertino sadeano

Submitted by JÚLIO HEBER SILVA (julioheber@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-12-11T18:41:00Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sarah Reimann Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2575101 bytes, checksum: 9fed0686913bd5eff6709606fa365591 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-12-12T11:16:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sarah Reimann Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2575101 bytes, checksum: 9fed0686913bd5eff6709606fa365591 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-12T11:16:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sarah Reimann Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2575101 bytes, checksum: 9fed0686913bd5eff6709606fa365591 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-25 / The Forum Theater is one of the most widespread Theater of the Oppressed’s modalities. It was systematized in the 1970s and it approaches social and psychological opressions on the scene so that they are discussed and restaged by the public. The mediator between the forum-scene and the public is the joker. This work proposes an investigation between the Forum Theater joker’s language and the buffoon. The buffoon is a clown with origins in the medieval times that uses comicality mainly through grotesque body gestures and ironic speech. This research has as primordial objective to investigate political and theatrical buffoon’s characteristics being in Forum Theater’s joker in order to provoque the critical eye. To that end, it was accomplished a historical rescue of the Forum Theater, of the joker and of the buffoon by means of books and videos that bring concepts and practices about them; it was written about the Victor Turner’s social drama bearing in mind one of the research’s development axes: the study of the Cultural Performances and their relations with the Theater of the Oppressed; and it was effected an analysis of videos, found on the internet, about Forum Theater’s plays presented in the brazilian’s state capitals. The selected videos’ analysis was done parting from two categories, they are: Forum theater and jokering; and buffoon aspects. The analyis’ categories were guided through three questions: In what way the Forum Theater has been presenting regarding the criticality matters? Is there criticality in the spect-actors’ fruition through the jokering? Can the buffoons’ aspects contribute to the Forum Theater’s joker formation? The mainly consideration obtained in this investigation shows that part of the studied Forum Theater plays are politically emptied and don’t seek the spect-actor’s critical eye. Therefore is fundamental that the joker builds his/her acting game by the improvisational quality that is one of the atributes of the buffoon’s activities, in this way is going to be possible having criticality in the spect-actors’ fruition. / O Teatro Fórum é uma das modalidades mais difundidas do Teatro do Oprimido. Ele foi sistematizado nos anos de 1970 e aborda em cena opressões sociais e psicológicas para que sejam discutidas e reencenadas pelo público. O mediador entre a cena-fórum e o público é o curinga. Este trabalho propõe uma investigação entre a linguagem do curinga do Teatro Fórum e do bufão. O bufão é um palhaço com origem nos tempos medievais que faz uso da comicidade, principalmente, através de gestos corporais grotescos e falas irônicas. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo primordial investigar características do bufão presentes no curinga do Teatro Fórum de modo que o olhar crítico do público seja provocado. Para isso, foi realizado um resgate histórico do Teatro Fórum, do curinga e do bufão por meio de livros e vídeos que trazem conceitos e práticas sobre eles; foi escrito sobre o drama social de Victor Turner, tendo em vista um dos eixos de desenvolvimento da pesquisa que é o estudo das Performances Culturais e suas relações com o Teatro do Oprimido; e se realizou uma análise de vídeos, encontrados na internet, de peças de Teatro Fórum apresentadas em capitais brasileiras. A análise dos vídeos selecionados foi feita a partir de duas categorias, são elas: Teatro Fórum e curingagem, e aspectos bufonescos. As categorias para a análise foram guiadas por três perguntas: De que forma o Teatro Fórum vem se apresentando no que tange as questões da criticidade? Há criticidade na fruição dos espect-atores através da curingagem? Os aspectos bufonescos podem contribuir para a formação do curinga do Teatro Fórum? A principal consideração obtida nesta investigação mostra que parte das peças de Teatro Fórum estudadas estão esvaziadas politicamente e não buscam o olhar crítico dos espect-atores. Portanto, é fundamental que o curinga construa o jogo de sua atuação pela qualidade improvisacional, que é um dos atributos das atividades do bufão, dessa forma poderá haver criticidade na fruição dos espect-atores.

Martin Scorsese expressed dissatisfaction stating that superhero movies lacks uniqueness and emotional and psychological depth. In his opinion, these movies depict spectacle rather than character. Scorsese is not alone in his view - this has been a general opinion among film critics for decades. Justin Wyatt examines the recipe for commercial success in his book High concept: Movies and marketing in Hollywood from 1994. Film theorist Kristin Thompson however, denounces the idea that High Concept or post-classicism changes structures in narrative. This thesis examines visual style and intertextuality in three films released in 2019: Avengers: Endgame, Hellboy and Joker. Are there similarities and/or differences in relation to Wyatt’s theories? All three movies use style and intertextuality to tell their stories and they all have excess scenes to please the audience visually. However, they still use classic Hollywood narrative with three acts and cause-and-effect storylines.

In my essay, I illuminate evil from the perspective of whether we can explain evil deeds through the perpetrator's narrative. As an object for my study, I have chosen a popular culture perspective - the character The Joker - which has been portrayed several times. The purpose of the essay is to study if we understand and can come to terms with evil deeds if we also know the perpetrator's narrative. The starting point for this reasoning is the question of whether evil deeds can always be defined as evil? I have limited my thesis to be based on theories based on traditional and historical research in the field of evil. The material I have used for my analysis is limited to the shape of The Joker in the script of the films The Dark Knight and The Joker. Methodologically, the essay is based on textual idea analysis - around evil and myths.  Out of the scripts of The Joker and The Dark Knight I have developed a hypothesis which I finally discuss the reasonableness and test logically. Theoretically, I have based my study on Lars Svendsen's analysis of evil, John Martin Fischer's analysis of the meaning of the narrative and Claudia Card's discussion of grey areas. Based on these, I have analysed, discussed and argued to test my hypothesis and answer the question of the essay: Is The Joker's narrative an explanation for his evil deeds? The study's method and analysis have generated a result that shows that this is not the case. The Joker has made his own free choices that have made him who he is and what he does. His narrative is not an explanation for his demonic evil deeds.

This study examines how mental illness in the movie “Joker” (2019) is portrayed. Thestudy uses a qualitative content analysis with a class-perspective using sociologistPierrie Bourdieu's theoretical concepts. The main questions of this study are howBourdieu's theoretical concepts habitus, strategy, field and capital are portrayed as itrelates to mental illness.The study follows a traditional structure while using a qualitative content analysis. Itdoes so by implementing a coding-phase, followed by categorization and lastly, andmostly, thematization. By doing so it allows for a greater deal of interpretation whichis essential for answering the study's purpose.The study suggests that the portrayal of mental illness in the movie is nuanced andtherefore not necessarily all good nor bad. It argues that by humanizing the movie'smain character it highlights deeply rooted systematic issues through a paralleldepiction of a mentally ill person and the society's downfall, all while also portrayingmental illness as logical within the given context. However, it also suggests that themovie, through the lens of the social sphere, portrays the issue of mental illness asone reserved for society's alienated population. / Denna undersökning analyserar hur psykisk ohälsa skildras i filmen “Joker” (2019).Undersökningen genomförs med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys och använderett klassperspektiv med utgångspunkt i Pierre Bourdieus teorier och begrepp.Analysen tar fasta på hur Bourdieus teoretiska begrepp habitus, strategi, fält ochkapital gestaltas och vad det innebär för skildringen av psykisk ohälsa.Undersökningen följer en traditionell struktur vad gäller kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Detta sker genom användning av en kodningsfas, kategoriseringar och tematisering.Denna struktur möjliggör för en större tolkningsfrihet, något som är essentiellt för attkunna besvara undersökningens syfte.Undersökningens resultat argumenterar för att skildringen av psykisk ohälsa i filmenär nyanserad och därigenom inte uteslutande negativ eller positiv. Resultatet tyderpå att filmens humanisering av dess huvudkaraktär genom en parallell illustration aven psykiskt sjuk persons och ett samhälles förfall belyser djupt rotade systematiskaproblem, samtidigt som den också skildrar psykisk ohälsa som logisk inom den givnakontexten. Undersökningen hänvisar dock också till filmens gestaltning av detsociala rummet som en problematisk aspekt då det skildrar psykisk ohälsa somreserverat för samhällets alienerade befolkning.

<p>Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker played on a computerized console. Video poker allows players an opportunity for some control of the random events that determine whether they win or lose. This means that making the right play can increase a player's return in the long run. For that reason, optimal strategy hand-rank tables for various types of video poker games have been recently published and established to help players improve their return (Ethier, 2010). Ethier posed a number of open problems in his recent book, <em>The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilitistic Aspects of Gambling</em> among which were some in video poker. In this thesis we consider the most popular video poker games: Jacks or Better, Double Bonus, and Joker Wild. Ethier produced an optimal strategy hand-rank table for Jacks or Better. We expand on his method to produce optimal hand-rank tables for Double Bonus, and Joker Wild. The method involves enumerating all possible discards, computing the expected returns, and then finding a way to rank them according to optimal discard based on the payoffs. The methodology combines combinatorics with probability and C++ programming. For Double Bonus and Joker Wild new terminologies are introduced in order to illustrate how different cards can affect the magnitude of expected return of a particular hand. Furthermore, ranks whose organization and specification are noteworthy in the hand-rank tables are examined and provided with in-depth explanations and supporting examples. The final result is a hand-rank table for use by the player. The player chooses that discard which ranks highest in the hand-rank table corresponding to potential final hands.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

The goal of this thesis is to explore the way heterosexism and homophobia are present in the coding that has created an implied and monstrous queer identity for the Joker, present in many versions of the character over the past forty years. Through close readings of several of the Joker’s most iconic appearances, queer theory texts, and analytical essays on pop culture, this paper will analyze the use of queer signifiers present in the comics and the way that these portrayals of the Joker are rife with harmful and heterocentric perceptions of what comic creators have seen as necessary signifiers for queerness. Additionally, I will be using knowledge gleaned from my own preexisting work with fan and cultural studies in order to talk about the way that this portrayal of the Joker has been developed within fandom/fan communities and how it is continually replicated in superhero media.

Sammanfattning I stora delar av världen används forumteater för att motverka förtryck. När forumteater spelas har jokern en nyckelroll. Undersökningens syfte är att ta reda på vad de i studien ingående jokrarna uppfattar som jokring och hur de uppfattar jokring samt att skapa beskrivningskategorier för dessa uppfattningar. Frågeställningen är: Hur beskriver jokrar jokring? I undersökningen har korta intervjuer med 19 jokrar analyserats. Jokrarna kommer från 11 länder. Intervjuerna är hämtade från den internationella hemsidan för Teater för förtryckta. Metoden i undersökningen är huvudsakligen fenomenografisk. Resultat: Jokring är att leda forumteaterprocessen med dialogen i centrum. Fyra uppfattningar av aspekter hos jokerns roll har framkommit, här beskrivna metaforiskt: Jokern som etiker/filosof, jokern som samhällsförändrare, jokern som hantverkare och jokern som psykolog. Jokern stimulerar med hjälp av forumteatern till dialog. Jokrarna i undersökningen har uppfattningen att dialogen utgör både medel och mål med jokring och med forumteater. Dialogen uppfattas ske med olika medel, olika riktning och med olika föresatser.  Den sker visuellt, med tal och i handling. Den har sitt fokus, sin riktning, gentemot individerna i publiken, mot publiken som grupp och/eller mot den samhällsgrupp som publiken antas komma ifrån. Föresatsen med jokerns dialog är att stödja och/eller utmana. Avsikten med undersökningen har varit att få ökad kunskap om jokring och att skapa underlag för fortsatt arbete för ökad kunskap om jokring.

The new “Joker” movie, directed by Todd Phillips, was released in 2019 and brought a range of fervent and controversial discussion both in critics and audiences. Nevertheless, the “Joker” persona is tightly associated with comics and the superhero movie genre, and usually depicted in a particular way. However, the new movie differs in vital points. This study aims to explore the differences that lie between the “Joker”, and his depiction in the superhero genre. In order to investigate this inquiry, we conducted an exploratory research, and used latent content analysis. From our results, we extrapolate that the new movie constructs a more humane and approachable image of the “Joker”, as opposed to the “nameless” and “cold-blooded” villain. Simultaneously, we concluded that the movie adopts a more realistic and less entertaining approach towards violence, a prominent characteristic in superhero movies

Thesis (M.A. (English))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016. / This dissertation examines how particular combinations of image and text in sequential art reflect specific social, historical and political contexts. The analysis of how meaning is constructed is done through consideration of three iterations of the Batman superhero character, and argues for an eventual postmodernisation of the character. The first case study presented is the original version of Batman as it debuted in 1939, which naturally established much of the substance from which later depictions would take their cues. The second case study used is the “camp” 1960s TV series starring Adam West, which was influenced by the highly restricted Batman comics under the Comics Code Authority established in 1954. The main case study, and the central focus of this dissertation, is Batman – Arkham Asylum (1989), a graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, the latest of the three iterations, which represents the eventual disruption of the enforced or constructed harmony evident in the earlier versions of the character into a fracturing and fragmentation both of the world and the self. It is a version of Batman that privileges the interiority and psychological complexity of the character, representing a culmination of the 1980s shift toward a more mature audience with its incorporation of horror, violence and mental turmoil. These three examples are compared and contrasted, showing how each constructs a particular meaning using its own unique combination of image and text. Having established a historicity for the character and having constructed an argument for how Batman as a cultural icon echoes shifts in society, the focus of the dissertation is transferred to a deeper analysis of Arkham and attempts to trace more explicitly its status as a postmodern text by examining its fragmentary nature, its use of intertextuality and how meaning in Arkham is constructed in the mind. Following this, an exploration of the central theme of madness in the graphic novel is provided in order to show how the work both critiques the representation of madness in fiction as well as how the liminal setting of the asylum functions as part of the postmodernisation of Batman by creating a “landscape of madness” where irrationality and the uncanny dominate reality, in contrast to the logical, “left-brain” treatment of Batman which had become common prior to Arkham Asylum. The analysis of the three iterations is shaped by WTJ Mitchell’s theories on imagetext relationships and additionally by the principles of sequential art outlined by Scott McCloud. The postmodern theoretical framework is informed by John Docker’s explorations of fragmentation, intertextuality, inversion and the Carnivalesque. Additionally, the writings of Lillian Feder and Michel Foucault will inform the discussion of madness in Arkham. / GR2017