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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
41

Confrontations with the Anima in The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness, and Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

Barrett, Mary Sarah 30 November 2005 (has links)
This dissertation analyses the protagonists in The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness, and Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin, and looks at the extent to which they confront the Jungian archetype of the anima. I demonstrate that individuation and wisdom are not achieved in these characters until they confront the anima archetype within their individual psyches. I analyse the experiences and behaviour of each protagonist in order to identify anima confrontation (or lack thereof), and I seek to prove that such confrontation precipitates maturity and wisdom, which are goals of the hero's journey. The essential qualities of the anima archetype are wisdom, beauty and love. These qualities require acceptance of vulnerability. I argue that the protagonist is far from anima integration when he displays hatred and fear of vulnerability, and conclude that each protagonist is integrated with the anima when wisdom, beauty and love are evident in his character. / English Studies / M.A. (English)
42

Selves and others : the politics of difference in the writings of Ursula Kroeber le Guin

Byrne, D. C. (Deirdre C.) 11 1900 (has links)
Selves and Others: The Politics of Difference in the Writings of Ursula Kroeber Le Guin has two founding premises. One is that Le Guin's writing addresses the political issues of the late twentieth century in a number of ways, even although speculative fiction is not generally considered a political genre. Questions of self and O/other, which shape political (that is, powerinflected) responses to difference, infuse Le Guin's writing. My thesis sets out to investigate the mechanisms of representation by which these concerns are realized. My chapters reflect aspects of the relationship between self and O/other as I perceive it in Le Guin's work. Thus my first chapter deals with the representations of imperialism and colonialism in five novels, three of which were written near the beginning of her literary career. My second chapter considers Le Guin's best-known novels, The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974), in the context of the alienation from American society recorded by thinkers in the 1960s. In my third chapter, the emphasis shifts to intrapsychic questions and splits, as I explore themes of sexuality and identity in Le Guin's novels for and about adolescents. I move to more public matters in my fourth and fifth chapters, which deal, respectively, with the politicized interface between public and private histories and with disempowerment. In my final chapter, I explore the representation of difference and politics in Le Guin's intricate but critically neglected poetry. My second founding premise is that traditional modes of literary criticism, which aim to arrive at comprehensive and final interpretations, are not appropriate for Le Guin's mode of writing, which consistently refuses to locate meaning definitely. My thesis seeks and explores aporias in the meaning-making process; it is concerned with asking productive questions, rather than with final answers. I have, consequently, adopted a sceptical approach to the process of interpretation, preferring to foreground the provisional and partial status of all interpretations. I have found that postmodern and poststructuralist literary theory, which focuses on textual gaps and discontinuities, has served me better than more traditional ways of reading / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)
43

La quête : mythe central de la fantasy / The quest : central myth of fantasy fiction

Bergue, Viviane 20 September 2013 (has links)
La Fantasy est aujourd’hui l’un des genres majeurs des littératures de l’Imaginaire et l’un des plus prolifiques. Revendiquant le statut de littérature mythique de notre époque, elle puise ostensiblement son inspiration dans les récits mythologiques et les contes tout en organisant la majorité de ses récits autour d’une quête centrale. Celle-ci, parce qu’elle ne cesse de ressurgir dans les espaces-temps de la Fantasy, parce qu’elle implique toujours des êtres surnaturels mythiques associés aux commencements du monde, à l’instar des Elfes, et parce que, racontée au passé, elle devient objet d’un récit renvoyant à un passé disparu, fonctionne comme un véritable mythe du genre.Le présent ouvrage vise à étudier plus avant ce mythe questuel de la Fantasy afin d’en dégager les constantes et de mettre à jour les thématiques privilégiées par le genre. À travers l’analyse comparative du «Seigneur des Anneaux» et du «Silmarillion» de J.R.R. Tolkien, du cycle de «Terremer» d’Ursula K. Le Guin et du roman «La Glace et la Nuit. Opus un – Nigredo» de Léa Silhol, l’étude replace le mythe questuel de la Fantasy dans l’histoire littéraire et souligne, sous sa gangue faussement archaïque, la modernité du genre et sa pertinence comme discours sur la condition humaine. / Fantasy is now one of the major literary genres of imaginative fiction and one of the most prolific. Claiming to be the mythic literature of our time, it is mainly inspired by mythological narratives and fairy-tales, and it often organises its stories around a central quest. Since that quest constantly reappears in Fantasy space-times, often implies mythic supernatural beings, such as Elves, and becomes the object of a tale about a lost past, it functions as a genuine myth inside the genre.The present study intents to analyse the Fantasy quest myth in order to highlight its main aspects, and, through them, the favourite themes of Fantasy fiction. Through the comparative analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s «The Lord of the Rings» and «The Silmarillion», Ursula K. Le Guin’s «Earthsea Series» and Léa Silhol’s «La Glace et la Nuit. Opus un – Nigredo», the Fantasy quest myth is replaced in the literary history. Besides the analysis shows that, despite its apparent archaic aspects, Fantasy fiction is a modern genre and a relevant discourse about human condition.
44

The world is changing : ethics and genre development in three twentieth-century high fantasies / Kerrie Anne Le Lievre.

Le Lievre, Kerrie Anne, 1967- January 2003 (has links)
"December 2003" / Bibliography: leaves 249-263. / vii, 263 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, Discipline of English, 2004
45

"A complex and delicate web" : a comparative study of selected speculative novels by Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy /

Glover, Jayne Ashleigh January 2007 (has links)
Thesis (Ph.D. (English)) - Rhodes University, 2008
46

Bearers of dreams : a study of archetypal symbolism in fantasy and science fiction

Rubenstein, Avril 23 November 2006 (has links)
Please read the abstract in the 00front part of this document / Thesis (DLitt (English))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / English / unrestricted
47

A Worm in an Apple : An analysis of hegemonic masculinity, personal responsibility and the nature of the Shadow in Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea

Maddy Hansson, Gwendolyn January 2022 (has links)
In this paper, Ursula K Le Guin’s 1968 fantasy novel, A Wizard of Earthsea will be investigated in two ways. First, through a thematic analysis of the primary antagonist through a deconstructive close-reading technique. Second, through a pedagogic analysis of the depiction of hegemonic masculinity in the novel. The thematic analysis reveals that Le Guin departs from the typical expectations of the fantasy genre to highlight the themes of accepting personal responsibility and acknowledging the consequences of one’s actions, values which are reflected in the Swedish national curriculum. The pedagogic analysis of Le Guin’s treatment of hegemonic masculinity in school culture has the further potential to be used in an EFL classroom setting as part of a teaching unit problematizing the performance of hegemonic masculinity in modern school culture. This is also reflected in the central content for the English Syllabus. / <p>Due to Covid-19 restrictions/precautions, the final presentation seminar took place over Zoom.</p>
48

Turbulent Times: Epic Fantasy in Adolescent Literature

Crawford, Karie Eliza 01 January 2002 (has links) (PDF)
This thesis is a development of the theories presented by Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Bruno Bettelheim concerning archetypes, the anima/animus concept, the Hero Cycle, and identity development through fairy tales. I argue that there are vital rites of passage missing in Anglo-Saxon culture, and while bibliotherapy cannot replace them, it can help adolescents synthesize their experiences. The theories of Jung, Campbell, and Bettelheim demonstrate this concept by defining segments of the story and how they apply to the reader. Because of the applicability, readers, despite their age, can use the examples in the book to help reconcile their own experiences and understand life as it relates to them. The works I examine include J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy, and David Eddings' Belgariad. Though it is impossible to test the effects of reading such works on readers, the possibility of those effects exists. Bettelheim's work, The Uses of Enchantment, discusses similar themes and he provides scientific support through his use of anecdotal evidence. Following his example, I have tried to include evidence from my own life that exemplifies the effect reading epic fantasy has had on me. The aspects of epic fantasy in relation to going through adolescence I examine include the concept of responsibility and its relation to progress and maturity; gaining a social identity; and reconciling oneself to the dark side within and without, in society. These aspects are found within the superstructure of the Hero Cycle and the actions and motivations of the characters—archetypes—within the cycle. They are also present in real life and necessary concepts to understand to be accepted into society as a mature contributor.
49

"A complex and delicate web" : a comparative study of selected speculative novels by Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy

Glover, Jayne Ashleigh January 2008 (has links)
This thesis examines selected speculative novels by Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy. It argues that a specifiable ecological ethic can be traced in their work – an ethic which is explored by them through the tensions between utopian and dystopian discourses. The first part of the thesis begins by theorising the concept of an ecological ethic of respect for the Other through current ecological philosophies, such as those developed by Val Plumwood. Thereafter, it contextualises the novels within the broader field of science fiction, and speculative fiction in particular, arguing that the shift from a critical utopian to a critical dystopian style evinces their changing treatment of this ecological ethic within their work. The remainder of the thesis is divided into two parts, each providing close readings of chosen novels in the light of this argument. Part Two provides a reading of Le Guin’s early Hainish novels, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Word for World is Forest and The Dispossessed, followed by an examination of Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time, Lessing’s The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five, and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The third, and final, part of the thesis consists of individual chapters analysing the later speculative novels of each author. Piercy’s He, She and It, Le Guin’s The Telling, and Atwood’s Oryx and Crake are all scrutinised, as are Lessing’s two recent ‘Ifrik’ novels. This thesis shows, then, that speculative fiction is able to realise through fiction many of the ideals of ecological thinkers. Furthermore, the increasing dystopianism of these novels reflects the greater urgency with which the problem of Othering needs to be addressed in the light of the present global ecological crisis.
50

Arboreal thresholds - the liminal function of trees in twentieth-century fantasy narratives

Potter, Mary-Anne 09 1900 (has links)
Trees, as threshold beings, effectively blur the line between the real world and fantastical alternate worlds, and destabilise traditional binary classification systems that distinguish humanity, and Culture, from Nature. Though the presence of trees is often peripheral to the main narrative action, their representation is necessary within the fantasy trope. Their consistent inclusion within fantasy texts of the twentieth century demonstrates an enduring arboreal legacy that cannot be disregarded in its contemporary relevance, whether they are represented individually or in collective forests. The purpose of my dissertation is to conduct a study of various prominent fantasy texts of the twentieth century, including the fantasy works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robert Holdstock, Diana Wynne Jones, Natalie Babbitt, and J.K. Rowling. In scrutinising these texts, and drawing on insights offered by liminal, ecocritical, ecofeminist, mythological and psychological theorists, I identify the primary function of trees within fantasy narratives as liminal: what Victor Turner identifies as a ‘betwixt and between’ state (1991:95) where binaries are suspended in favour of embracing potentiality. This liminality is constituted by three central dimensions: the ecological, the mythological, and the psychological. Each dimension informs the relationship between the arboreal as grounded in reality, and represented in fantasy. Trees, as literary and cinematic arboreal totems are positioned within fantasy narratives in such a way as to emphasise an underlying call to bio-conservatorship, to enable a connection to a larger scope of cultural expectation, and to act as a means through which human self-awareness is developed. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

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