This thesis will examine intensively “The Tower of Babel: A Morality” a significant work of Thomas Merton, a major spiritual writer of the 20th Century, entitled. In order to explore this play three other works which impacted significantly on the development of the drama will also be examined. These three works are: A poem also called “Tower of Babel”; a second poem entitled “A Responsory” and a musical work titled “The Tower of Babel: An Oratorio”. Even though Victor Kramer, a Merton scholar, noted the significance of the Morality, the existing literature has all but ignored the impact of “The Oratorio” and the drama. Until this author requested a copy of “The Oratorio” from the Merton Centre in Louisville, Kentucky the work had been known by name only and had never been analysed. Yet this work was a major development from the poem “A Responsory” and led to the creation of the Morality Play. This work argues that “A Morality” was pivotal in contributing to personal and spiritual change in Merton as well as developing a greater depth of social understanding in him. It will also argue that the work contained the seeds of future Merton writings. Writing the drama moved Merton towards a contemplative maturity based on communion not simply community. While many studies have alluded to the play none of them have studied it with this particular focus. This new focus is the discovery of the ways Merton attempted to resolve the dilemma he experienced between the paths of monk and poet and how, in doing so, he created for spiritual seekers a fresh inner significance for the Babel story. This work is opening up new ground for an understanding of the importance of Merton’s insights in the contemporary world. The methods used in this thesis are: 1. Contextualising, that is establishing the historical, social, spiritual and literary framework in which the poems and plays were written, and 2. Literary analysis. Part A of the thesis examines the monastic, spiritual, social, literary and academic contexts which brought Merton to the moment of writing the Morality. Part B is organised chronologically and is an intensive analysis of the poems, the Oratorio and the Morality Play. Part C identifies the seeds of future growth contained within the Morality play and points to some of the directions in which these seeds developed in later Merton works.

published_or_final_version / English Studies and Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thèse (doctorale)--Université Paris 13, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-269).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-131)

Thèse (doctorale)--Université Paris 13, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-269).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-193).

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66).

Orientador(a): Luciane de Paula / Banca: Marina Célia Mendonça / Banca: Ekaterina Vólkova Américo / Banca: Grenissa Bonvino Stafuzza / Banca: Valdemir Miotello / Resumo: Diário do hospício e O cemitério dos vivos são textos escritos por Lima Barreto durante sua segunda internação no Hospício Nacional de Alienados, e a partir dela, no Rio de Janeiro, entre 25 de dezembro de 1919 e 2 de fevereiro de 1920. O primeiro é tido como anotações para a elaboração do segundo, um romance inacabado, cujo processo de produção foi interrompido pela morte do autor (1/11/1922). O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar a constituição de vozes sociais sobre a loucura e a psiquiatria - por meio das relações dialógicas, do discurso bivocal (polêmicas aberta e velada) e do autor - no diálogo entre Diário do hospício, O cemitério dos vivos, de Lima Barreto, outros enunciados e outras vozes sociais. Os objetivos específicos são: 1) identificar as vozes sociais com as quais dialoga Lima Barreto no processo de constituição dos enunciados que integram o corpus de pesquisa e descrever como se estabelece o diálogo entre esses enunciados limabarretianos; 2) examinar a bivocalidade polêmica no diálogo entre Diário do hospício e O cemitério dos vivos, no que diz respeito: i) à polêmica aberta estabelecida entre esses enunciados e os discursos da ciência psiquiátrica de sua época; e ii) à polêmica velada entre a fala limabarretiana e outras falas literárias do início do século XX; 3) perscrutar, ao compreendermos o autor como posição de autor, autor-criador/atividade de autor, autor puro e posicionamento de autor, os movimentos desses diálogos no processo de constituição a... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Diário do hospício and O cemitério dos vivos are texts written by Lima Barreto during his second admission in Hospício Nacional de Alienados,, and from there respectively, in Rio de Janeiro, between December 25, 1919 and February 2, 1920. The first is taken as annotations to development of the second, an unfinished novel, whose production was interrupted by the death of the author (1/11/1922). The overall objective of this research is to analyze the constitution of social voices about madness and psychiatry - through dialogical relations, polemical double-voiced discourse and the author-creator - in the dialogue between Diário do hospício and O cemitério dos vivos, works of Lima Barreto. The specific objectives are: 1) identify the social voices with which Lima Barreto dialogues in the process of formation of statements that make up the corpus of this research and describe how the dialogue between these limabarretianos statements is established; 2) examine the polemical double-voiced in the dialogue between Diário do hospício and O cemitério dos vivos, regarding to: i) the open polemic established between these statements and speeches of psychiatric science of his day; and ii) the veiled polemic between limabarretiana speech and other literary discourse of the early twentieth century, through his utterances; 3) search, to understand the author as an author's position, author-creator/ author's activity, pure author and author's positioning, the movements of these dialogues on... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

M.A. / Lestrade (1949) has already stated that the African people themselves regard traditional praise poems as the highest form of their literary art. Scholars such as Goma (1967), Kunene (1971) and Swanepoel (1983) have already highlighted some aspects concerning the "literariness" of Soho dithoko tsa marena. In this study, an attempt is made to highlight some of the literary features of dithoko within the literary framework established by the Russian Formalists almost a century ago. Focus is placed on the devices used by the traditional composer to create poetic' language, which is different from everyday communicative language. In the study an important vehicle used by traditional composers to create - literariness namely the application of allusion to violate normal language usage is investigated. The interaction between the so-called narrative lines in dithoko and events alluded to in the poems is discussed. Allusion and traditional beliefs are also focused on. The function of poetic devices such as metaphorical language, symbols and poetic diction is also investigated within the framework of the Formalists.

Two small groups of university students were compered. One group listened to a short story, the other one red the same story. Both groups answered the same questionnary focused on cognitive matters. Results: five criteria for cognitive analysis were identified. There was according to the criteria no difference between listening and reading. The voice of the reader was important with calming effect. When comparing cognitive analysis with traditional method no significant differences were identified.