The oft-expressed opinion that Cervantes' Don Quixote influenced Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy was examined in the light of the two texts. Major aspects considered were character, narrative technique, and theme. For each, the model of Don Quixote was first analyzed--when possible, reconstructing Sterne's views--then, Sterne's use of the model was traced in Tristram Shandy. / The first chapter presents, in general terms, the use of Spanish sources in seventeenth-century English literature; the reception of Don Quixote and its interpretations in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries; the changing attitudes toward Don Quixote, and their effect on the development of the novel; Sterne's allusions to Don Quixote and Cervantes, and his identification of his own humor as "Cervantick." The last part of the chapter concerns the question of translation, and Sterne's use of the Motteux-Ozell version, whose merits and flaws are examined. / The second chapter considers the characters, Don Quixote and Sancho from one work, and Walter Shandy, Toby, Trim, and Yorick from the other. Don Quixote is seen as didactic, eloquent, idealistic as well as irascible, ridiculous, and fanatical. Sancho is clever, loyal, ambitious as well as roguish, materialistic, and opportunistic. Don Quixote is maddened by his reading, and Sancho partakes of his madness. Walter Shandy shares with Quixote his temper, book-madness, didacticism, eloquence, fanaticism. Toby shares the knight's idealism, and his respect for soldiers. Toby also shares in several of Sancho's traits, especially his commonsense approach to life. Trim, Toby's servant, like Sancho, is loquacious, clever, loyal. Yorick, tall and lean, rides a hack like Rocinante and shares with Don Quixote his idealistic approach to life and his desire to help others. Like the knight, he gets only blows for his pains. The Walter-Toby and Toby-Trim relationships derive from that between Quixote and Sancho; that of Walter and Yorick derives from that of Quixote and the Curate. / The third chapter examines structural elements, and deals primarily with the narrators and dramatized readers in both works. Don Quixote uses a multi-level presentation with three narrators: a first narrator who interrupts his work; a second, the Christian editor of the third; and Cid Hamete Benengeli, the Arab who supplies most of the tale. The narrators manipulate the material, presenting differing options and asking for the reader's sympathy. Sterne's narrator, Tristram, uses a number of Cervantes' narrators' devices and picks up suggestions on the nature of fiction, time, and the author-reader relationship. Cervantes presents readers within his novel who dramatize the reception of fiction in general and of Don Quixote itself. Sterne develops this device by having Tristram engage in a continual conversation with the reader. / The fourth chapter deals with three themes found in both works: first, the relationship between life and art; second, literary theory and criticism; third, communication and frustration. For the first, Cervantes and Sterne explore the limits of fiction and reality, and the comic confusion of the two; however, the melding of art and life is not absolutely rejected by either. For the second, Cervantes presents a theory to dignify the new form of the comic epic in prose while Sterne presents an idiosyncratic theory to justify his own practices. For the third, the skeptical attitude of both authors with respect to language, their concern for communication and the inevitability of frustration in human endeavors, with verbal communication in the forefront, is analyzed. / The fifth and last chapter presents the writer's conclusions of the presence of Cervantes' influence on Sterne. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-09, Section: A, page: 4038. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study includes a facsimile of Edwin John Ellis and William Butler Yeats's text of William Blake's unfinished epic Vala, reproduced from their 1893 edition of The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic and Critical (Quaritch). Ellis and Yeats were the first editors and commentators of Vala, and this study provides textual apparatus which show the immense difficulties they encountered and the numerous changes they made as the attempted to derive a readable text from a "heap of unsorted and unnumbered" manuscript leaves. / Ellis and Yeats began their collaboration in 1889; they shared in the copying of the manuscript and, probably, in the arrangement of passages. Ellis frequently emended Blake's verse in an effort to improve the meter (as this study's lengthy "Table of Variants" demonstrates), and he was largely responsible for the arrangement of the manuscript leaves; Nights I, VII, and VII gave the greatest difficulty here. / In Night I they arranged pages 5 and 6 in reverse order, omitted pages 15 and 16 altogether, and incorrectly arranged the Night's last two leaves. Except for their inability to place manuscript pages 111 and 112 (whose present position at the end of Night VIII is still not totally satisfactory), the only other anomaly in their arrangement is their combining of the two Night Sevens; they print what is now known as VIIa ahead of VIIb, maintaining, however, that VIIb was Blake's "first draught" for the Night. / Even though Ellis and Yeats believed Vala was Blake's most important poem, they did not use it to its best advantage in their mammoth commentary, "The Symbolic System." Their preoccupation with mysticism and the occult and their eccentric interpretation of Vala seriously hindered their efforts to elucidate Blake's major prophecies. Their commentary, however, did contain some grains of truth and was instrumental in convincing other editors and critics that Blake deserved further investigation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2691. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The Harlot's Child consists of thirty-four original poems written between 1978 and 1982. The poems develop logically from those collected in my M.A. thesis, The Green Kangaroo (Anhinga Press, 1978). The manuscript includes ten poems which have been published or accepted for publication in the following periodicals: Sun Dog, The Panhandler, Kalliope, Apalachee Quarterly, and The Bellingham Review. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: A, page: 0814. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study is a selective examination of The Uncommercial Traveller, a collection of thirty-seven papers which originally appeared in All the Year Round in 1860, 1863, and 1868-69. The primary focus is upon the persona, a dual-voiced narrative device which allowed Dickens to speak from both a private and a public point of view. Balancing an often autobiographical impulse with an interest in society as distinct from himself, Dickens, as the Uncommercial Traveller, addressed his readers intimately in a voice which is unmistakably his own. Following a brief historical survey of Dickens' journalistic career, Chapter One examines Dickens' imaginative return to, and reassessment of, his past in the 1860 series, focusing upon the private side of his narrative voice. At a time when he was faced with his own physical decline, as well as with a growing awareness of the inevitability of change, the re-creation of his earlier days became a means of coping with the uncertainty brought about by old age. Thus, he attained a maturity of vision which played an important part in the making of Great Expectations, itself a novel about identity and the shaping influence of the past. Chapter Two begins with an examination of Dickens' imaginative returns in the 1863 and 1868-69 series. Then, following a more general approach, it focuses upon the range of Dickens' subject matter, provides an example of the structure within the series, and traces Dickens' mature handling of, and experimentation in, the essay form. Chapter Three, largely concerned with the public side of the persona, serves as an index to Dickens' social attitudes toward the end of his life, and considers the influence which Thomas Carlyle had upon him throughout the writing of the essay series. Whether Dickens speaks personally, often humorously, or preaches dutifully in the Carlylean manner, we never lose sight of / the fact that we have before us a representative of common sense and humanity--a man, who, not unlike ourselves, is capable of rollicking, Pickwickian humor as well as the sombre broodings characteristic of his later, "dark" period. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0451. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Shakespeare's plays enjoyed an immense popularity on the Restoration stage, and the large number of theatre patrons combined with the increase in the reading public to create a strong demand for the plays in print. Throughout the Restoration period, however, those interested in reading Shakespeare's dramatic works could choose only from a few plays printed in quarto and from "complete works" in bulky and expensive single-volume folios. Recognizing that potential Shakespeare readers were not likely to be satisfied by existing copies, the publisher and entrepreneur Jacob Tonson undertook to publish Shakespeare's plays in a smaller, more affordable edition. / To edit the plays, Tonson selected Nicholas Rowe, the chief tragedian of the day. Rowe's six-volume edition of Shakespeare's plays was first published in 1709, and proved so successful that a second edition appeared in the same year, and a third in 1714. Among the edition's innovations are its octavo size, illustrations, lists of dramatis personae, settings, scene locations, and act and scene divisions. Its chief feature, however, is its extensive biography of Shakespeare, which was not only the first to be published but remained the standard until 1821. / Despite its important place in Shakespearean scholarship, Rowe's edition has not undergone a single, exhaustive study. The purpose of this study is to secure for Rowe's edition the status it well deserves. To that end, I have consulted existing studies, combining their findings with those of my own. Chapter One discusses Shakespeare's progress during the seventeenth century and the circumstances which prompted Tonson to commission Rowe's work. Chapter Two focuses on the technical points of Rowe's three editions of Shakespear--the dates of publication, the costs of sets, the formats, the types of paper and binding, and the illustrations. Chapter Three is concerned with Rowe's biography of Shakespeare. Its information has been evaluated with the assistance of Professor Shoenbaum's invaluable Shakespeare's Lives. Chapter Four examines Rowe's text of the plays, providing a detailed analysis of his lists of dramatis personae, his settings, scene locations, act and scene divisions, and emendations. And Chapter Five evaluates Rowe's place among Shakespeare editors. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-12, Section: A, page: 3918. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Because Eliza Haywood (1693?-1756) is known primarily for her work as a novelist, her impact on eighteenth-century periodicals has gone virtually unnoticed. She was, however, the author of the first periodical written by a woman for women, the monthly Female Spectator (1744-46). Her other periodical works include The Tea-Table (1724), The Parrot (1728), The Parrot, with a Compendium of the Times (1746), and The Young Lady (1756). These essays display a wide range of knowledge, interests, and concerns, and offer the modern reader an insight into eighteenth-century life. / This study surveys Haywood's periodical works, focusing on their contribution to the history of the periodical essay. A small body of existing scholarship examines her Female Spectator, but almost no attention has been given to her other periodical ventures. This study attempts to fill some gaps in existing Haywood scholarship. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2585. / Major Professor: Eric C. Walker. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993. / Chapter One presents an overview of the periodical essay, both as an eighteenth-century form and as a distinct genre. Chapter Two establishes a connection between Haywood's periodicals and their antecedents by offering a selective history of periodical publications. Chapter Three describes the publication history, contents, and historical value of the Tea-Table (1724). Chapters Four through Six address the publication history, contents, and historical value of the Female Spectator (1744-46), particularly in its role as the first periodical for women by a woman who did not conceal her gender. Chapter Seven refutes the contention that the Female Spectator is merely a serialized courtesy book. Chapter Eight describes the contents of both The Parrot (1728) and The Parrot, with a Compendium of the Times (1746), noting the similarities and differences between them and Haywood's other periodicals. Chapter Nine considers Haywood's last periodical, The Young Lady (1756), examining its contents and making a case for it as the heir to the Female Spectator. Chapter Ten presents a reconsideration of Haywood's periodicals and her role as an early feminist.

This study examines the content and rhetorical strategies of Charles Dickens's letters to the philanthropist Angela Burdett Coutts, focusing on a series of letters concerning Urania Cottage, a small institution devoted to the reclamation of prostitutes that Dickens and Coutts opened in 1847. The purpose of this study is to use new historicist methods to show that Dickens's letters to Coutts prove there is a link between his work with Urania Cottage and the fallen women characters in David Copperfield, Emily and Martha. To date most critics who have examined the letters have argued that there is no connection. In my view, to understand this link we must (1) analyze all the letters on Urania; (2) analyze the cultural context of the letters and the novels; and (3) analyze the rhetorical strategies of the letters. Chapter Two provides information on prostitution in Victorian society and an overview of the rules and philosophy of Urania Cottage. Dickens's work with Urania enforces cultural boundaries positively and suggests new models for redemption. Chapter Three discusses Dickens's letters as written discourse, focusing on the rhetorical strategies I call the rhetoric of negotiation. I contend that to appreciate fully the complexities of Dickens's ideas about fallen women and the impact of his philanthropic work one must first understand the rhetoric of negotiation. Chapter Four shows that the rhetoric of negotiation is the key to understanding the fallen women characters in Copperfield. There Dickens uses the strategies of embedding values within a melodramatic narrative and of modifying his beliefs in an attempt to bring his readers closer to his true position. Finally, Chapter Five discusses the implications of this study for Dickens's criticism and teaching. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2590. / Major Professor: John J. Fenstermaker. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

Though scholars have long known of Yeats's Notebooks of automatic writing, sleeps, and dreams, which he and his wife, George, kept, the contents have not been available in a form accessible to the general public. This dissertation presents a text of the papers known as the Sleep and Dream Notebooks written between March 1920 and July 1923. These four Notebooks and the related miscellaneous pages inserted into them by Yeats or his wife, follow chronologically the Notebooks which record the couple's experiments with automatic writing. The Sleep and Dream Notebooks record Yeats's personal involvement with various psychic methods which he felt would help in the writing of A Vision. These Notebooks attest to the degree to which a knowledge of Yeats's psychic studies are integral to an understanding of his later work. / The original Notebooks are in the hands of both Yeats and his wife, and are legible only with lengthy study. The dissertation presents the texts of the Notebooks with minimal editorial intrusion, maintaining irregularities of grammar and syntax, peculiarities of style. Included in the text are the numerous line drawings made by both of the Yeatses to record and explain the philosophy of his System. A preface describes the original condition of the material and the specific ways it is treated to arrive at the text. An introduction explains the relationship of the Notebooks to Yeats, his other psychic materials, and the writing of A Vision. Textual and explanatory notes of allusions and difficult material follow the texts of the Notebooks. / The Sleep and Dream Notebooks characterize 1920-1923 as a period during which Yeats lived his philosophy, recounting such an integral association of the spiritual with the corporeal that the reader is convinced of Yeats's desire to see as functional the drama about which, it is now apparent, he structured his later life. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1123. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

William Dunbar, a Scottish poet who lived in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, left a literary legacy consisting of eighty-three lyrics. At different periods, these poems have been praised or ignored. Sir Walter Scott praised them in the early nineteenth century as did Professor James Paterson later in the same century. Modern scholars and critics have largely rejected this encomium. Denton Fox has called the poems stale and unevocative. But one critic, James Kinsley, editor of the most recent volume of the poems, declares his belief that Dunbar was the greatest English, not just Scottish, poet between Chaucer and Spenser. / In this dissertation I demonstrate that Dunbar's place as one of the preeminent poets between Chaucer and Spenser rests on the interaction of religion and rhetoric, coming together in the areas of invention, purpose, audience, and style. To support this thesis, I devote the first chapter to rhetoric as it relates to Dunbar's audiences, one real and immediate, one contrived and literary. The second chapter shows how the poet's overall topos was religion, with varied rays from its center making up his themes. In the third chapter I deal with the coalescence of rhetoric and religion in another major component of communication, style. And in the fourth and final chapter I offer evidence that the lyrics are, in fact, sermons in verse. Some of them are devotions, some are didactic homelies, while others, the most original, are parodies of traditional exegeses. / Dunbar addressed his poems to King James IV of Scotland, to Queen Margaret, to members of the royal court, to the merchants and workers of Edinburgh, to other poets, and to himself. For most of these lyrics his audience is a real and immediate one, but for some poems addressed to the last two groups it is literary. / The poet's style is marked by versatility and polished craftsmanship, with diction varying from the aureate to the colloquial and often bawdy. For each lyric prosody and stanzaic form varies as if the poet deliberately chose the best vehicle to carry the intended meaning. / Perhaps because the Franciscans discouraged the preservation of sermons, Dunbar left no prose exegeses. But many of the lyrics are sermons revealing his knowledge of theology and his personal commitment to the Lord. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1125. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

Samuel Johnson once told James Boswell, "'Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual who is willing to leave London'" (Life, III.178). However, after Johnson was pensioned in 1762, he indulged his love of traveling. Very little scholarly attention has been given to his nearly annual visits to the places and people of his past: Oxford, Birmingham, Lichfield, and Ashbourne. Yet he spent more time in these locales than on his major tours. / Johnson enjoyed the countryside, where he could walk and drive in the fresh air and occasionally jump stiles and clamber over rocks. More important was maintaining ties with friends, especially those from his childhood and early adulthood: Thomas Warton, Robert Chambers, and William Adams at Oxford; Edmund Hector in Birmingham; Lucy Porter, Peter Garrick, and the Aston sisters in Lichfield; and John Taylor in Ashbourne. / Unlike the stimulating literary talk he had in London and at Oxford, his country conversations often dealt with such topics as Lucy's cats, Taylor's "great Bull," strawberries, oats, ill-health, and animal husbandry, unless Boswell and the Thrales joined him and enlivened the visits. His letters to Mrs. Thrale begged for news and complained of the boredom of his "exile" from London. But after she shut him out of her life, he turned to his oldest friends--Taylor, Hector, Lucy, and Adams--as he prepared for death in 1784. / These visits reveal different sides of Samuel Johnson: the convivial scholar/alumnus at Oxford, the native son comparing his youthful dreams with the reality of his life, the loyal friend enduring the "dulness" of Ashbourne. The visits also suggest some interesting things about Johnson's personality, about his intense gratitude and loyalty to old friends, the variety of his friendships and his patience with intellectual inferiors, his need for affection, his need to come to grips with his often painful past, a paradoxical necessity to escape from himself into his past, and his search for identity and peace, especially as he faced death. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-11, Section: A, page: 3391. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.