A BODY OUTSIDE THE KREMLIN is a historical mystery novel set in the Northern Camps of Special Significance, a Soviet Russian penal institution based in the Solovetsky Archipelago during the 1920s. The protagonist, working first with the camp authorities, then in spite of their disapproval, solves the murder of a fellow prisoner. In the process he improves his position within the camp, while also becoming hardened to the brutal necessities of camp life. Prior to the establishment of the penal camp, the Solovetsky Archipelago was the site of an important Russian Orthodox monastery, and the mystery proves to involve valuables, particularly icons, seized from the monks by the Soviet secret police. Thus the novel treats themes not only of statist repression, but also religious epiphany and the problems of true perception in a world of symbols.

The aim of this study is to compare and contrast isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives, a genre which has not been fully embraced by literary scholars and authors in the African languages. The intention is to compare and contrast isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives for the development of criteria and evaluating methods, which can be used in all the African languages. Detective narratives form part of a genre that has a rigid plot and follows a pattern similar to a puzzle. In the detective narrative, a crime is committed, which usually involves a murder taking place. The person who has committed this murder is unknown to the readers or the detective, who might be a professional detective or an amateur. The main duty of the detective is to investigate the case so that he/she can find the culprit. In this study, various literary theories are applied to analyse detective narratives, namely narratology, structuralism, the comparative method, intertextuality and intratextuality theories. The isiZulu detective narratives that are analysed, are M.M. Masondo’s Isigcawu Senkantolo (1990) and C.T. Msimang’s Walivuma Icala (1996). The Sepedi detective narratives that are analysed, are H.D.N. Bopape’s Lenong la Gauta (1984) and M.A. Kekana’s Nnete Fela (1989). The content, topic, plot, characterisation, setting/milieu, theme, style and atmosphere are explained in relation to the general structure of a detective narrative, indicating the differences between their structures and that of the mainstream narrative. The characteristic features of a general detective narrative are discussed and are used to determine how successfully the authors of isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives have managed to apply them. Mystery as the main feature of detective narratives is discussed in detail. It is also explained in relation to how it is used by authors to mislead readers or to hide certain information from them in order to create mystery. Tension and suspense are also exemplified in these detective narratives as the main creators of mystery. The five elements of mystery, as the main characteristic features of detective narratives, are also discussed and each element is exemplified in the isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives. The two isiZulu detective narratives and the two Sepedi detective narratives are compared and contrasted to see their similarities and differences. The next step in the study is to deduce the commonalities and dissimilarities, which can be observed between the detective narratives. The end product is the results of the comparison and contrast between the detective narratives in the different language groups. The results of this method indicated the characteristic features of detective narratives in the isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives, which can be applicable to other African languages. The findings arrived at through the use of intertextual and intratextual approaches suggest that scholars and authors of African languages could adopt the same methods in studying and writing detective narratives. In this way, the number of detective narratives in African languages has the potential of increasing. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / African Languages / DLitt / Unrestricted

Mystery shopping is used in a variety of service industries to measure service performance, as a training tool for employees, and to ensure the safety and security of the product offered. The persons performing this activity, mystery shoppers, experience various motivations, some of which are similar to employees and/or volunteers. These motivations can be intrinsic, where the performance of the activity is a reward itself, or extrinsic, meaning performance of the activity is a method for attaining a reward. The dominance of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation can shift within the individual, which is termed motivation crowding. Individuals can crowd in when intrinsic motivations are supplemented and supported by extrinsic motivations, or crowd out if extrinsic motivations become the dominant factor, devaluing the activity and reducing intrinsic motivation. This study examines the motivations of mystery shoppers and examines whether the tenets of motivation crowding are supported using a mixed methods research design. The objectives for the study were to identify, classify, and measure mystery shopping motivations using motivational theory to test for the presence of motivation crowding, as reflected in the initial two hypotheses: H1: There are salient dimensions of motivation influencing individual participation in mystery shopping activities. H2: Mystery shoppers experience motivation "crowding in" after initial performance of mystery shopping activities, with intrinsic motivations increasing. To address the first hypothesis, the study began with a qualitative research approach utilizing semi-structured interviews with current mystery shoppers. Through qualitative analysis, 14 constructs of mystery shopper motivations were identified. The constructs were then utilized to develop the Mystery Shopper Motivation Scale, following the eight-step scale development process defined by DeVellis (2003). The scale was then refined through pre-testing and pilot testing, and was used in a survey administration to 323 current mystery shoppers. Through factor analysis, the motivations identified were quantitatively supported, and then dependent t-tests indicated the presence of motivation crowding affecting mystery shoppers. However, unanticipated increases in extrinsic motivations prompted further analysis of motivations based on mystery shopping experience levels, resulting in the addition of a third hypothesis: H3: The direction of motivation crowding is dependent on the mystery shopper's level of experience. H3a: Mystery shoppers who have performed less than 10 mystery shops will crowd in, with an increase in intrinsic motivations and a decrease in extrinsic motivations. H3b: Mystery shoppers who have performed between 10-24 mystery shops will crowd in, with an increase in both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and intrinsic motivations remaining the dominant factor. H3c: Mystery shoppers who have performed 25 or more mystery shops will crowd in, with an increase in both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, but extrinsic motivations becoming the dominant factor. Results supported motivation crowding as dependent on the experience level of the mystery shopper, prompting the categorization of three distinct mystery shopping phases of activity: the novelty phase, the exploratory phase, and the career phase. Empirical results of the survey were then compared to a subsequent round of qualitative analysis of mystery shopper online forums. Recommendations for future research include longitudinal studies of novelty phase mystery shoppers, examination of the effects motivation crowding may have on mystery shopper behavioral intentions, and incorporation of the perceived costs associated with mystery shopping.

This project started as inspections of violence in different forms, specifically childhood violence. I created scenes of lost youth and displacement and some kind of fragmentation, or eruption of violence, that seemed to also justify the fragmented nature of the scenes, and how they may have been jaggedly connected. Then I had a strong urge to novelize the characters I had written, I wanted to tell their full story. The narrator Christian overtakes the novel, so it could be described as an i-novel really. He isn’t always an active participant in the action of what’s happening in the scenes, but he’ll sit back as more of an observer. The narrator’s most salient feature is his need to connect, as he presents a series of failures in accessing, or being accessible to, his friends.

No description available.

This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of curiosity resolution. I investigate the premise that the experience of curiosity resolution is influenced both by the fact that curiosity is resolved, as well as how it is resolved. While the outcome associated with curiosity resolution can be positive or negative in nature, the experience of curiosity resolution itself is predicted to be pleasant in nature. Therefore, I propose that the degree to which each of these two resolution facets is salient will influence curiosity-related evaluations. In this dissertation, I investigate pre-resolution expectations as well as post-resolution downstream consequences. Prior to curiosity resolution, I propose that individuals are likely to be focused on the outcome they will obtain. However, when faced with uncertain outcomes, individuals strategically heighten anticipated feelings of disappointment in order to protect against actual disappointment when the outcome is revealed; thus, I predict and demonstrate in four studies that curious consumers will display heightened levels of pre-resolution feelings of anticipated disappointment. After curiosity resolution, I propose that individuals experience not only positive or negative feelings associated with the outcome obtained, but also positive feelings of resolution itself. In four studies, I investigate the power of curiosity resolution to buffer negative responses to relatively undesirable outcomes. Importantly, I also demonstrate that consumers' focus on either the outcome obtained or on the experience of resolution itself can be experimentally shifted, thereby mitigating the previously described effects. / Ph. D.

Thesis (MA (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The primary objective of this thesis is to explore and analyse the structure of the crime novel / thriller in a practical manner – and subsequently develop an equally pragmatic, broad and useful guide which would potentially be of value to both reader and author of the genres. This tight and reductive focus has one important consequence: It will more or less ignore traditional literary theory, but the one obviously excludes the other.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Geography, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-43).

Thèse (M.A.)--Université Laval, 1997. / Comprend des réf. bibliogr.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Mar. 5, 2009). PDF text: 185 p. ; 603 Kb. UMI publication number: AAT 3297712. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.