Vacková, L.: Alkaloids Narcissus 'Dutch Master' (Amaryllidaceae) and their biological activity. I. Diploma thesis, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Ecology, Hradec Králové 2016. From a selected fraction ND-6, which was obtained by column chromatography of an alkaloid extract of Narcissus 'Dutch Master' (preparation of the alkaloid extract and column chromatography was performed by Mgr. Daniela Hulcová within her doctoral thesis), lycorine alakloid O-acetylpluviin was isolated using preparative TLC. Its structure was determined on the basis of MS, NMR analysis, and optical rotation, the obtained data were compared with the literature. The isolated alkaloid was tested on its possibility to inhibit human acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. The activity was expressed as IC 50 values (IC50 AChE = 648.03 ± 53.95 μM, IC50 BChE = 602.50 ± 48.50 μM) and compared with IC50 values of galanthamine, huperzine A and physostigmine. O-acetylpluviine showed a very low inhibitory cholinesterase activity, and so, the alkaloid does not seem to be a suitable cholinesterase inhibitor for potential use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Keywords: Narcissus 'Dutch Master', Amaryllidaceae, lycorine alkaloids, Alzheimer's disease,...

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This research was mainly based on my experiences along with the students of Pedagogy and Special Education course. Such knowledge has become the focal point for me to return to the essential questioner role in the risky world of research. Therefore, I propose to investigate the adolescents construction of self-image with Characteristics of High Ability / Gifted, which was constituted in this doctoral thesis, linked to the Graduate Program in Education, in the search line LP3: Special Education, UFSM - Santa Maria Federal University -RS Brazil. To help in this clash and list some possible solutions it was outlined as general aim to investigate, through the Narcissus Myth, as one builds his/her self-image on educational relationships as a reflection on the other. To advise, it was pointed out some specific objectives, such as: understanding the conception that one has of oneself; identify as the other, from educational space he sees and reveals oneself; and finally describes how he from the (intra / inter) relationship with the reflection of the other, builds one s self-image. The participants who contributed were three teenagers, one of them a 15-year-old teenager with characteristics described previously and two others not having such attributes, besides other testimonials / memorable from this mother, other mothers from the group and other teenagers disposal here, too, as objects of study. The criteria used for selecting this target corresponded to some inclusion and exclusion insights. Related to the teenage X, 15 and his characteristics were considered the identification made by the TIP - Talent Incentive Program, developed by UFSM (Santa Maria Federal University); being within the age group of 12 to 18 years old, according to the Child and Adolescent Statute and being male, as the central character of the Narcissus Myth belongs to this genre. Moreover, the other participants should be appointed by the Teenage X and legitimized by the members who make up their (inter) personal relationships. One of them, the Teenager Y, aged 17, is part of the acquaintanceship cycle that expresses a positive attitude toward to order and proximity, and another, codenamed Z, aged 16, reflecting a negative image reflex, because he is considered an opponent for attending the same educational spaces, which will outline the adolescent self-image construction, central focus for this investigation. Therefore, to present possible solutions to the aim and the Thesis problematization it was used descriptive research with case study interpretation, because the variety and searching of nexus with the object in question. For a better data explanation, It was used the qualitative method because it gave information of reality that could not be quantified. To study the declarations and contents, it was aimed to support the narrative analysis, since the stories and reports are commonplace in the investigated participants everyday life. For the subsidies collection and recording were used instruments such: semi-structured interview, notes in the logbook or observations and recordings field. Considering the statements and records of these observations, It was chosen to make the data analysis in the course of the chapters juxtapose prominent theorists. Narcissus still roams the societies today, equivalent to the ego in its difficult struggle to be born, to firm up and strengthen. The adolescence stage is marked by conceptual confusion and loss of certain references in the meeting of equals in the world of unequals. At no time is so urgent and so hard to become one. It is at school that this teenager experiences the moment of confrontation of various conceptions of what being an adolescent is, in his parents view, himself, his peers and the professionals working in education. The study of the adolescent self-image construction compared to others in the educational space gave origin to the defense of this thesis considering it as ontologically human, central to his eternal development. Finally, educational theoricals, High Ability / Gifted, multiple intelligences, psychological theories and the Narcissus Myth will be key references for the central corpus of this Doctoral Thesis. / Esta pesquisa teve como embasamento principal as experiências vividas do meu fazer pedagógico junto aos alunos dos cursos de Pedagogia e Educação Especial. Tais conhecimentos se tornaram ponto fulcral para eu me voltar ao papel essencial de inquiridor no mundo arriscado da investigação. Logo, propus-me pesquisar a construção da autoimagem do adolescente com Características de Altas Habilidades/Superdotação, a qual se constituiu nesta tese de doutorado, vinculada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação, na linha de pesquisa LP3: Educação Especial, da UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria-RS - Brasil. Para ajudar nesse embate e elencar algumas possíveis soluções, delineei como objetivo geral investigar, pelo viés do Mito de Narciso, como esse constrói sua autoimagem, nas relações educacionais como reflexo no outro. Para assessorar, assinalei alguns objetivos específicos como: compreender a concepção que esse tem de si mesmo; identificar como o outro, do espaço educacional, o vê e o revela; e, por último, descrever como ele, a partir da (intra/inter)relação com o reflexo do outro, edifica sua autoimagem. Os participantes que contribuíram foram três adolescentes, dos quais um, com 15 anos de idade, apresenta tais característica e os outros dois não têm tal atributo; além de outros depoimentos/memoriáveis da mãe deste, outras mães do grupo e outros adolescentes que aqui disponho, também, como objetos de estudo. O critério usado para a seleção desse público alvo correspondeu a alguns discernimentos de inclusão e exclusão. Quanto ao adolescente X, de 15 anos e com as características, foram consideradas a identificação realizada pelo PIT Programa de Incentivo ao Talento, desenvolvido pela UFSM; estar dentro da faixa etária de 12 a 18 anos, conforme o ECA Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente e ser do gênero masculino, visto que o personagem central do Mito de Narciso pertence a esse gênero. Quanto aos demais participantes, deverão ser indicados pelo próprio Adolescente X e legitimados pelos membros que compõem as suas relações (inter)pessoais. Um deles, o Adolescente Y, com 17 anos, é do ciclo de convivência que exprime um espelhamento de ordem positiva e proximidade; e o outro, de codinome Z, com 16, traduz uma imagem reflexa negativa, por se tratar de um oponente seu a frequentar os mesmos espaços educacionais, os quais configurarão a construção da autoimagem do adolescente, foco central desta investigação. Assim, para apresentar possíveis soluções aos objetivos e à problematização da Tese, foi utilizada a pesquisa descritiva, com interpretação de estudo de caso, visto a variedade e a busca de nexo com o objeto em questão. Para melhor explicação dos dados, utilizei o método qualitativo, pois conferiu informações da realidade que não puderam ser quantificadas. Para fazer o estudo das declarações, dos conteúdos, buscou-se suporte na Análise da Narrativa, visto que as histórias e os relatos são lugares comuns na vida diária dos participantes investigados. Para a coleta e registro dos subsídios foram usados instrumentos como: entrevista semi-estruturada, anotações em diário de bordo ou de campo, observações e gravações. Considerando as falas destes e os registros das observações, optei por fazer a análise dos dados no decorrer dos capítulos ao justapor os teóricos proeminentes. Narciso ainda perambula pelas sociedades hodiernas, equivalendo-se ao ego na sua árdua luta para nascer, firmar-se e se fortalecer. O adolescer é marcado por confusão de conceitos e perda de certas referências no encontro dos iguais no mundo dos desiguais. Em nenhum outro momento é tão urgente e tão difícil tornar-se pessoa. É no espaço escolar que o esse adolescente vivencia o momento do confronto de várias concepções do que é adolescer, na visão dos pais, dele próprio, dos seus pares e dos profissionais que atuam na educação. O estudo da construção da autoimagem desse adolescente a partir da relação espelhar com o outro no espaço educacional deu procedência à defesa dessa Tese que a entende como ontologicamente humana, fulcral para o seu eterno desenvolver-se. Enfim, teóricos sobre educação, Altas Habilidades/Superdotação, inteligências múltiplas, teorias psicológicas e do Mito de Narciso serão referenciais fulcrais para o corpus central desta Tese de Doutorado.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:19:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Frederico Letras.pdf: 2839715 bytes, checksum: 2d63d0455281cd747cebbe33b7a679c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-27 / This study proposes to examine the book Echoes: the jewel of Pandora, of the goiana poet Yêda Schmaltz. To do so, she takes as its leitmotif the update, processed in the book, the myths of Echo and Narcissus. The reinvention of classical myths noticed in Echoes is exemplary of an applicant in the work of the author, which is, in the narratives of antiquity, one of the main centers of creation of her literature. In this case, the archetypal mythological women are treated in different and successive books in order to reveal the various stages of psychological growth of women. In Echoes, the character of the same name, unlike the original narrative, overcomes the rejection and beats the challenges of loving relationship. This overcoming causes in the I lyric the reach of the true love, which necessarily involves the development of self, the self-love, only to then distribute it to the others. Considering the development of this study, first of all, there will be a presentation of the author and her literature. Then, as this study includes the upgrade of classical myths in a modern poet, it will present some considerations on myth and on the relationship myth and poetry, seeking, as possible, establish a dialogue between these considerations and poems of the book covered. Finally, the procedure will be to rescue the narrative of Echo and Narcissus, as it appears in Ovid, the recovery of interpretations and theories about the narrative and also to examine, through the comment of paradigmatic poems, recovering the difference that Yêda Schmaltz stablishes about the myths of Echo and Narcissus / Este estudo propõe examinar o livro Ecos: a jóia de Pandora, da poeta goiana Yêda Schmaltz. Para tal, toma como fio condutor a atualização, processada no livro, dos mitos de Eco e Narciso. A reinvenção de mitos clássicos notada em Ecos é exemplar de um processo recorrente na obra da autora, a qual encontra, nas narrativas da Antiguidade, um dos principais núcleos de criação de sua obra. Nesse processo, os arquétipos mitológicos femininos são tratados em diferentes e sucessivos livros, de modo a revelar as diversas etapas do crescimento psicológico da mulher. Em Ecos, a personagem de mesmo nome, diferentemente da narrativa original, supera a rejeição e vence os desafios da relação amorosa. Essa superação faz com que o eu lírico alcance o amor autêntico, que perpassa obrigatoriamente pela valorização de si mesmo, pelo auto-amor, para só em seguida distribuílo aos outros. No desenvolvimento deste estudo, primeiramente, far-se-á uma apresentação da autora e da sua obra. Em seguida, como o trabalho contempla a atualização de mitos clássicos em uma poeta moderna, serão apresentadas algumas considerações sobre mito e sobre a relação mito e poesia, procurando, sempre que possível, estabelecer um diálogo entre essas considerações e poemas do livro contemplado. Por fim, proceder-se-á ao resgate da narrativa de Eco e Narciso, conforme aparece em Ovídio, à recuperação de interpretações e teorias sobre essa narrativa e também ao exame, por meio de comentário de poemas paradigmáticos, da recuperação com diferença que Yêda Schmaltz realiza dos mitos de Eco e Narciso

Annotation: The main topic of this thesis is an analysis of tameness and wildness phenomena in particular Hermann Hesse's novels. Thesis will aim to expressions and interpenetrations of those phenomena and their position in period mind frame.Aim will be chronological analysis of those phenomena, their evolution and change in particular novels and an attempt of their synthesis. Key words: Hesse, Nietzsche, tammeness, wildness, Freud, Jung, Demian, Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead game, dialectic, dualism

L'objet de ma recherche porte sur le désir d'enseigner qui interroge le choix d'un métier et la rencontre actuelle entre l'adulte et l'enfant, soit dans l'enseignement ordinaire soit pour les enseignants spécialisés qui choisissent de se confronter aux troubles graves des apprentissages et au handicap. Il s'agit d'explorer les origines du désir pris dans le discours spontané des enseignants appuyé sur des entretiens cliniques de recherche et dans un autre registre saisir la dynamique pulsionnelle, les choix identificatoires, les processus d'idéalisation et les mouvements fantasmatiques qui peuvent se déployer à travers l'utilisation des méthodes projectives. Pris dans la « métaphore vive » du mythe de Pygmalion déconstruit par Kaës (1973) à partir du fantasme de fustigation décrit par Freud en 1919, enseigner appelle un scénario fantasmatique mobile où les emplacements et les identifications entre l'enfant et l'adulte sont permutables, réversibles dans un retournement des positions actives et passives du sujet. Le désir d'enseigner s'inscrit dans une dimension narcissique patente actualisant le sentiment de continuité d'existence et la quête d'une image de soi idéale mais dans le même temps, se joue aussi la quête de la différence, ancrée dans l'infantile et le sexuel (Chabert, 2011) convoquant inévitablement la différence des sexes et la bisexualité psychique. Enfin, dans la réciprocité du désir d'apprendre et de savoir, enseigner à l'enfant, c'est aller à la rencontre de l'Inconnu posé par Rosolato (1978) comme une relation fondamentale entre le désir et l'idéal qui interroge l'inconnu en soi, le mystère de nos origines convoquant les fantasmes originaires rattachés aux questions de la naissance, de la mort et de la scène primitive. Le Rorschach et le TAT, ces autres objets énigmatiques qui font émerger des « arrêts » sur image et l'insistance de la répétition à certaines planches, mobilisent, dévoilent des enjeux fantasmatiques dans un écho singulier avec ce qui se joue dans la rencontre entre l'adulte et l'enfant à l'âge œdipien, celui de la latence et de l'adolescence. / This research focuses on the desire to teach that motivates the choices of a career and of the mutual encounter between the adult and the child, either in an ordinary school or a special educational setting for learning difficulty or severe disability needs. It aims at exploring the origins of the desire of teachers, on the one hand, through clinical research interviews, and on the other hand, by focusing on the underlying dynamics of drives, identifications and fantasies through projective testing. Caught up in the "rule of metaphor" of the Pygmalion myth, which was revisited by Kaës (1973) based on Freud's child beating fantasy concept (1919), teaching addresses mobile fantasized scenarios where identifications between the adult and the child are intertwined and reversible, turning around active and passive positions of the subject. The desire to teach is part of an evident narcissistic domain, restoring the sense of continuity of being and of an ideal self-image. However, the quest for differentiation, rooted in infantile psychosexuality (Chabert, 2011), is also played out, inevitably summoning gender differences and psychic bisexuality. Lastly, given the reciprocity between the desire to impart and to learn, teaching a child means encountering the Unknown which Rosolato (1978) defined as the fundamental relationship between the desire and the ideal; a relationship that questions the unknown in oneself, the mystery of one's origins and evoke primal fantasies which relate to questions of birth, death and primitive scenes. Enigmatic tools, such as the Rorschach and the TAT, produce fixated images and insistent repetitions on specific cards which summon fantasies echoing those at play in the encounter between the adult and the child of oedipal, latency or adolescent age.

Les mythes grecs « font signe sans signifier, montrant, dérobant, toujours limpides disant le mystère transparent, le mystère de la transparence1 ». Maurice Blanchot dans cette remarque met en valeur le mystère inhérent à tout mythe. Il en va ainsi pour le mythe de Narcisse qui a connu un succès considérable à l’époque médiévale mais dont il n’est pas aisé de fixer un sens stable. C’est de la version du célèbre poète de l’époque augustéenne, Ovide, que les auteurs médiévaux ont hérité. La richesse de la légende, conférée par les nombreux ajouts d’Ovide, leur a permis de déployer à leur tour de nombreux sens nouveaux.Narcisse est avant tout perçu comme figure amoureuse. Narcisse est l’amant malheureux qui souffre d’une passion si forte qu’il finit par en mourir. L’objet de l’amour de Narcisse est bien souvent tu et oublié dans les reprises médiévales. Peu importe finalement qu’il ait aimé une ombre, l’accent est mis sur l’intensité de son amour et surtout sur ses funestes conséquences. La passion entraîne Narcisse sur le chemin de la mort : mort de l’esprit sous le coup de la folie et mort physique. Narcisse a été un objet de choix pour la poésie de la fin’amor. Troubadours et trouvères ont réélaboré la figure de Narcisse en parfait représentant du fin amant entre les XIIe et XIIIe siècles. Par ailleurs, la figure de Narcisse entretient des liens étroits avec les représentations du mélancolique, issues des théories psychophysiologiques sur l’amour de la philosophie et de la médecine.Le mythe a également inspiré des lectures morales. En effet, tout un pan des reprises du mythe – le pan chrétien – dévoile Narcisse sous les traits d’un pécheur entaché de défauts. L’orgueil dont il fait preuve est dans la conception chrétienne laracine de tous les maux ; ce vice engendre la vanité et l’arrogance. De la fin du XIIe au XIVe siècles, les clercs font de Narcisse l’incarnation parfaite de tous ces défauts. Selon la perspective adoptée la condamnation change légèrement mais l’idée reste lamême : Narcisse est imbu de sa propre personne et en tire une satisfaction trop haute.Enfin l’eau de la source, l’un des motifs essentiels du mythe de Narcisse, a été le point de convergence de plusieurs traditions qui ont fini par s’entremêler dans les œuvres médiévales : le motif biblique de l’eau d’un côté, de l’autre les conceptions néoplatoniciennes sur le reflet et le mythe antique de Narcisse. Un réseau d’images similaires irrigue ces traditions, constitué de l’eau claire, du reflet et de la fontaine. Le "fons" antique s’est peu à peu métamorphosé en fontaine médiévale jusqu’à devenir véritable miroir. Le motif du miroir s’autonomise peu à peu par rapport à la surface des eaux. La dimension fantasmatique de l’amour de Narcisse pour son reflet s’amplifie nettement. Se voir soi-même dans un miroir constitue une expérience étrange où l’individu touche au secret de son être. Incapable de l’atteindre réellement, il voit son intimité se dérober à lui, ce qui provoque son désenchantement. Le miroir, véritable porte d’entrée sur le rêve, est un motif idéal pour figurer tous les possibles de l’acte d’écriture. C’est pourquoi certaines reprises médiévales offrent l’utopie d’un amour partagé tandis que d’autres préfèrent peindreles travers de l’être humain. Le miroir enfin se fait métaphore de l’écriture ellemême. La présence de Narcisse se réalise sous des formes plus ou moins implicites dans ces œuvres dont la portée réflexive est actualisée par le motif du miroir. / Greek myths « font signe sans signifier, montrant, dérobant, toujours limpides disant le mystère transparent, le mystère de la transparence2 ». With these words, Maurice Blanchot insists on the very mystery of all myth. It is also the case for the myth of the Narcissus that has known a considerable success in the medieval time but for which it is difficult to … a stable meaning. It is the famous Augustinian poet Ovidius myth that the medieval authors inherited. They added new meanings to the already rich legend, following the footsteps of Ovidius.Narcissus is foremost a figure in love. Narcissus is the unfortunate lover who suffers such a strong passion he dies from it. What he is in love with can be ignored in the medieval versions. Even if he loved a shadow, it is the intensity of his love and the funest consequences the texts insist on. Passion drives Narcissus on the road to death : spiritual death because of Madness et physical death. Narcissus was a prime subject for fin’amor poetry. Troubadours and trouveres made of Narcissus the perfect example of the fin amant between the XIIth and XIIIth centuries. Moreover Narcissus is the deeply linked to the representation of the melancholic that came from the psycho-physiological philosophical and medical theories of love.Moral Reading were also inspired by the myth. Indeed, Narcissus becomes a sinner full of flaws Under the Christian vision of the myth. Pride is the origin of all the flaws: vanity and arrogance are direct consequences. Narcissus becomes the perfect incarnation of these sins. Depending of the point of view the condemnation may vary but the idea is still the same: Narcissus is self-important and is too pleased with himself. Finally the water from the source, one of the most important aspect of the Narcissus mythology, became the meeting point of several traditions which interlaced in the medieval work: biblical water on one side and neoplatonician conceptions of reflection and ancient myth of Narcissus. The ancient fons transforms itself into a medieval fountain and a true mirror. The mirror becomes more and more independent from the surface of water. The phantasmatical dimension of the Narcissus love for his reflection is developed.

This thesis focuses on Conrad's representation of space and atmosphere in the "impressionistic" works published between 1897 and 1904, notably The Nigger of the "Narcissus" (1897), "Heart of Darkness" (1899), Lord Jim (1900), and Nostromo (1904). The many conflicting statements regarding the nature of Conrad's impressionism lead one to ask two fundamental questions: What constitutes this strange and elusive phenomenon, and how does it bear upon interpretation? This thesis works towards defining the elusive quality of Conrad's writing by investigating and assessing the contribution of impressionist techniques in the creation of a pervasive space and atmosphere; secondly, it considers how the various constituent elements interact with, and complement one another to form a dominant mode of fictional space in each work; and, thirdly, it indicates the possible impact that these particular Conradian configurations of space and atmosphere might have upon the interpretation of his impressionist works. The thesis argues that the existential condition of isolatio~experienced by Conrad's heroes and narrators is a consequence of epistemological frustration and fragmentation, which, in turn, is a function of impressionist ontology. There is a definite and complementary relationship between each of these notions in Conrad's fiction. The mysterious atmosphere in his works results from the interplay between various configurations of theme, narration and description, and these novelistic elements correspond roughly with the notions of existential isolation (the dominant theme), epistemology (narrating, telling and (re)telling as a method of knowing and understanding the space in which the characters find themselves) and, lastly, the ontological dimensions of the various modes of fictional space (as realized in description). The evocation and invocation of cosmic space in The Nigger of the "Narcissus," the mapping of a dorriinant symbolic space in "Heart of Darkness," the (re)constructions of Jim's psychological space in Lord Jim, and, finally, the "transcription" and "inscription" of a mythical space in Nostromo, indicate a definite development from epistemological to ontological issues. Phrased in more theoretical terms, this development is a movement from asking predominantly epistemological questions like "How can I interpret this world of which I am a part?" "What is there to be known?" "Who knows it ... and with what degree of certainty?", to asking predominantly ontological questions, such as "Which world is this?" "What kinds of worlds are there ... and how are they constituted?". Such questions, categorized by McHale as the dominant characteristics of Modernist and Postmodernist fiction respectively, are already present in Conrad's texts, thus undermining any clear-cut division between these broad categories. Indeed, this thesis suggests that these categories are at best tenuous, and that they should perhaps be used heuristically, rather than definitively

Michel Maffesoli and Zygmunt Bauman add the traits of Benjamin's flâneur to the (neo-)nomad, namely his "flâneur" gaze and his relation to commodities. But in the concept of nomad these traits gain specific nature - on the field of fashion they transform nomad into migrant, who is capable of creative work with vanitas. Nomad as a travelling flâneur is a stranger-guest and becomes a tourist, willingly getting lost in the city and voluntarily being surprised by unexpected encounters. Tourists relation to his memories could be described with Benjamin's description of mémoire involontaire as a revived punctum. A tourist prepares his memories like a nicely descending ruins. Souvenir is his materialised memory. It's not only a duplicated plastic Eiffel tower, but a magic artifact. It's a collective aura, what's on Benjamin's mind when he writes about aura regression. The private aura comes instead, turning things to talismans, reenchanting the world. The era of postmechanical reproduction reminds one, that there is a way to reproduce not just mechanically but biologically: a bricolage remix is made. Souvenirs descend and take shape of hommogenic rummage which reveals the fundamental form of postmodern metamorphosis: recyclation. This metamorphosis can finally be used when analyzing the settler turn into nomad...

The main focus of this study concerns the contribution of focalisation to the creation of fictional worlds through the combination of the “building blocks” of a fictional world, namely the central focalising and focalised character(s), focalised social contexts, events and spaces, in Hermann Hesse’s Demian (1919), Narziß und Goldmund (1930), E.L. Doctorow’s Welcome to Hard Times (1960) and Homer & Langley (2009). The relationship between the focalisers and their social contexts influence their human, subjective perspectives and represented perceptions of their textual actual worlds. Focalisation is constructive in the synergistic relationship between the “building blocks” that leads to the creation of fictional worlds. Chapter 2 discusses the theoretical basis of the thesis which is formed by the concepts of M. Ryan, L. Doležel, R. Ronen and T.G. Pavel with regard to possible worlds and fictional worlds. G. Genette’s and M. Bal’s theories provide the foundation of this study with regard to this concept as regards focalisation. Chapter 3 contextualises focalisation and fictional worlds as possible worlds in Hesse’s and Doctorow’s fiction and as such constitutes part of a twofold basis for the following analyses and comparisons. Four textual analyses of the individual novels by Hesse and Doctorow then follow. In the textual analysis of Demian the notions of M. Bal, M. Ryan and A. Nünning provide a theoretical basis that is specifically relevant for the argument that through his consciousness the individual, Emil Sinclair, creates the fictional world, i.e. by “transforming” textual actual world components into individualised fictional world ones. The views of Viktor Frankl, feminist activists against prostitution such as M. Farley, M.A. Baldwin and C.A. MacKinnon as well as the views of Talcott Parsons (in conjunction with those of G.M. Platt and N.J. Smelser) offer a theoretical underpinning for the analysis of the social context as the product of the mindset in the community in Doctorow’s Welcome to Hard Times and the mindset of the focaliser, Blue, that concurs with the mindset of the community. Focalised events are considered as psychologically credible and as contributing to the fictional world in Hesse’s Narziß und Goldmund. In this textual analysis the theoretical points of departure were based on theories proposed by D. Cohn, M. Ryan and S. Chatman. Concepts advanced by J. Lothe, J. Lotman, H. Lefebvre, L. Doležel, N. Wolterstorff and D. Coste comprise the theoretical basis of the analysis of social spaces in Doctorow’s Homer & Langley. Chapter 8 consists of comparative analyses of the said focalised “building blocks” of Hesse’s and Doctorow’s novels. The analyses and comparisons argue that focalising characters “filter” their actual worlds and “transform” them through their individualistic and subjective representations, as actual people do. Even if characters are “non-actual individuals” their mindsets or physical, social and mental properties (Margolin, 1989:4) are like those of actual people, i.e. “psychologically credible”. Ryan (1991:45) identifies “psychological credibility” or “a plausible portrayal of human psychology” as an “accessibility relation”, i.e. one that allows the mental properties of a fictional character to be accessible from and possible for the actual world. The interaction between a focalising character and his social context that affects his consciousness and focalisation is comparable to the interaction between a hypothetical actual person and his social world, that would also influence his mindset and how he communicates about the actual world. Perspectives of characters such as Sinclair, Blue, Goldmund and Homer Collyer are recognisable to hypothetical actual world readers as psychologically credible. In the light of Bal’s (1990:9) argument that the whole text content is related to the (focalising) character(s), one could say that the elements of a textual actual world become, as it were, focalised “building blocks” of the fictional world. The central finding is that focalisation contributes to the creation of fictional worlds. The relationship between a fictional world and the actual one becomes apparent in literary texts through focalisation that transforms the textual actual world and its elements, i.e. the central (self-focalising) character, the social context, events and space(s), through a focaliser’s consciousness. The focaliser’s consciousness in Hesse’s and Doctorow’s fiction is marked by psychological credibility. A fictional world is comparable to the actual world with regard to other accessibility relations that Ryan (cf. 1991:31-47) identifies, but focalisation specifically allows a fictional world to become possible in actual world terms by creating credibility of this kind. A fictional world is plausible not in mimetic terms, as a factual text presents itself to be, but in possible terms, i.e. through the comparability of human psychology in fictional worlds and the actual world. Focalisation significantly contributes to the creation of a fictional world through the interaction between psychologically credible subjectivity and the imaginary level of the text on which the textual actual world obtains human value through focalisation. A fictional world is, in this sense, a possible world and, in fact, comes about through being a possible world. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Applied Language and Literary Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.