The aim of this thematic study is to examine how the water motif is used in Marguerite Duras’s literary work. The study shows that water has multiple functions in these texts: it is linked to major themes and creates an enigmatic atmosphere by its association with the unknown, the inexplicable and the unconscious. The strong presence of water in Duras’s texts is striking. References to the water element can be found in several titles throughout her career, from early works such as Un barrage contre le Pacifique (1950) to La mer écrite (1996), published just after her death. Almost all of her fiction take place near water – and the rain or the sound of waves serve as leitmotifs in specific novels. The water motif can play a metonymic as well as a metaphoric role in the texts and it sometimes takes on human or animalistic characteristics (Chapter 4). Several emblematic Durassian characters (e.g. the beggar-woman, Anne-Marie Stretter and Lol V. Stein) have a close relationship to water (Chapter 5). The water motif is linked to many major Durassian themes, and illustrates themes with positive connotations, for example, creation, fecundity, maternity, liberty and desire, as well as themes with negative connotations such as destruction and death (Chapter 6). A close reading of three novels, La vie tranquille (1944), L’après-midi de Monsieur Andesmas (1962) and La maladie de la mort (1982), shows that the realism of the first novel is replaced by intriguing evocations of the sea and the pond in the second text, motifs which resist straightforward interpretation. The enigmatic feeling persists in the last novel, in which the sea illustrates the overall sombre mood of the story (Chapter 7). Finally, the role of the water element in psychoanalytic theory is discussed (Chapter 8), and a parallel is drawn between the Jungian concept of the mother archetype and the water motif in Duras’s texts. The suggestion is made in this last chapter that water is used to illustrate an oriental influence (Taoist or Buddhist) of some of the female characters in Duras’s work.

The dissertation consists of two parts: (1) the essay and (2) the composition. The essay elucidates the composer's creative process of the orchestral works, The Heidegger Collection. The Heidegger Collection has five movements. The titles of each movement are derived from the key philosophical concepts from Heidegger's most significant writing, Being and Time: (1) State-of-Mind, (2) Idle-Talk, (3) Moment-of-Vision, (4) Dread, and (5) Being-towards-the-End. The essay discusses the meanings of the five concepts, and explains how I express my reaction to Heidegger's thinking through music composition. The essay also discusses the essential musical language of The Heidegger Collection, such as interval cycles, polyrhythmic patterns, algorithmic elements, portamento effects, chaos theory, and oriental influence.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar o período compreendido entre a metade do século XIX e o começo do século XX a fim de identificar que aspectos e componentes da estética e valores culturais japoneses teriam sido eventualmente integrados aos movimentos artísticos europeus e ao design de moda. O interesse ocidental pelo Oriente sempre existiu, porém, foi intensificado após a abertura dos portos japoneses em 1854, depois de mais de dois séculos em reclusão. O encontro entre duas culturas tão distintas causou grande entusiasmo na Europa, com diversos autores que defendem que esta aproximação influenciou o rumo das artes, do design e de outros diversos campos, resultando em um movimento estético denominado Japonismo. Desse modo, esta pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, na modalidade histórica, gerada a partir de estudos bibliográficos e estudo de campo em museus e exposições, pretende expor exemplos e tecer reflexões sobre a importância do intercâmbio cultural entre o Japão e a Europa do final do século XIX e início do século XX, mais especificamente nos campos da arte e da moda / The aim of this research is to study the period between mid-19th century and beginning of 20th century to identify which aesthetic and cultural values aspects and components would eventually have been integrated to European fashion design and art movements. The occidental interest towards the orient have always existed, although, it was intensified after the opening of Japanese ports on 1854, after more than two centuries of seclusion. The encounter of such different cultures triggered enthusiasm in Europe, and several authors suggest that this gathering led the way of art, design and many several fields, resulting in an aesthetic movement called Japonism. Therefore, this qualitative research, on history, generated from bibliographical and field study in museums and exhibits, intends to bring into thought the importance of cultural exchange between Japan and Europe on the end of 19th Century and beginning of 20th century, specifically on art and fashion

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar o período compreendido entre a metade do século XIX e o começo do século XX a fim de identificar que aspectos e componentes da estética e valores culturais japoneses teriam sido eventualmente integrados aos movimentos artísticos europeus e ao design de moda. O interesse ocidental pelo Oriente sempre existiu, porém, foi intensificado após a abertura dos portos japoneses em 1854, depois de mais de dois séculos em reclusão. O encontro entre duas culturas tão distintas causou grande entusiasmo na Europa, com diversos autores que defendem que esta aproximação influenciou o rumo das artes, do design e de outros diversos campos, resultando em um movimento estético denominado Japonismo. Desse modo, esta pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, na modalidade histórica, gerada a partir de estudos bibliográficos e estudo de campo em museus e exposições, pretende expor exemplos e tecer reflexões sobre a importância do intercâmbio cultural entre o Japão e a Europa do final do século XIX e início do século XX, mais especificamente nos campos da arte e da moda / The aim of this research is to study the period between mid-19th century and beginning of 20th century to identify which aesthetic and cultural values aspects and components would eventually have been integrated to European fashion design and art movements. The occidental interest towards the orient have always existed, although, it was intensified after the opening of Japanese ports on 1854, after more than two centuries of seclusion. The encounter of such different cultures triggered enthusiasm in Europe, and several authors suggest that this gathering led the way of art, design and many several fields, resulting in an aesthetic movement called Japonism. Therefore, this qualitative research, on history, generated from bibliographical and field study in museums and exhibits, intends to bring into thought the importance of cultural exchange between Japan and Europe on the end of 19th Century and beginning of 20th century, specifically on art and fashion