An abstract of a commentary - which must follow the winds and turns of the text it explains - cannot reasonably be expected. The present opportunity may, however, be used to summarise the principles behind my own specimen. Any commentary tries (at least in theory) to examine its subject's work from as many viewpoints - historical, philological, etc. - as are appropriate and possible. When the works, like Stesichorus', only exist in a highly fragmentary state, this impossible ideal seems slightly more capable of fulfilment than usual: there is less text and so more time (and space) to explain it. This approach from a large number of different viewpoints is not only more attainable in Stesichorus' case, it is more necessary: isolated scraps of poetry, whose context is often totally uncertain, require full examination before their secrets can be yielded up. Hence, for instance, the amount of effort devoted by other scholars - and now by me - to the subject of Stesichorus and art. And hence the exceedingly detailed scope of the commentary. For evern one word fragments have a philological and, sometimes, a stylistic value. And the speculation of earlier critics must be evaluated and preserved if plausible, or candidly denounced if unlikely, in an attempt to prevent repetition of the error.

In a critical climate that privileges the hermeneutic position of a reader of a text over the irretrievable intentions of its author, this thesis challenges the status quo by considering the elegist Propertius as his own first reader. Through an exploration of what I have called 'mindful reading' - how Propertius appears to engage intratextually with his own poetic material, recasting parts of it lexically and thematically - alongside his interaction with the works of his peers and predecessors and wider cultural discourses, we, as readers, are able to appreciate how he may have understood aspects of his own poetry at a given moment. This particular mode of reading is encouraged, in part, by the repeated treatment of certain themes and ideas by Propertius, and, most conspicuously, by the inherently repetitive nature of the amorous discourse in which he is implicated with Cynthia. There are seven chapters. (1) A rhythm of intratextual reading is established in the generically important funerary elegies of Book I, setting this against the poet's amatory discourse. An analysis of II.i shows that mindful reading is a phenomenon that occurs between, as well as within, books. (2) Consideration is given to editorial division of the canonically named 'Book II', and the ordering of poems; the latter part of the chapter considers the important programmatic elegy, II.xiii. (3) A close reading of III.i and III.ii, and their response to Propertius' predecessors and contemporaries is considered, particularly through a (re)reading of II.xxxiv. (4) Poems treating lovers' brawls and lucubratio are discussed. (5) Propertius' engagement with Maecenas, and his continued adherence to his poetic creed are explored in III.ix and III.x. (6) The notion that Propertius appears to 'un-write' his amatory discourse with Cynthia through mindful reading in the closing cycle of Book III is treated. (7) The place of Cynthia within Book IV, and the elegist's generic explorations are explored through mindful reading.

This study is an analysis of Raditladi’s poetry with special emphasis on three aspects, namely, social, cultural and the historical perspectives. Raditladi blends indigenous African and Western influenced themes and forms to portray the common and shared ethos, beliefs and practices of the Batswana. He depicts artistic and edifying mechanisms of his people’s culture in remarkable styles. In addition to containing history and historical figures, his poetry also addresses social issues that are of particular significance to Africans who for so long have negotiated and navigated a world of contrasting social norms and values. For example, Selelo sa morati or a ‘A Lover’s Lament’ highlights the tensions and conflict between traditional, Batswana versus modern, Western practices of love and marriage. The poem also raises the deep-seated problem of tribalism, and by extension, racism. In the poem, an attempt to harmonise contrasting ways of living, loving and composing poetry, that resonates with contemporary Africans, and their quest for social change is a recurrent preoccupation. Many modern Batswanas continue to attempt to harmonise their cultural values and norms with what they feel to be useful and relevant from so the called modern norms and values. It is a journey beset with fearful odds. Raditladi’s poetry speaks to these everyday struggles we call life in the post-colonial and post-apartheid setting. An important aspect of Batswana cultural identity that emerges from a reading of Raditladi’s collection Sefalana sa Menate is the frequency of allusion to the significance of cattle. Thes significance that is manifested in considerable number of the poetic allusions or metaphors suggest a common view of cattle as nurture, sustenance, comfort, and possession of wealthy. Traditionally, cattle provided for the everyday needs of the Batswana, and in fiction as in real life, represent wealth and well-being. A strong relationship exists between cattle and the Batswana sensibilities. This strong identification with cattle by those who through countless generations have been shepherds is evidenced in cattle allusions carried forward in language, proverbs and poetry. Historical figures and events are conveyed through poetic aestheticism. These historical events constitute: • Leadership Lessons from the House of Kgama • Teaching Batswana Poetry: an African paradigm • South Africans in European Wars: Re-writing History and setting the record straight Raditladi’s work is based on life, lived as firsthand in the communal experiences of milking and caring for cattle as a child and this is viewed in the Batswana society as providing the foundation for understanding the Batswana sensibilities. There is a gap in in Setswana literary criticism regarding a critical exploration of the three themes mentioned above been analyzed.It is hoped that this research study will go a long way to address this gap / African languages / D Litt. et Phil.

M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This dissertation focuses on the praise poem, Chief Molefi K. Pilane which appears in the following texts namely Boka Sentle (1970) which is a collection of poems by Seboni and Lekhela and Praise Poems of Tswana Chiefs (1965) by Schapera. The poem by Seboni and Lekhela discusses some of the events which are to a larger extent discussed in Schapera's poem, known as Molefi Kgafela. This is the reason why the investigation highlights specifically Schapera's poem which is broadly elaborated. The message of this poem focuses on the implementation of law and order within the Community. Although it is one of the oldest traditional praise poems, no detailed investigation has been made with regard to this poem except for a few comments by Schapera. The aim of this investigation is to focus on three levels of text. The topic concept is indicated in line 7 - 12 which highlights on the theme of this poem. There are however other extracts from the poem that are used as examples. This. investigation also focuses on the narratological model, which states that a text work has three levels namely content, plot and style. The concepts, narrative poetry, epic, ode, ballad, sonnet and praise poem also receive attention. Content is also examined. When the content is summarised to the minimum then one refers to the topic. Topic is therefore important in literary work. The four elements of the plot structure namely exposition, development, climax and denouement are discussed. Techniques employed in exposition are viewpoint, conversation, symbolism and apostrophe. These techniques focus on the message carried by this poem. Repetition is used more often in the development stage of this literary work to emphasise lack of law and order in Molefi's Community. The techniques, namely apostrophe and conversation, are employed in the climax. They are also of value as they highlight the message of the poem. Techniques employed in the denouement are elision, synecdoche and exaggeration. Their importance is shown to be their relevance to the message of the poem. The following elements, are also examined: characters, events, time and place. The characters in the plot are described in relation to specific functions which reveal both -their good and bad behaviour. Their importance is explained to be due to their responsibility with regard to the continuation of events. The events are described in such a way that the conflict between the antagonist and the protagonist is revealed and time and place are discussed to highlight the events of the poem. The third level of this literary work deals with style and meter. Style highlights the author's mood and intention. The mood in this poem is related to the advice given to Molefi with regard to good leadership. Meter is discussed on the basis of two rules namely the rule of division and the rule of symmetrical harmony. The rule of division deals with metrical devices known as pause and caesura while the law of symmetrical harmony is concerned with the number of syllables, the number of penultimate summits and repetition. In the poem, Molefi Kgafela there are stanzas and words which have similar meanings. The poem, though being a traditional poem, is characterised by a modem instrument, which is writing by using meter. Meter is therefore important in this literary work. / Dissertation (MA (Setswana))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / African Languages / unrestricted

《詞律》二十卷，清初詞家萬樹（字紅友，又字花農，1630¬¬－1688）編撰，成書於康熙二十六年（1687），全書錄六百六十調，一千一百八十餘體，是清初錄調最豐，辨體最詳的詞譜著作。現時《詞律》的研究，就成書背景及撰作原因而言，學者大多以明清易代的政治變故及清初詞壇針對明代詞壇而作出的反響這兩大方面切入，而就《詞律》一書本身的內部情況而言，學者傾向借助萬樹《詞律》中的〈自敘〉及〈發凡〉發微，闡述其體例，批評其得失。以上現況反映《詞律》的研究已經開展，同時基於《詞律》與時代的密切關係，又再一次證明此書對清初詞壇的重要性。然而，以上外緣因素雖然適用於清初詞壇的普遍情況，卻缺乏對《詞律》的針對性分析，而《詞律》的內部分析則又過份倚賴萬樹本人在〈自敘〉及〈發凡〉的現身說法，忽視了書中例詞、旁注、萬樹評點的價值。因此，本研究除緒論及結論，正文凡四章，分上、下篇，嘗試從外緣到內部，為《詞律》研究提供新說。第一章〈緒論〉將就研究動機、文獻回顧、方法論等作基本說明；第二章將重新檢討清初詞壇的尊體策略，析論破體、辨體及時流景貌，重估清初詞壇在尊體此命題下的角力關係，由此，為萬樹《詞律》在清初詞壇的定位提供說法，作為往後論述的基調；第三章則從先秦兩漢論律、論樂的思想傳統、宋代六次更訂樂制及大晟府影響下的詞人生態這三方面溯源，析論萬樹《詞律》將詞律設想為樂律，再藉由樂律之道通往尊體之道的根據，以此分析萬樹《詞律》由「紹述古音」轉出其獨特的「律呂之學」的思路；第四章則轉入《詞律》內部，嘗試於《詞律》的〈自敘〉及〈發凡〉之外，探索其內在理路，藉柳永及周邦彥、方千里、吳文英這兩組在《詞律》中特殊的現象，指出萬樹強調比勘互校，並將此提升至貫穿全書、組織全書的內在理路，由此邁向其「至公大雅」的追求；第五章則借鑑文獻學及西方書籍史研究的觀點，反思詞譜類著作的物質形態，分析《詞律》如何有別於當時一般詞譜，同時兼顧了視覺閱讀及聲音演練兩方面以推動填詞實踐，既解決填詞的操作問題也克服審美的困難，由此，呼應編撰《詞律》以推尊詞體的目標；第六章為結論，除歸納本研究中有關《詞律》的發現，同時亦會就研究方法作出反思。= 20 volumues of CiLu (《詞律》), written and edited by early Qing Dynasty Ci scholar WanShu (萬樹, who also named Hungyou, and known as Huanong) are finished in the year of Kangxi 26 (1687). The whole volume collects 660 kinds of tune (詞調) and more than 1180 kinds of genre (詞體). This makes it the most abundant collection of tune and classification of genre in early Qing. Of studies of CiLu today, from the perspective of writing background and reason, scholars tend to intersect the object through lens of political change during Ming to Qing as well as of the pinpointed response of early Qing Ci literary circle towards Ming Ci literary circle. Moreover, with regard to content of CiLu, scholars tend to decipher the text by interpreting WanShu's self account and introduction, explaining its format and criticizing its good and bad. This shows that research effort towards CiLu has already begun, and, at the same time, has demonstrated its importance to Qing literary circle due to the fact that it has a very close relationship with the era. However, although those external factors raised here are suitable to explain the universal situation of early Qing Ci circle, a target-oriented analysis towards CiLu is absent. Those internal analysis based on content also overly rely on WanShu's self account and introduction yet omit the value of Ci examples, annotations and WanShu's comments. Therefore, in this research, except the parts of introduction and conclusion, the body contains 4 chapters and is divided into former and latter part so as to provide a fresh angle and discourse upon the study of CiLu via an attempt of viewing it from the external to the internal. The first chapter－Introduction－ provides a clean explanation upon the goals, literature review and methodology of the research; the second chapter will review early Qing Ci poetry circle's canonization strategy (尊體策略) to clarify genre integration (破體), genre classification (辨體) and the spectacle of writing trend of the era. It also revaluates the tension among literary parties upon the issue of canonization in early Ching circle so that a new discourse upon the literary status of WanShu's CiLu would be brought forth as the fundamental argument of the thesis. The third chapter will trace traditional influence of CiLu's by reviewing music discussion in Pre-Qin and Han, six times official review of music systems in Song dynasty and Ci lyricists' inhabitation under the influence of Dashengfu (大晟府), and hence, it is analyzed that WanShu's CiLu alludes rules of Ci poetry writing to music theory. Then through the way of music theory, it paves the road to canonization of certain Ci poetry －this also demonstrates how WanShu's CiLu develops its own unique rules of music-lyrics theory (律呂之學) from purely inheriting ancient style (紹述古音) . The forth chapter shifts to the internal textual studies of CiLu. Apart from CiLu's self account and introduction, it tries to explore its inner logic(內在理路): by the unusual phenomenon of juxtaposing LiuYong and ChouBaoyan as well as comparing FangQianli and WuWenyin, it is noted that WanShu's emphasis on comparingly slow reading and parallel proofreading is the inner clue of netting the whole volume as well as the corner stone to his literary pursuit of being "supremely just and grandly noble" (至公大雅). The fifth chapter borrows angles of bibliography and the Cultural History Study of Book to reflect on the material form of Cipu (詞譜)writing, analysing how CiLu differentiates from other common Cipu during the period: it both masters the two facets of visual reading and vocal drill to advocate the practice of Ci poetry writing. This not only solves the problem of writing techniques but also conquers the difficulty of adopting different aesthetics norm. It, hence, echoes CiLu's editing aims which are promotion and canonization of Ci. The sixth chapter is conclusion which induces all the discoveries of this research as well as reflects on the methodology.

Many Southern Sotho authors have made important contributions to Southern Sotho literature. Their works cover a wide range of subjects which evince great differenees in significance and depth. We note this in the different books they have written and the themes they have treated. Unfortunately, to date, no serious evaluation of their books has been attempted. The real value of the works is still unkrown to the reader. No effort has been made to unearth the gist of the artist's imaginative power and also to pin-point the weaknesses, so that they oan be remedied. The critical and creative functions must be developed simultaneously if our literature is to attain great heights. At present there is, in most works, a kind of 'stagnation' and spiritual poverty which is realized in a failure to appreciate the meaning of our cultural milieu. We live, as it were, consciously in the present, out- - rooted and transported from cultural forces as if they do not impinge on our minds . There is a lack of depth and failure to recapture the essence of human feeling and thought, less ability and intellectual skill to interpret the world around, and a general incompetence to explain and unfold the very being of human sensitivity. / African Languages / M.A. (Bantu Languages)

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1933 D62

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy