This thesis starts from the observation that, while it is common for commentators to divide postmodern fiction into two general fields – one experimental and anti-mimetic, the other cautiously mimetic, there remains a fairly significant field of postmodern texts that use largely mimetic approaches but represent worlds that are categorically distinct from actuality. This third group is even more pronounced if popular culture and “commercial” fiction, in particular sf and fantasy, are taken into account. Additionally, the third category has the interesting characteristic that the texts within this group very often generate unusual loyalty among its fans. Based on a renewed investigation of the main genre critics in postmodern fiction, the first chapter suggests a tripartite division of postmodern fiction, into formalist, metamimetic, and transreferetial texts. These are provisionally circumscribed by their reference worlds: formalist fiction attempts to derail its own capacity for presenting a world; metamimetic fiction presents mediated versions of worlds closely reminiscent of actuality; and transreferential fiction sets its narrative in worlds that are experienced as such, but are clearly distinct from actuality. If transreferential fiction deals with alternate worlds, it also very often relies on the reader’s immersion in the fictional world to provide unique, often subversive, fictional experiences. This process can be identified as the exploration of the fictional world, and it is very often guided so as to be experienced as a virtual reality of sorts. If transreferential texts are experienced as interactive in this sense, it is likely that they convey experiences and insights in ways different from either of the other two strands of postmodern fiction. In order to investigate the interactive experience provided by these texts, an extended conceptual and analytical set is proposed, rooted primarily in Ricoeurian hermeutics and possible-worlds theory. These two main theoretical approaches approximately correspond to the temporal and the spatial dimensions of texts, respectively. Much of the power of these texts rooted in the care they take to guide the reader through their fictional worlds and the experiences offered by the narrative, often at the hand of fictioninternal ‘guides’. These theoretical approaches are supplement by sf theoretical research and by Aleid Fokkema’s study of postmodern character. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 apply the theoretical toolset to three paradigmatic transreferential texts: sf New Wave author M John Harrison’s Viriconium sequence; Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy; and Jeff Noon’s Vurt and Pollen, texts that have much in common with cyberpunk but which make much more extensive use of formalist techniques. Each chapter has a slightly different main focus, matching the text in question, respectively: aesthetic parameters and worldcreation strategies of transreferential fiction; close “guidance” of the reader and extrapolation; and virtual reality and identity games. The final chapter presents the findings from the research conducted in the initial study. The findings stem from the central insight that transreferential texts deploy a powerful suit of mimetic strategies to maximise immersion, but simultaneously introduce a variety of interactive strategies. Transreferential fiction balances immersion against interactivity, often by selectively maximising the mimesis of some elements while allowing others to be presented through formalist strategies, which requires a reading mode that is simultaneously immersive and open to challenging propositions. A significant implication of this for critical studies – both literary and sf – is that the Barthesian formalist reading model is insufficient to deal with transreferential texts. Rather, texts like these demand a layered reading approach which facilitates immersion on a first reading and supplements it critically on a second. The final chapter further considers how widely and in what forms the themes and strategies found in the preceding chapters recur in other texts from the proposed transreferential supergenre, including sf, magic realist and limitpostmodernist texts. / Thesis (PhD (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This thesis starts from the observation that, while it is common for commentators to divide postmodern fiction into two general fields – one experimental and anti-mimetic, the other cautiously mimetic, there remains a fairly significant field of postmodern texts that use largely mimetic approaches but represent worlds that are categorically distinct from actuality. This third group is even more pronounced if popular culture and “commercial” fiction, in particular sf and fantasy, are taken into account. Additionally, the third category has the interesting characteristic that the texts within this group very often generate unusual loyalty among its fans. Based on a renewed investigation of the main genre critics in postmodern fiction, the first chapter suggests a tripartite division of postmodern fiction, into formalist, metamimetic, and transreferetial texts. These are provisionally circumscribed by their reference worlds: formalist fiction attempts to derail its own capacity for presenting a world; metamimetic fiction presents mediated versions of worlds closely reminiscent of actuality; and transreferential fiction sets its narrative in worlds that are experienced as such, but are clearly distinct from actuality. If transreferential fiction deals with alternate worlds, it also very often relies on the reader’s immersion in the fictional world to provide unique, often subversive, fictional experiences. This process can be identified as the exploration of the fictional world, and it is very often guided so as to be experienced as a virtual reality of sorts. If transreferential texts are experienced as interactive in this sense, it is likely that they convey experiences and insights in ways different from either of the other two strands of postmodern fiction. In order to investigate the interactive experience provided by these texts, an extended conceptual and analytical set is proposed, rooted primarily in Ricoeurian hermeutics and possible-worlds theory. These two main theoretical approaches approximately correspond to the temporal and the spatial dimensions of texts, respectively. Much of the power of these texts rooted in the care they take to guide the reader through their fictional worlds and the experiences offered by the narrative, often at the hand of fictioninternal ‘guides’. These theoretical approaches are supplement by sf theoretical research and by Aleid Fokkema’s study of postmodern character. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 apply the theoretical toolset to three paradigmatic transreferential texts: sf New Wave author M John Harrison’s Viriconium sequence; Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy; and Jeff Noon’s Vurt and Pollen, texts that have much in common with cyberpunk but which make much more extensive use of formalist techniques. Each chapter has a slightly different main focus, matching the text in question, respectively: aesthetic parameters and worldcreation strategies of transreferential fiction; close “guidance” of the reader and extrapolation; and virtual reality and identity games. The final chapter presents the findings from the research conducted in the initial study. The findings stem from the central insight that transreferential texts deploy a powerful suit of mimetic strategies to maximise immersion, but simultaneously introduce a variety of interactive strategies. Transreferential fiction balances immersion against interactivity, often by selectively maximising the mimesis of some elements while allowing others to be presented through formalist strategies, which requires a reading mode that is simultaneously immersive and open to challenging propositions. A significant implication of this for critical studies – both literary and sf – is that the Barthesian formalist reading model is insufficient to deal with transreferential texts. Rather, texts like these demand a layered reading approach which facilitates immersion on a first reading and supplements it critically on a second. The final chapter further considers how widely and in what forms the themes and strategies found in the preceding chapters recur in other texts from the proposed transreferential supergenre, including sf, magic realist and limitpostmodernist texts. / Thesis (PhD (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This thesis examines the traditions of textual interaction that impact the forms of reading engaged in with fanfiction. This thesis continues by exploring how self-insertion fanfiction functions as a medium through which authors express their reading of the text primary through the emotional impact of the text through wish fulfillment, and the interaction of their cultural moment and the text. Furthermore, it argues that self-insertion fanfiction is a mode of literary critique in which the author acknowledges the effect of a mediated world on their perception of self and reality. Through this recognition of a constructed self, the author rejects the attractiveness of objective analysis, allowing them to critique the work from their subject position influenced by the text.

The following research investigates the use of computation during the academic life of students enrolled in the undegraduate courses of education and special education at the School of Education, Federal University of Santa Maria. Its main goal was to analyse the wishes and hopes expressed by those students about the use of computation. In order to attain the above mentioned target we tried to understand the reasons which were driving students to use the resources of the School of Education Computation Laboratory (LINCE). By so doing we would know which applications and Internet tools students most utilize during their academic course. In the sequence we tried to identify the possible influences computation may exert in the future student's professional life in order to verify how they are searching for knowledge through the Internet. In this way the investigation can be labeled as a descriptive study with qualitative approach, of phenomenologic nature, and being typified as a case study. This methodologic proposal turned it possible for us to participate, undestand and interpret the attitudes and the activities developed by students at the Computation Lab. Took part of the present research six pupils of the sixth, seventh and eighth semesters of the undergaduate courses located at the School of Education. It was verified that all of them have very poor experiences respecting computing resources but even though these are enough to supply their academic needs, such as processing texts and do searchs through the Internet. Thus it was possible to ascertain, throughout the research, that students have a significant interest in exploring the technical resources of computation at their disposal in the Computation Lab but ignore the literature about this subject. At the same time they show a striking hope to insert these instruments in classroom work, even if they are conscious of not being ready to develop activities together with their future pupils at the schools computation laboratories. Given this reality, it is necessary to change curricula of teachers' educating courses in their own structure: a change that gives a new definition to the role of a teacher facing computing resources and helps in driving the teaching-learning process to emphasize the use of computers within the school environment. We believe that this lack lived by students of licensing courses during their academic life does not have its sources in the pure utilization of a technical resource but in actions not preceded by the necessary discussion of all the community of the School of Education about limits and possibilities for education of information technology / A presente investigação versa sobre a utilização da informática durante a trajetória acadêmica dos alunos dos Cursos de Licenciatura em Educação Especial e Pedagogia do Centro de Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Esta pesquisa teve o intuito de analisar os anseios e as expectativas que os alunos apresentam em relação à utilização da informática. Para alcançar este objetivo, buscamos compreender as razões que levaram os alunos a utilizar o Laboratório de Informática do Centro de Educação/LINCE, de modo a conhecer quais os programas, aplicativos e recursos da Internet que estão utilizando durante sua caminhada acadêmica. Tentamos, a partir disso, identificar as possíveis influências que a Informática pode exercer na vida profissional desses alunos, a fim de verificar como eles estão buscando o conhecimento a partir da Internet. Neste sentido, esta investigação caracterizou-se como um estudo descritivo de abordagem qualitativa, de natureza fenomenológica e do tipo estudo de caso. Esta proposta metodológica nos possibilitou participar, compreender e interpretar as atitudes e as atividades realizadas pelos alunos nas dependências do Laboratório. Os sujeitos que fizeram parte deste estudo foram seis alunos do sexto, sétimo e oitavo semestres dos cursos de licenciatura do Centro de Educação. Verificamos que esses sujeitos possuem uma trajetória acadêmica bastante carente em termos de vivências e experiências com os recursos tecnológicos informáticos, mas que vêm desempenhando suas necessidades acadêmicas básicas, como a digitação de trabalhos e pesquisas na Internet. Assim, foi possível constatar, ao longo desta investigação, que os alunos têm um interesse muito grande em explorar os recursos tecnológicos informáticos no Laboratório de Informática, mas desconhecem as literaturas a respeito desta temática. Ao mesmo tempo, revelam uma expectativa bastante acentuada em trabalhar com esses recursos em sala de aula, ao passo que grande parte dos sujeitos consideram-se despreparados para desenvolver atividades com seus futuros alunos no Laboratório de Informática da escola. Frente a essa realidade, faz-se necessário uma modificação estrutural nos currículos dos cursos de formação de professores, necessitando-se redefinir o papel do professor frente aos recursos informáticos, de forma que passe a auxiliar e conduzir o processo de ensino e aprendizagem dos alunos em formação no que tange à utilização do computador no ambiente escolar. Acreditamos que esta carência vivenciada pelos alunos de licenciatura durante sua trajetória acadêmica não seja proveniente da utilização dos recursos tecnológicos informáticos, mas sim, fruto de ações não precedidas de uma discussão com a comunidade do Centro de Educação sobre seus limites e possibilidades, para a área educacional, dos recursos acima mencionados

Une nouvelle tentative pour faire face au défi sceptique est menée depuis une quarantaine d’années. Cette tentative repose sur une théorie de la connaissance centrée sur la notion d’alternatives pertinentes. La thèse se propose de montrer les faiblesses de cette théorie, même lorsqu’elle s’appuie sur l’appareillage des mondes possibles, et suggère que le scepticisme demeure la meilleure position épistémologique. Dans le premier chapitre on passe en revue une série de difficultés liées au sujet des alternatives pertinentes et l'on essaye d'argumenter en faveur de l'idée qu'il n'y a peut-être pas, finalement, de moyens en quelque sorte objectifs pour établir quelles sont les alternatives pertinentes relativement à une situation quelconque. À partir du deuxième chapitre, il est procédé à une analyse critique des tentatives de certains auteurs qui se sont servis, pour élaborer leurs propres conceptions bien précises, du langage des mondes possibles. Dans le deuxième chapitre, l'on se concentre surtout sur la question du degré de proximité qu'un monde possible donné doit exhiber pour être considéré comme suffisamment proche du monde actuel et l'on essaye de montrer qu'il n’est probablement pas possible de tracer d'une manière non arbitraire une ligne de démarcation entre ces mondes possibles qu’on peut ignorer et ceux qu’on ne peut ignorer dans nos attributions de connaissance. Dans le troisième chapitre, l'on se concentre surtout sur la question des critères qui devraient guider nos évaluations de proximité et l'on essaye de montrer le caractère discutable de n'importe quelle règle visant à établir quels seraient ces critères-là. / Over the last forty years, a new attempt to answer to the skeptic challenge has been proposed. This attempt is based on a theory of knowledge, which is grounded on the notion of relevant alternative. My dissertation aims to show the problems of such a theory, even when formulated in terms of possible worlds, and suggests that in the end skepticism remains the best epistemological option. In the first chapter, I will offer a discussion of the issue of relevant alternatives, and I will argue in favor of the idea that perhaps there are no objective criteria to establish which are the relevant alternatives with respect to a certain given situation. In the second chapter, I will propose a critical analysis of the attempts of some philosophers to formulate their own proposals in the language of possible worlds. In particular, I will focus on the issue of the proximity degree that a certain possible world must have in order to be considered as sufficiently closed to the real world, and I will try to show that perhaps it is not possible to draw a sharp line of demarcation between those possible worlds that we can ignore and those that we must take into account in our attribution of knowledge. In the third chapter, I will critically discuss the criteria that should guide our evaluations about proximity, and I will show the problematic aspects of any rule aimed to establish which these criteria in effect should be.

The diploma thesis deals with the question of work and rest in the life of a contemporary Czech person. This includes the development of western Europe in past centuries before and after the industrial revolution up to the present situation characterized by the emphasis on speed and profit. The next part deals with the development of the Czech countries in the twentieth century that have undergone significant dramatic changes reflected even in the field of work and rest. The changes that took place with the commencement of capitalism are reflected from the position of the Jewish-Christian tradition and the social encyclicals issued from the late nineteenth century. It also focuses on the risks closely associated with an imbalance of work and rest both on the level of an individual and also his/her surroundings. Finally, current problems and possible solutions from the side of the state, the employer, the society and the individual himself/herself.

Submitted by Jean Vagner Silva de Oliveira (jean.oliveira@ucsal.br) on 2016-09-14T19:58:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 SOUZA GAGJ-2015.pdf: 641734 bytes, checksum: 4c1122bf21a66e92d1fa0f97af03caa4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Emília Carvalho Ribeiro (maria.ribeiro@ucsal.br) on 2016-09-14T21:10:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 SOUZA GAGJ-2015.pdf: 641734 bytes, checksum: 4c1122bf21a66e92d1fa0f97af03caa4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-14T21:10:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SOUZA GAGJ-2015.pdf: 641734 bytes, checksum: 4c1122bf21a66e92d1fa0f97af03caa4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-07 / A presente dissertação tem como objetivo analisar a problemática que envolve as necessidades de equilíbrio financeiro da nação e de obrigação de cumprimento das normas legais por parte dos poderes instituídos, em contraposição às necessidades particulares dos cidadãos, especificamente relacionadas à área da saúde e ao fornecimento gratuito de medicamentos de alto custo, o que coloca em linha de choque as teorias do mínimo existencial e a da reserva do possível. Para tanto, partiu-se da ideia geral do pacto social que criou os estados e da evolução dos direitos sociais em âmbito universal, notadamente influenciada pelas Revoluções Francesa e Norte Americana, a partir das quais as relações entre governantes e governados transformaram-se, passando os cidadãos a exigirem posturas cada vez mais atuantes dos governos, com atenção especial para a evolução do assunto nas nossas Constituições. Atentou-se ainda para o sistema de repartição dos poderes e para a aparente superioridade do Judiciário em relação aos demais, sendo este o Poder ao qual o cidadão recorre em caso de que o Executivo não atenda às suas necessidades. / This thesis aims to analyze the problems involved in the needs of the nation's financial stability and legal obligation to comply with these standards by the powers that be, as opposed to the particular needs of citizens, specifically relating to health and the free supply of high-cost drugs, which puts in the shock line theories ande xistential minimum booking as possible. So, we started from the general idea of the social pact that created the states and the evolution of social rights in a universal context, notably influenced by the North American and French revolutions, from which the relations between rulers and ruled have become, passing citizens to demand increasingly active postures of governments, with special attention to the evolution of matter in our Constitutions. Still paida ttention to the system of division of powers and the apparent superiority of the judiciary in relation to the other, which is the branch of power to which the citizen recourse in the event that the Administration does not meet your needs.

Orientador: Antonio Manoel dos Santos Silva / Banca: Álvaro Luiz Hattnher / Banca: Romildo Antonio Sant'Anna / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho é a análise comparativa entre Primeiras Estórias, publicado por Guimarães Rosa em 1961, e o filme A terceira margem do rio, produzido em 1993 por Nelson Pereira dos Santos, com base em cinco contos do livro de Rosa. Pretende-se demonstrar alguns dos aspectos estético-semióticos que envolvem o processo de adaptação do texto literário para o texto fílmico, o que implica a definição do grau de aderência, de afastamento e de interferência resultantes desse processo. Em primeiro lugar, identificamos em Primeiras Estórias uma estrutura especular a partir de relações significativas entre os tecidos narrativos dos contos "O espelho", "As margens da alegria" e "Os cimos", em função de um jogo com a posição dos respectivos contos no livro. Em segundo lugar, feitas as interpretações sobre essa estrutura em relação aos demais contos, levantamos a hipótese de que o filme se compõe segundo uma transmutação da estrutura especular do livro de Rosa. Articulada à unidade narrativa que Nelson Pereira dos Santos deu às cinco narrativas em que se baseou, transformando seus núcleos de ação independentes numa única história no filme, essa transmutação confere ao filme sua autonomia criativa. Finalmente, aplicando os conceitos da sociologia estruturalista genética de Lucien Goldmann (1978, 1990), trabalhamos com a hipótese de que a diferença entre as formas das obras é decorrente de distintas consciências possíveis de grupos sociais. / Abstract: This work aims at comparing the short-stories book Primeiras Estórias [First Stories], published by Guimarães Rosa in 1961, to the film A terceira margem do rio [The third bank of the river], which was filmed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos in 1993, based on five shortstories from Rosa's book. We intend to demonstrate some of the aesthetic-semiotical aspects that involve a transcodification process from a literary text into a filmic text. The analysis implies the definition of the degrees of adherence, deviation and interference resulting from that process. Firstly, it was identified in Primeiras Estórias a structure of mirror through the significant relations among the narrative tissues of the short-stories "O espelho", "As margens da alegria" and "Os cimos", because of a play on the position of the respective short-stories in the book. Secondly, as we proposed the interpretations about that structure in relation to the other short-stories, we suggested the hypothesis that the movie was organized by a transmutation of the mirror structure from Rosa's book. This transmutation is articulated to the unity that Nelson Pereira dos Santos gave to the five narratives on which the movie was based, putting together the five independent action nuclei from the short-stories into a single story in the movie. As a result of this composition, the movie reveals its creative autonomy. Finally, we applied the concepts of Lucien Goldmann's genetic structuralist sociology (1978, 1990) to state the hypothesis that the difference between the forms of the works, the shortstories and the film, is due to distinct possible consciousness of social groups. / Mestre

The work deals with the analysis of truth and lie in the J. Becker´s piece of work. The theoretical part, which confronts the factual events with the authenticity of the piece of work, anticipates this analysis. The literary part stands for another inevitable condition for studying the truth and lie. The ``practical part{\crq}q or the reading is thoroughly dedicated to the study of the piece {--}both from the point of view of persons living in the ghetto in Warshaw and from the point of view of the main character, Jakob Heym, which leads to the analysis of truth and lie and to meeting the requirements for my graduation thesis. All my work is concluded by a dialogue with a priest who comes from the Silesian-Polish borderline. Because of the fact that he is also engaged into this problematic I am interested in his opinion about truth and lie in ghetto {--} not only as a Pole, but as a priest as well.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:06:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RENATO MENDES ROCHA.pdf: 735741 bytes, checksum: 6559707c78ce13d85086e58b691dd7f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-30 / In this dissertation we will defend Lewis Modal Realism (LMR), i.e., the metaphysical hypothesis about the real existence of a plurality of worlds. We will try to show the pragmatic character of Lewis arguments in support of this metaphysics of possible worlds. In this sense, we approximate Lewis (1986) and Quine (1960) and we aim to show that Lewis uses criteria for taking ontological decisions similar to those defended by Quine. These criteria are: simplicity of formulation, theoretical economy and distrust in purely intuitive criteria as only guide for Philosophy. To accomplish our intention, we divided the text in three chapters. In the first we present the philosophical benefits of LMR that demonstrate the theoretical utility of possible-worlds talk. These benefits are related to important concepts in Philosophy of Language and Epistemology, such as, Modality, Counterfactuals and a uniform treatment to Properties and Propositions. The second chapter is divided into two parts. At first we present the philosophical background we believe is related to Lewis philosophy. A neo-humean scenario and the resumption of metaphysics discussion in contemporary analytic philosophy compose this background. In the second part we present three fundamental thesis formulate by Lewis the consistence of his Modal Realism: concreteness, isolation and plenitude. In the third and latter chapter we discuss two criticism of LMR: (a) David Armstrong & Peter Forrest (1984) and (b) Susan Haack (1977). Each of these papers present criticism from distinct points of view. The first aims to identify a paradox in the metaphysics of possible worlds, and the latter focuses on semantics aspects of LMR. Finally, we show Lewis reply to objection (a) and that argument (b) could be inserted as an incredulous stare on LMR, and that it consists on a petition principi. / Nessa dissertação defenderemos o Realismo Modal de David Lewis (RML), ou seja, a hipótese metafísica acerca da existência real de uma pluralidade de mundos. A defesa que apresentaremos procura evidenciar o caráter pragmático dos argumentos a favor dessa metafísica dos mundos possíveis. Nesse sentido, aproximaremos a filosofia de David Lewis (1986) a de W. V. O. Quine (1960) e procuraremos mostrar que Lewis utiliza critérios para tomada de decisões ontológicas semelhantes aos defendidos por Quine. Esses critérios são: a simplicidade de formulação, a economia teórica e a desconfiança de critérios meramente intuitivos como guias para a Filosofia. Para cumprir nosso objetivo, estruturamos a dissertação em três capítulos. No primeiro apresentamos benefícios filosóficos do RML que demonstram a utilidade teórica do idioma dos mundos possíveis. Esses benefícios estão relacionados a noções importantes para a Filosofia da Linguagem e a Teoria do Conhecimento tais como: Modalidades, Contrafatuais, e um tratamento uniforme para Propriedades e Proposições. O segundo capítulo divide-se em duas partes. Na primeira traçamos um pano de fundo filosófico que acreditamos estar relacionado à filosofia de Lewis. Compõem esse pano de fundo: um cenário que identificamos como neo-humeano e a retomada de discussões metafísicas na Filosofia Analítica Contemporânea. Na segunda parte apresentamos três teses formuladas por Lewis para garantir a consistência e a coerência de seu Realismo Modal: a Concretude, o Isolamento e a Plenitude. No terceiro capítulo discutimos duas críticas ao RML: (a) David Armstrong & Peter Forrest (1984) e (b) Susan Haack (1977). Cada um desses artigos apresenta uma crítica diferente. A primeira procura identificar um paradoxo na metafísica dos mundos possíveis e a segunda concentra-se em aspectos semânticos do RML. Por fim, mostramos como a objeção em (a) é refutada por Lewis e como o argumento em (b) poderia se inserir no grupo de críticas que Lewis classifica como um olhar incrédulo sobre o RML. Por isso, concluímos que esse olhar consiste em uma petição de princípio.