This study is a critical analysis of selected works of the playwright Maishe Maponya namely, The Hungry Earth, Jika and Gangsters. The main thrust of the analysis of the thesis is centred on questions around what 'Commitment' might mean in literature and drama. This concept has appeared in many names and guises. In theatre, it has assumed names like Theatre of Commitment, Theatre of the Dispossessed, Theatre ofthe Oppressed, Theatre of Resistance, as well as Theatre of Radicalization (Bentley 1968; Boal 1974; Mda 1985; Maponya 1992). These names came into existence as a result of a concerted effort to refrain from the use of the traditional conventional theatre, which does not appear to address itself to societal problems - the preoccupation of Theatre of Commitment. Chapter One is principally concerned with the concept of Commitment and its implications in art and literature, more specifically in theatre. Further, the following interacting elements in South African theatre are highlighted: censorship, banning, detention and other restrictions, as well as DET education and religious institutions. Finally, Maponya is introduced, with his political inclinations and his views on art, together with the issue of theatricality in his plays. Chapter two initiates the proposed critical analysis with a focus on The Hungry Earth. The focus is on Theatre of Commitment and the background events that inspired Maponya's response. Chapter three concerns itself with the critical analysis of Jika, "a play about the making of revolutionaries in South Africa ... and serves a political purpose - as a recording of pivotal moment in South African history ... " (Haysom, 1988: 1). An attempt is made to assess the extent to which the playwright has succeeded or failed to strike a chord harmonious with the pronouncements quoted. Chapter four ends the critical analysis with the treatment of Gangsters. Here an observation is made on the fusing of the three personas, namely Rasechaba, Biko and Maponya, into one symbolic whole representing the image of Jesus Christ on the cross - the Saviour who sacrificed His life for the salvation of sinners. Maponya is seen to have sacrificed his time and energy for the liberation of the downtrodden. The conclusion summarizes the study by placing the selected works in their suitable perspective in respect of the notion of Commitment in literature, with particular reference to theatre. Maponya is seen to have played a commendable role in the liberation of his peoples' minds by teaching them the business of organizing revolutions, as well as by championing the liberation struggle.

Over the last few decades there has been a growing trend in scholarship which has focused upon conceptualisations of gender in the representations of characters in medieval narrative literature. Thus far, depictions of women have received a disproportionate amount of attention to the side-lining of the man, although recently the man has slowly been reinstated. However, questions as to the nature of masculinity and what behaviours constituted an appropriate expression of a man's manliness in the sagas have remained. In this dissertation, I first set out to identify a foundation masculinity from which other representations of masculinity can be said to derive. Two behavioural principles are defined (the ability to provide and the ability to protect) before being explored primarily in the representations of kings and martial champions in a selection of medieval Norse and Irish sagas. Discussion of kings focuses upon the literary depictions of Conchobor mac Nessa and Óláfr Haraldsson, while for the martial champions, representations of Cú Chulainn, Caílte mac Rónáin and characters within four Norse sagas (Njáls saga, Fóstbroeðra saga, Bósa saga ok Herrauðs and Ọrvar-Odds saga) are examined. Given that wider gender studies highlights that a number of variables affect depictions of gender in the medieval sagas, a comparative approach allows scope for an exploration into the impact of geographical location on expressions of masculinity. However, the main research question of this dissertation centres upon an inquiry into the role that status plays in depictions of manliness in characters from the saga. While making a judgement upon the degree of influence of this particular factor, other variables affecting the formation of gender – such as textual purpose and genre – are also discussed.

This dissertation is a study of spatial allegorical representations of inwardness in late medieval devotional texts of the fourteenth and fifteenth century, with a focus on the topos of the garden of the contemplation of the Passion as a landscape of the heart. These representations of the self do not follow the temporal logic of autobiography but are instead organized around matrix spaces: architectures or gardens of inwardness. Named by Beaujour in opposition to life-narratives, these miroirs d’encre or literary self-portraits rely on topoï to express the most intimate contours of the individual. The first part of this dissertation considers how identity is negotiated with respect to the devotional norm in two private devotional exercises penned by cultured aristocrats. The abject vision of the penitential self in Henry of Lancaster’s Livre des Seyntz Medicines is rooted in the requirement to describe a deep self ontologically opaque to consciousness, while in René d’Anjou’s Mortifiement de Vaine Plaisance, the sinfulness lodged in the heart is considered through the lens of an anthropology focused on affect. Because of their intertextual nature, locative tropes of interiority constitute an arena in which the individual constitutes himself in relation to foundational texts. Topical representations of the self borrow their form from the setting of a particular text or reference an entire textual tradition, inviting the question of the role of reading practices in self formation. The second part of this dissertation focuses on reading as a spiritual exercise, considering how the literary setting of the Roman de la Rose came to be associated to a devotional representation of the self in the late Middle Ages. In response to the debates on language and allegoresis unfurling in the Quarrel of the Rose, Pierre d’Ailly transforms its garden into an inner Jardin Amoureux de l’Ame Devote, subjecting the infamous secular text to a reading inspired by devotional meditative reading practices. Later on, Jehan Henri mobilizes the topography of the Rose to describe the collective identity of reformed nuns in a series of texts promoting the agenda of monastic reformation ( Le Livre de réformation utile et profitable pour toutes religieuses, Livre de la vie active and the Jardin de Contemplation). Finally, Molinet’s Roman de la Rose Moralisé proposes a spiritual reading of the Rose that testifies to a paradigm shift in the status of secular literature under the influence of devotional reading modes, and which, like Pierre d’Ailly, assimilates the setting of the Rose to an inner garden of the contemplation of the Passion. No longer an innocuous pastime, literature comes to carry high societal stakes because of being invested with a definite role in self-fashioning. The race for controlling the meaning of foundational texts leads to the proliferation of late medieval literary quarrels. An edition of Jehan Henri’s Jardin de Contemplation is provided in the appendix.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 260-266).

Zugl.: Berlin Freie Univ., Diss., 2006. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

Failure haunts Mexico's historical imagination. Mexican intellectuals express a negative view of their country's history--especially vis-à-vis its nineteenth-century founding--and this negativity spills over into contemporary political and social discourse. To be sure, they have much to lament about the nineteenth century: multiple foreign invasions, rampant political instability and cronyism, excessive foreign debt, heavy-handed military leaders, and lest we forget, the loss of half the national territory. My dissertation analyzes narratives of failure in five historical novels, written between 1982 and 2005: Jorge Ibargüengoitia's Los pasos de López (1982), Rosa Beltrán's La corte de los ilusos (1995), Ignacio Solares' La invasión (2005), Fernando del Paso's Noticias del imperio (1987), and Enrique Serna's El seductor de la patria (1999). I define narratives of failure as discursive strategies that highlight--and often poeticize--perceived cultural, political, and social shortcomings. They are historical arguments that attempt to explain, justify, embellish, expose, or reinterpret contemporary problems as the atavistic result of prior shortcomings. They mediate between lofty aspirations and unsatisfied goals. They seek to ameliorate the psychological trauma resulting from loss. And despite apparent pessimism, these narratives tend to be fiercely nationalistic. It might be said that the transmission of failure narratives from one generation of intellectuals to the next has concretized their existence. Once in place, narratives of failure inform debates about nationhood, democracy, stability, and autonomy. Inertia propels these ideas forward. Despite the prevalence of these narratives in most genres, nowhere does failure manifest itself more clearly than in historical novels that recreate the nineteenth century. Furthermore these narratives are intimately tied up with the nation's guiding fictions. As authors employ narratives of failure, they reinterpret the nation's foundational moments. At times this serves to challenge official stories and dogmas or to liberate enduring symbols for reinterpretation. Narratives of failure challenge citizens to rethink their nation, their history, and themselves.

The purpose of this study was to determine if sex role stereotyping occurs in elementary school readers, and, if it does, to what extent. To achieve this purpose, the study examined and classified the roles, relationships, activities, attitudes, treatments, generalizations, future directions for life and work, and the relative importance assigned to male and female characters in elementary school readers. Data were generated from the application of a 48 item classification instrument which was developed by the researcher.The sampling for the study consisted of 280 stories in 56 elementary school readers, grades 1-6. Those stories were contained in the textbook series of the 7 publishing firms adopted by the state of Indiana for use during the 1973-78 school years.Data collected from the stories were viewed collectively for all series of elementary school readers. Findings and conclusions were based upon the total data compiled during the investigation of the problem.The data strongly indicated that sex role stereotyping consistently occurs in elementary school readers. Those data are presented in the following table:TABLE OF FINDINGSReported below are data collected from the 280 stories examined in 56 elementary school readers which present numerical comparisons between male and female roles.ItemNumber of timespresentedMaleFemaleMajor character21862In illustration (foreground)24581In front cover illustration12531Sex of names in story titles7117Biographies263In the business world (labor force)18943Active character29185Passive character36165Positive character statement25540Negative character statement3561Physical tasks accomplished24454Mental tasks accomplished18533One sex portrayed alone in groups16129Recreational activity107/111Working in the kitchen344Other domestic work1143Making an important decision21635Acquisition of skill or knowledge16324In a ridiculous or degrading situation2292Subservient to other sex074Dependent upon other sex280Based upon the findings of the study, it was concluded that females in elementary school readers were (1) less frequently represented than males in terms of numbers; (2) less frequently represented than males in titles, central roles, and stories; (3) represented in stereotyped roles such as wives, mothers, housekeepers, elementary teachers, and other service-oriented jobs; (4) represented in subordinate, home-related roles; (5) represented as being best fit to be helpmates to males and to depend on males for protection and support; (6) represented less frequently than males as intelligent, capable people with the ability to solve problems and get out of difficult situations; (7) frequently the recipients of derogatory comments; and (8) frequently represented in situations which reinforce culturally conditioned sexual characteristics illustrating as female such traits as dependency, passivity, emotionalism, and a non-competitive spirit.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-88). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-207).