Al-ghazal al-‘udhri emerged as a remarkable literary genre in Arabic literature during the Umayyad period (7th-8th centuries CE). The leaders of this genre are famous poet-lovers who were known for their dramatic love stories and unique poetry, such as Majnun Layla, Qays Lubna and Jamil Buthaynah. There is a common presumption of the absence of the concept of the body in al-ghazal al-‘udhri; most scholars to date have only reproduced commonly- held ideas about the purity of ‘udhri love without doubting its supposed chastity. This thesis, however, argues that the body has a privileged position in al-ghazal al-‘udhri. It shows that the body’s presence is represented, realistically or allegorically, in various ways, both in anecdotes ascribed to ‘udhri poets as well as in their poetry. Although some critics have discussed the theme of the ‘depiction of the beloved’s body’, it is the contribution of this study to illuminate the ‘ethereal nature of beauty’ in this depiction. Moreover, this thesis provides a discussion about the symbolic body in ‘udhri poetry. It provides a departure from the prevailing views on the ‘udhri phenomenon in studies of classical Arabic literature. It opens the door to new discussions on the relationship between love poetry and Arab society in the classical age. It is also a contribution to literary studies of representations of the body.

This thesis began as an artistic investigation into the politics of identity and sex/sexuality. The main ideas that run throughout this exegesis position themselves within Nicolas Bourriaud’s ideas in the book Postproduction, and also around a parafeminist ideology. Within this I focus on popular music culture, the body, video and performance art, and visual representations of the body. I pay particular attention to the female body, and look into ideas of conventional social norms and how people challenge these. I look into the work of several female artists who deal with the visual representation, and also look at figures within popular music culture. Within band culture I look into how the band can be used as a vehicle to disseminate ideas wider audience. Art and music culture have fed off of each other for generations and can provide valuable strategies within each context for thinking beyond social norms. The remix can be used as a tactic to decode forms and narratives in popular culture. This can be used to investigate representations of identity within a space that is in a constant state of flux. This is particularly useful as a parafeminist strategy because it allows a context in which to question, rather than answer. As a result of this study I have found that there are no concrete answers when it comes to identity and sexuality, but can conclude that conventional gender representations and signifiers of identity can be remixed into different scenarios and narratives that can challenge social norms.

This thesis began as an artistic investigation into the politics of identity and sex/sexuality. The main ideas that run throughout this exegesis position themselves within Nicolas Bourriaud’s ideas in the book Postproduction, and also around a parafeminist ideology. Within this I focus on popular music culture, the body, video and performance art, and visual representations of the body. I pay particular attention to the female body, and look into ideas of conventional social norms and how people challenge these. I look into the work of several female artists who deal with the visual representation, and also look at figures within popular music culture. Within band culture I look into how the band can be used as a vehicle to disseminate ideas wider audience. Art and music culture have fed off of each other for generations and can provide valuable strategies within each context for thinking beyond social norms. The remix can be used as a tactic to decode forms and narratives in popular culture. This can be used to investigate representations of identity within a space that is in a constant state of flux. This is particularly useful as a parafeminist strategy because it allows a context in which to question, rather than answer. As a result of this study I have found that there are no concrete answers when it comes to identity and sexuality, but can conclude that conventional gender representations and signifiers of identity can be remixed into different scenarios and narratives that can challenge social norms.

This thesis began as an artistic investigation into the politics of identity and sex/sexuality. The main ideas that run throughout this exegesis position themselves within Nicolas Bourriaud’s ideas in the book Postproduction, and also around a parafeminist ideology. Within this I focus on popular music culture, the body, video and performance art, and visual representations of the body. I pay particular attention to the female body, and look into ideas of conventional social norms and how people challenge these. I look into the work of several female artists who deal with the visual representation, and also look at figures within popular music culture. Within band culture I look into how the band can be used as a vehicle to disseminate ideas wider audience. Art and music culture have fed off of each other for generations and can provide valuable strategies within each context for thinking beyond social norms. The remix can be used as a tactic to decode forms and narratives in popular culture. This can be used to investigate representations of identity within a space that is in a constant state of flux. This is particularly useful as a parafeminist strategy because it allows a context in which to question, rather than answer. As a result of this study I have found that there are no concrete answers when it comes to identity and sexuality, but can conclude that conventional gender representations and signifiers of identity can be remixed into different scenarios and narratives that can challenge social norms.

L’étude du corps offre un angle d’approche privilégié pour appréhender les représentations théâtrales comiques de l’époque classique à Athènes et en Grande Grèce. Seule une analyse croisée des sources textuelles et iconographiques permet de faire toute la lumière sur la manière dont le corps comique était mis en scène, perçu et imaginé. Les conclusions de la thèse reposent en particulier sur la confrontation des comédies grecques du Ve et du IVe siècle av. J.-C. et de la céramique italiote à sujet comique, entre lesquelles elle établit un lien étroit. Le premier chapitre est consacré à la présentation des corpus et à leur mise en relation. Le deuxième décrit les aspects matériels du costume comique. Les troisième et quatrième portent sur la sémiologie du costume : sont d’abord étudiés les codes propres au genre, puis les éléments qui concourent à la caractérisation sociale et morale du personnage. Le cinquième et dernier chapitre traite de la fonction dramatique du geste comique. / Analysis of the body provides an effective means of capturing comic performances in classical Athens and Magna Graecia. Textual and iconographic sources ought to be considered together to shed light upon the staging of the comic body as it was perceived and imagined. In particular, the conclusions of this work are based upon the comparison of Greek comedies from the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. and South-Italian vase-paintings of comic subjects. The first chapter presents the two corpuses and the questions raised by their comparison. Chapter two describes the material characteristics of the comic costume. The third and fourth chapters focus on the semiotics of the costume ; the signs of the genre are treated first, followed by a discussion of the social and moral characterization of the personages. The final chapter pertains to the dramatic function of the comic gesture.