A investigação do romance Girlfriend in a Coma permitiu perceber alguns elementos centrais que estruturam a obra como mito e paródia. O mundo ficcional é caracterizado por uma sociedade à beira de um colapso devido a sua incapacidade de mudar seu comportamento e sequer consegue perceber o que está errado. Na narrativa são utilizados recursos estéticos identificados com o realismo maravilhoso, pois, juntamente com a descrição de eventos coerentes com a racionalidade humana, há eventos sobrenaturais realizados pelo divino. Nesta narrativa, a ideologia do trabalho árduo como estruturador da vida em uma sociedade democrática e capitalista é esfacelado em vista dos terríveis efeitos sentidos pelos personagens: trabalho extenuante, drogadição, anorexia e individualismo. Com o uso de teoria da narrativa e pós-modernista, argumenta-se que este romance é um ‗mito do novo mundo‘ ao fazer uso da paródia como forma de contestar meta-narrativas, e ao propor novas cosmogonias baseadas na experiência pós-colonial Canadense. / The investigation of the novel Girlfriend in a Coma revealed some central elements that structure this work as myth and parody. The fictional world is characterized by a society incapable of changing its behavior or even realizing what is wrong with it. In the narrative some aesthetic resources are used which are related to magic realism because, along with the description of events coherent with human rationality, there are supernatural events performed by the divine. In this narrative, the ideology of hard work as the main structure of life in a democratic capitalist society is unveiled, taking into account some terrible effects felt by the characters, such as: overworking, drug addiction, anorexia and individualism. With the use of narrative theory and postmodernist theory, it is argued that this novel is a ‗new world myth‘ because it makes use of parody as a way to refute masternarratives and to suggest new cosmogonies based on the Canadian post-colonial experience.

Cet dossier a pour but d’analyser la poésie de Mário Faustino, afin d’observer son intégration dans le contexte de la modernité, principalement par la façon dont il utilise l’élément du discours mythique. Avec la relecture qu’il élabore des mythes classiques – manifestation de l’inconscient collectif – l’auteur exprime le sentiment de son époque et par la définit un lyrisme qui rassemble intimisme et vision social. L’étude observe, dans ce contexte, la façon dont le poète donne au développement des principaux thèmes, choisis par lui, et les aspects de sa quête de renouveau poétique. Avec cet objectif, la recherche examine le texte poétique laissé par Faustino. La recherche examine les textes poétiques du poète, prenant en compte aussi bien ses écrits et essais concernant la poésie, pour essayer, à travers cela, d’atteindre son propre cheminement créatif. Dans les limites de l'analyse thématique, cette recherche tend à suivre la méthode descriptive exégétique ayant pour sources des livres, magazines, journaux, textes et des travaux et essais académiques trouves auprès de certaines publications électroniques. Une autre source ce furent des entretiens individuels avec un des plus grands érudits de l'oeuvre du poète, Benedito Nunes, et de Lilia Silvestre Chaves, responsable de la seule biographie de référence du poète. Un important apport théorique à cette étude a pour origine les études sur le mouvement poétique moderne de Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno et Alfredo Bosi. Par ailleurs les recherches sur les travaux des poètes de João Cabral de Melo Neto et T. S. Eliot; des études et essais sur les mythes littéraires par Pierre Brunel et Pierre Grimal et les travaux de Benedito Nunes sur la poétique Faustienne. A travers l’analyse d’ouvre de Mário Faustino, cette étude observe la façon dont le poète profite de son thème afin de favoriser le retour au temps mythique, aux saisons au cours desquelles. Homme et la nature sont parfaitement intégrés, et finalement intégrer l’homme moderne a son époque dans le contexte actuel. Cette approche originale tend à démontrer que son oeuvre réunit poésie et discours mythologique et remets l’homme au centre du quotidien moderne, dans une réaction contre la cote « modéliste »des temps actuels. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a poesia de Mário Faustino, para observar a sua integração ao contexto da modernidade, principalmente através do aproveitamento que faz de elementos do discurso mítico. A partir da releitura que elabora dos mitos clássicos – manifestações do pensamento coletivo –, o autor expressa o sentimento de sua época, definindo um lirismo que une intimismo e visão social. O estudo observa, dentro deste enfoque, a forma que o poeta dá ao tratamento dos principais temas por ele eleitos e aspectos de sua busca pela renovação poética. Com este fim, a pesquisa examina o texto poético deixado por Faustino, valendo-se também da sua escrita ensaística sobre poesia, para buscar perceber, através de seus estudos críticos, as reflexões que o encaminharam em seu processo criativo de poesia. Dentro dos limites da análise temática, esta pesquisa busca seguir o método descritivo-exegético usando como fontes livros, revistas, jornais, trabalhos acadêmicos e periódicos em meio eletrônico, bem como entrevistas pessoais ao maior estudioso da obra do poeta, Benedito Nunes, e à sua única biógrafa, Lilia Silvestre Chaves. Darão aporte teórico ao trabalho, os estudos sobre poesia moderna de Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno e Alfredo Bosi, assim como as pesquisas sobre o ofício dos poetas, de João Cabral de Melo Neto e T. S. Eliot; dos mitos literários por Pierrre Brunel e Pierrre Grimal e os estudos de Benedito Nunes sobre a poética faustiniana. Através da análise da obra de Mário Faustino, este estudo observa como o poeta tira proveito de sua temática para promover o retorno ao tempo mítico, época em que o homem e a natureza eram perfeitamente integrados, para tentar harmonizar o homem hodierno com o seu tempo. Tal exame chega a constatar que sua obra apresenta o encontro da poesia com o discurso mitológico como um recurso de que o poeta se apropria para propor uma reação ao cotidiano reificador da modernidade. / This research is aimed at analyzing Mário Faustino’s poetry, to observe its insert in the modern milieu, mainly through its incorporation of elements from mythic discourse. From the point of view of his reinterpretation of classic myth – gathering of collective thought – the author expresses his feelings about the time he lives in, and succeeds in determining a lyric that assembles intimism and society’s analysis. The present work observes, from that focalization, the treatment which the poet dispenses to his major themes, and still, his search for revitalization in poetry. For this purpose, this work investigates Faustino’s poems and his essays about poetry, pursuing to find in his critical texts, some indication of his creative process. Considering the limits of thematic analysis, this research aims to accomplish an interpretative-descriptive mode, consulting books, magazines, newspapers, academic papers and periodical publications on electronic ambience, as well as, personally interviewing the main interpreter of the poet’s work, Benedito Nunes, and his only biographer, Lilia Silvestre Chaves. The theoretical bases are supported by the studies about modern poetry, from Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno and Alfredo Bosi; the research about poets’ craft, from João Cabral de Melo Neto and T. S. Eliot; the writings about literary myths, from Pierre Brunel e Pierre Grimal; and the studies from Benedito Nunes about Mário Faustino’s poetry. Through the analysis of Mário Faustino’s work, it is observed how the poet takes advantage of his themes to promote the return to the mythological age, when man and nature were perfectly integrated, to harmonize men and modern era. This exam reaches the conclusion that his work presents the junction of poetry and mythological speech, as the poet’s way of recollecting resources to present a reaction against the materialism imposed by modernity.

Tthis presented work is focused on a issue of atypical burials in medieval Bohemia. There are groups of people and the reasons which they led a community to such an action at that time. This work contains a summary of selected sites with the mentioned specific graves. Analysis and evaluation of character and significance of atypical burials in a medieval community is a part of this work.

Si le mythe est devenu aujourd’hui une donnée incontournable pour comprendre l’âme humaine et ses différentes formes d’expression, il reste cependant équivoque et difficilement conceptualisable. En effet, le mythe est à la fois compris comme un récit fictif qui ne repose sur aucun fond de réalité mais aussi comme un discours vrai et hautement significatif. Pour bien marquer le sens philosophique de notre travail, nous avons commencé par poser le problème du mythe tel qu’il évolue dans la pensée européenne. Le mythe souffre d’une trop longue histoire, il a été déchiré entre rationalisme et romantisme. Puis nous avons questionné d’autres civilisations – les Fon du Dahomey, au Bénin – pour qui le mythe représente tout ce que les hommes doivent savoir et comprendre pour bien s’ancrer dans l’existant. Elles nous donnent à voir un mythe authentique, vivant, inséparable d’une gestuelle magico-religieuse. Ainsi le vrai sens du mythe ne se trouve pas dans nos livres, dans un Homère ou un Hésiode, mais dans le vécu même des hommes. Il est d’abord élaboré par les sociétés primitives, par des groupes d’hommes qui ne vivent que par et pour lui, avant d’être écrit, classé, interprété et réinterprété. Il semblerait à cet égard que Gaston Bachelard, à la fois poète et épistémologue, se soit intéressé au mythe. Il nous livre ainsi une réflexion originale, libre et ouverte qui nous en donne une autre image. Il pose le problème du mythe en soi, au cœur de l’écrit et, riche de ses lectures, il jette les bases d’une nouvelle mythanalyse. La compréhension du mythe semble pour nous incontournable aujourd’hui, car notre civilisation a irrémédiablement coupé entre les informations portées par des images et celles portées par les systèmes d’écritures. Cette rupture est sans doute la cause de cette grave crise spirituelle que nous traversons. Le mythe semble à cet égard salutaire : il nous reconduit directement vers les grands principes de la création, création du monde ou bien création poétique, il ré-enchante le monde. / If the myth has become today an unavoidable fact to understand the human soul and its different forms of expression, it remains, however, ambiguous and hardly conceptualizing. Indeed, the myth is at once understood as a fictitious narrative which isn’t based on any in-depth reality, but also as a real and highly significant discourse. In order to underline the philosophical meaning of our work, we have begun by assert the myth problem such as it evolves in the European thought. The myth is badly affected by a too long history; it has been divided between rationalism and romanticism. Then, we have questioned other civilizations – Fon from Dahomey, Benin – for whose myth represents all the human being must know and understand to become established in existing. They show us an authentic myth, alive, indivisible from a magical-religious body language. Thus, the real meaning of myth is not in our books, in Homere or Hésiode, but in the real life of humans. It is, first of all, evolved by the original societies, by human groups which lived for it and by it, before being written, classified, interpreted and re-interpreted. It would seem, in this regard, that Gaston Bachelard, at once poet and epistemologist, took interest in myth. He reveals us an original reflection, free and open which gives us another image. He asserts the problem of the myth itself, at the heart of writing and, as a rich reader, he lays the basis of a new myth-analysis. The understanding of the myth seems for u unavoidable today because our civilization has cut off, irreparably, between the information brought by images and those brought by the writing systems. This fracture is, no doubt, the reason of this serious spiritual crisis we pass on. The myth seems, in this regard, salutary: it renews us directly towards the great principles of the creation, creation of the world or poetic creation, it re-enchants the world.

L’œuvre de Sylvie Germain, traversée par de nombreuses références mythiques et bibliques, invite à une lecture polyphonique du monde. Lieu privilégié pour interroger l’originaire, la famille, structurée par des liens complexes d’affiliation, de filiation et d’alliance, devient la scène où se jouent et se rejouent les drames individuels et collectifs, se fomentent les meurtres comme les lumineuses adoptions. Caisse de résonnance particulièrement sensible aux désastres du monde qui la traversent, elle fait parvenir, en sourdine ou en éclats, les flux et reflux généalogiques qui atteignent ses membres. À partir d’une étude approfondie des différentes figures familiales, ce travail explore les situations de violences primitives et les cheminements qui conduisent à la réconciliation du sujet avec son enfance et sa mémoire. / The work of Sylvie Germain is pervaded by numerous mythical and biblical references, which causes the reader to be immersed in a polyphonic process. It appears as a relevant field of study to raise questions related to both origin and family, equally structured by complex lineage bonds, lines of descent and alliances. It can become the stage on which individual and collective dramas are performed; murders are contrived under the appearance of luminous adoptions. The work of Sylvie Germain echoes the world’s disasters and leads the reader to perceive the ebb and flow of genealogy affecting all relatives in a dim or deafening manner. This study explores the situation of violence based on a thorough analysis of the status of the various family members and itinerary which enables the subject to come to terms with childhood and awakened memories.

Este trabalho estuda a inserção da História na Literatura, abordando a Tetralogia Lusitana, de Almeida Faria, conjunto de quatro romances deste autor, publicados entre 1965 e 1983. Procura comprovar que um evento histórico fundamental para o povo português, como a Revolução dos Cravos, redireciona a produção do escritor Almeida Faria fazendo-o, a partir do romance A Paixão, de 1965, desenvolver um projeto literário intratextual. A consciência histórica, assim, se retroprojeta modificando o tempo no primeiro romance e sua leitura, atribuindo-lhe novos sentidos. O mito é elemento importante na criação/desvelamento da obra, tanto na sua utilização como alegoria do universo fechado a que ele se refere, quanto no posterior aproveitamento em termos críticos, uma vez que as personagens buscam fugir da mitificação do processo revolucionário, negando os antigos discursos unificadores e buscando sempre uma postura antiépica. Neste sentido, utilizamos referenciais teóricos diferenciados para cada romance da Tetralogia Lusitana, como a crítica do imaginário de Gilbert Durand, o conceito de História de Walter Benjamin, a polifonia, o dialogismo, a intertextualidade, a carnavalização e a paródia de acordo com Mikail Bakhtin e os estudos de Eduardo Lourenço sobre a identidade portuguesa. Nosso método consistiu, portanto, no estudo comparativo dos quatro romances da Tetralogia Lusitana e na simultânea análise de cada um deles, reconhecendo suas peculiaridades e, ao mesmo tempo, o papel que ocupam neste conjunto. Tal abordagem permitiu comprovar as hipóteses lançadas, fazendo-nos chegar à conclusão de que Almeida Faria, através de sua literatura, mostra um povo que busca novos caminhos e uma nova idéia de pátria, onde o ser português passa pelo descentramento, alimenta-se da integração de várias etnias e se abre sempre para novas possibilidades. Ao analisar o tratamento ficcional que o autor dá ao processo revolucionário no Portugal contemporâneo e seus desdobramentos históricos, pretendemos também contribuir para a crítica relativa à Literatura Portuguesa pós-revolução / This work studies the History’s insertion in Literature, approaching the Tetralogia Lusitana of Almeida Faria, which is a group of four romances, published by this author between 1965 and 1983. It seeks to prove that a fundamental historical event for the Portuguese people, as the Carnation Revolution, redirects Almeida Faria's production making him develop a intratextual literary project, starting from the romance “The Passion”, of 1965. Thereby, the historical conscience retro-projects itself, modifying the time and attributing new meanings to the first romance reading. The myth is an important element in the creation-unveiling of the work - as allegory to the closed universe referred, as much as in a subsequent use in critical terms - once the characters seek to escape the mythicizing of the revolutionary process, denying the unifying old speeches, always looking for an anti-epic attitude. In this sense, we used distinct theoretical references for each romance of the Tetralogia Lusitana, as the Gilbert Durand’s imaginary critics, the Walter Benjamin’s concept of History, the polyphony, the dialogism, the intertextuality, the carnivalization and the parody according to the work of Mikhail Bakhtin, and the Eduardo Lourenço's studies about the Portuguese identity. Our method consisted, therefore, in a comparative study of the Tetralogia Lusitana’s four romances and in a simultaneous analysis of each one of them, recognizing their peculiarities and, at the same time, their individual role in the group. Such approach allowed to prove the previous hypotheses, making us to conclude that Almeida Faria, through his literature, shows a people looking for new roads and a new homeland idea, where the “being Portuguese” feeling crosses concepts as decentralization, feeding itself from an ethnic integration, always opened for new possibilities. When analyzing the fictional treatment given by the author to the revolutionary process in a contemporary Portugal and in its historical unfolding, we also intended to contribute to the Portuguese post-revolution literature studies.

A investigação do romance Girlfriend in a Coma permitiu perceber alguns elementos centrais que estruturam a obra como mito e paródia. O mundo ficcional é caracterizado por uma sociedade à beira de um colapso devido a sua incapacidade de mudar seu comportamento e sequer consegue perceber o que está errado. Na narrativa são utilizados recursos estéticos identificados com o realismo maravilhoso, pois, juntamente com a descrição de eventos coerentes com a racionalidade humana, há eventos sobrenaturais realizados pelo divino. Nesta narrativa, a ideologia do trabalho árduo como estruturador da vida em uma sociedade democrática e capitalista é esfacelado em vista dos terríveis efeitos sentidos pelos personagens: trabalho extenuante, drogadição, anorexia e individualismo. Com o uso de teoria da narrativa e pós-modernista, argumenta-se que este romance é um ‗mito do novo mundo‘ ao fazer uso da paródia como forma de contestar meta-narrativas, e ao propor novas cosmogonias baseadas na experiência pós-colonial Canadense. / The investigation of the novel Girlfriend in a Coma revealed some central elements that structure this work as myth and parody. The fictional world is characterized by a society incapable of changing its behavior or even realizing what is wrong with it. In the narrative some aesthetic resources are used which are related to magic realism because, along with the description of events coherent with human rationality, there are supernatural events performed by the divine. In this narrative, the ideology of hard work as the main structure of life in a democratic capitalist society is unveiled, taking into account some terrible effects felt by the characters, such as: overworking, drug addiction, anorexia and individualism. With the use of narrative theory and postmodernist theory, it is argued that this novel is a ‗new world myth‘ because it makes use of parody as a way to refute masternarratives and to suggest new cosmogonies based on the Canadian post-colonial experience.

Cet dossier a pour but d’analyser la poésie de Mário Faustino, afin d’observer son intégration dans le contexte de la modernité, principalement par la façon dont il utilise l’élément du discours mythique. Avec la relecture qu’il élabore des mythes classiques – manifestation de l’inconscient collectif – l’auteur exprime le sentiment de son époque et par la définit un lyrisme qui rassemble intimisme et vision social. L’étude observe, dans ce contexte, la façon dont le poète donne au développement des principaux thèmes, choisis par lui, et les aspects de sa quête de renouveau poétique. Avec cet objectif, la recherche examine le texte poétique laissé par Faustino. La recherche examine les textes poétiques du poète, prenant en compte aussi bien ses écrits et essais concernant la poésie, pour essayer, à travers cela, d’atteindre son propre cheminement créatif. Dans les limites de l'analyse thématique, cette recherche tend à suivre la méthode descriptive exégétique ayant pour sources des livres, magazines, journaux, textes et des travaux et essais académiques trouves auprès de certaines publications électroniques. Une autre source ce furent des entretiens individuels avec un des plus grands érudits de l'oeuvre du poète, Benedito Nunes, et de Lilia Silvestre Chaves, responsable de la seule biographie de référence du poète. Un important apport théorique à cette étude a pour origine les études sur le mouvement poétique moderne de Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno et Alfredo Bosi. Par ailleurs les recherches sur les travaux des poètes de João Cabral de Melo Neto et T. S. Eliot; des études et essais sur les mythes littéraires par Pierre Brunel et Pierre Grimal et les travaux de Benedito Nunes sur la poétique Faustienne. A travers l’analyse d’ouvre de Mário Faustino, cette étude observe la façon dont le poète profite de son thème afin de favoriser le retour au temps mythique, aux saisons au cours desquelles. Homme et la nature sont parfaitement intégrés, et finalement intégrer l’homme moderne a son époque dans le contexte actuel. Cette approche originale tend à démontrer que son oeuvre réunit poésie et discours mythologique et remets l’homme au centre du quotidien moderne, dans une réaction contre la cote « modéliste »des temps actuels. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a poesia de Mário Faustino, para observar a sua integração ao contexto da modernidade, principalmente através do aproveitamento que faz de elementos do discurso mítico. A partir da releitura que elabora dos mitos clássicos – manifestações do pensamento coletivo –, o autor expressa o sentimento de sua época, definindo um lirismo que une intimismo e visão social. O estudo observa, dentro deste enfoque, a forma que o poeta dá ao tratamento dos principais temas por ele eleitos e aspectos de sua busca pela renovação poética. Com este fim, a pesquisa examina o texto poético deixado por Faustino, valendo-se também da sua escrita ensaística sobre poesia, para buscar perceber, através de seus estudos críticos, as reflexões que o encaminharam em seu processo criativo de poesia. Dentro dos limites da análise temática, esta pesquisa busca seguir o método descritivo-exegético usando como fontes livros, revistas, jornais, trabalhos acadêmicos e periódicos em meio eletrônico, bem como entrevistas pessoais ao maior estudioso da obra do poeta, Benedito Nunes, e à sua única biógrafa, Lilia Silvestre Chaves. Darão aporte teórico ao trabalho, os estudos sobre poesia moderna de Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno e Alfredo Bosi, assim como as pesquisas sobre o ofício dos poetas, de João Cabral de Melo Neto e T. S. Eliot; dos mitos literários por Pierrre Brunel e Pierrre Grimal e os estudos de Benedito Nunes sobre a poética faustiniana. Através da análise da obra de Mário Faustino, este estudo observa como o poeta tira proveito de sua temática para promover o retorno ao tempo mítico, época em que o homem e a natureza eram perfeitamente integrados, para tentar harmonizar o homem hodierno com o seu tempo. Tal exame chega a constatar que sua obra apresenta o encontro da poesia com o discurso mitológico como um recurso de que o poeta se apropria para propor uma reação ao cotidiano reificador da modernidade. / This research is aimed at analyzing Mário Faustino’s poetry, to observe its insert in the modern milieu, mainly through its incorporation of elements from mythic discourse. From the point of view of his reinterpretation of classic myth – gathering of collective thought – the author expresses his feelings about the time he lives in, and succeeds in determining a lyric that assembles intimism and society’s analysis. The present work observes, from that focalization, the treatment which the poet dispenses to his major themes, and still, his search for revitalization in poetry. For this purpose, this work investigates Faustino’s poems and his essays about poetry, pursuing to find in his critical texts, some indication of his creative process. Considering the limits of thematic analysis, this research aims to accomplish an interpretative-descriptive mode, consulting books, magazines, newspapers, academic papers and periodical publications on electronic ambience, as well as, personally interviewing the main interpreter of the poet’s work, Benedito Nunes, and his only biographer, Lilia Silvestre Chaves. The theoretical bases are supported by the studies about modern poetry, from Walter Benjamin, Hugo Friedrich, Theodor Adorno and Alfredo Bosi; the research about poets’ craft, from João Cabral de Melo Neto and T. S. Eliot; the writings about literary myths, from Pierre Brunel e Pierre Grimal; and the studies from Benedito Nunes about Mário Faustino’s poetry. Through the analysis of Mário Faustino’s work, it is observed how the poet takes advantage of his themes to promote the return to the mythological age, when man and nature were perfectly integrated, to harmonize men and modern era. This exam reaches the conclusion that his work presents the junction of poetry and mythological speech, as the poet’s way of recollecting resources to present a reaction against the materialism imposed by modernity.

La présente thèse propose la première monographie sur la société des Buveurs d’eau. Cette association artistique de secours mutuels rassembla dans le Paris des années 1840 onze peintres, sculpteurs et écrivains débutants qui, pour la plupart, allaient entrer dans l’histoire non pas grâce à leurs œuvres, mais parce qu’ils allaient devenir les exemples d’un type de créateur : l’artiste ou l’écrivain bohème. Ce fut leur sort à cause d’un livre que l’un d’eux publia en 1851, et ce fut à leur grand dam et au dam de l’histoire. Les Scènes de la vie de bohème d’Henry Murger fondent depuis plus d’un siècle et demi l’idée que l’on se fait de la première bohème parisienne. Elles doivent leur popularité originale à leur adaptation au théâtre de boulevard en 1849 et leur popularité durable à leur adaptation à l’opéra en 1896, dans La Bohème de Puccini. Elles doivent leur place dans les travaux universitaires aux qualités de document et de tableau de mœurs qu’on leur attribue depuis leur parution. Ce sont d’abord ces qualités du livre de Murger, largement admises sans être historiquement vérifiées, et souvent amplifiées depuis trente ans par l’histoire des représentations et par la sociologie, qui rendent les Buveurs d’eau aussi illustres qu’inconnus. C’est également l’obscurité des œuvres de ces hommes, majoritairement artistes, qui éloigne les chercheurs – et en premier lieu les historiens de l’art – de l’histoire de cette société. Or, il est possible de faire cette histoire, à l’aide des outils de l’histoire de l’art d’abord et de l’histoire littéraire ensuite. Ses fondements sont jetés ici et ils répondent à une question trop rarement posée : quel est l’art de la bohème ? / This thesis is the first monograph on the artistic brotherhood of the Water Drinkers, a mutual aid association that united eleven young painters, sculptors and writers in 1840s Paris. Most of these men were to enter history not thanks to their art but because they were to exemplify the bohemian artist or writer. That was due to a book published by one of the group members in 1851—to the disservice of the Water Drinkers and history alike. For more than a century and a half, Henri Murger’s La Vie de Bohème has been the basis of our notion of bohemian Paris. This book owes its initial fame to its theatrical adaptation in 1849 and its lasting fame to its operatic adaptation in 1896, in Puccini’s La Bohème. It owes its place in academic research to its reputation as a historical document and a novel of manners. It is first and foremost this reputation—widely accepted though historically unverified, and frequently enhanced by cultural historians and sociologists over the past three decades—that is responsible for the Water Drinkers being unknown as artists, and famous as bohemians. It is additionally the obscurity of the works of the group members, chiefly visual artists, that is responsible for scholars and especially art historians not studying their history. Yet their history can be studied, by means of art history first and literary history second. This thesis lays the foundation for this study and answers a question too seldom asked: what is bohemian art?

Stepfamilies are shown by existing research as having multiple problems unique to this type of family, some of which include role ambiguity, role strain, role captivity, increased stress and adjustment problems in children. Stepparents are portrayed as evil, abusive and wicked in the media, literature or film, while stepchildren are variously portrayed as victims, naughty and manipulative. These popular perceptions of stepfamilies appear to be shaped by myths or dominant narratives which serve to shape stepfamily member's experience of and roles in the reconstituted family. Drawing on the work of postmodernism, social constructionism and the narrative theorists this study will expose those dominant narrative or myths which shape the experience of two stepfamilies. Using an emergent design, the experiences of these two families is described in an attempt to highlight some of the implications such an approach holds for both further research and psychotherapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)