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This dissertation presents a thematic study of the novels of John Nichols. Intended as an introduction to his major works of fiction, this study discusses the central themes and prominent characteristics of his seven novels and considers the impact of the Southwest on his work. Chapter One presents biographical information about Nichols, focusing on his political awakening and subsequent move to Taos, New Mexico. A visit to Guatemala, after the publication of The Sterile Cuckoo. his first novel, brought Nichols to a realization that America was not a benevolent world power. He began to consider capitalism a voracious, destructive economic system, a view which informed the subjects and themes of his five novels written after The Wizard of Loneliness. In 1969, Nichols left New York City, moving to Taos, New Mexico, an area with a history of physical and economic aggression against its predominantly Native American and Hispanic population. The five polemical novels, all set in northern New Mexico, were written after this move. Chapters Two through Four discuss Nichols's seven novels, analyzing theme and reviewing critical response. /V Chapter Two discusses The Sterile Cuckoo (1965) and The Wizard of Loneliness (1966), novels written prior to Nichols's political awakening. Both of these books are rite-of-passage novels which focus on relationships. Chapter Three analyzes The New Mexico Trilogy: The Milagro Beanfield War (1974), The Magic Journey (1978), and The Nirvana Blues (1981). These three novels depict the exploitation of people, the displacement of cultures, and the despoliation of land in the name of progress. Chapter Four considers A Ghost in the Music (1979) and American Blood (1987). Although these two books differ greatly in tone and subject, they are similar in the general theme of waste--waste of human potential and human life. Chapter Five identifies the prominent characteristics and reviews the major themes of Nichols's novels. It concludes with a discussion of the impact of the Southwest on Nichols and his literature.

This thesis presents a study of events in the life of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, a lyric poetess and dramatist during the Romantic period, as motivating forces in her literary career. As might be expected in the case of a true representative of the Romantic period, Avellaneda's passions and personal life are reflected in all of her works. She uses human and divine love as the main themes throughout all of her literary production, especially in her lyric poetry and the four tragedies chosen for this study: Munio Alfonso (1844), El Príncipe de Viana (1844), Saúl (1849), and Baltasar (1858).

Four themes dominate Balzae's Pere Goriot: Paris, ambition, money, superman. Paris is described physically, socially and morally all strata of society are cruel and corrupt. The contrast between poverty and luxury arouses the ambition of young provincial Rastignae. While his ambition is mainly social, most of the characters of the novel have financial ambitions; money is their only valued Vautrin would kill and Goriot's daughters would reduce their father to pauperism for profit. Beth Vautrin and Goriot are presented as supermen, but while the former is a strong-willed ruthless ex-convict, the latter is a monomaniac, utterly blinded by paternal love. The four themes reflect contemporary society as well as Ralzac's own life and character. They recur throughout the Comdie Humalne but are skilfully condensed in Le Pere Goriot.

This thesis investigates the history of golf ceramics from their origins in the mid-18th century until ca. 1930. During this period the game of golf experienced enormous popularity, developing into a globally successful sport. In the modern period golf has also fostered a thriving trade for the collecting of golf memorabilia, surpassing that of any other comparable sport. The thesis traces the development and spread of one form of golf collectibles – golf ceramics – and considers both the relationship of the pottery industry to the sport and the reasons behind the achievement of the genre. The modern form of golf likely began in the 13th and 14th centuries as a short game played within town walls. Under pressure from Burgh officials and Kirk ordinances, golfers eventually moved to the linksland and developed the now characteristic long game. In 18th- century Britain, elite golf clubs for gentlemen and noblemen sprang from existing sporting societies such as the Royal Company of Archers. The first examples of golf pottery, a series of 18th - and early 19th - century convivial and commemorative punch bowls, were commissioned as a direct result of the growing competitive and social traditions of the early golfing societies. During the prosperous Victorian era, golf experienced a period of immense growth and geographic expansion, particularly during the "boom" of 1890 to 1905. As golf spread internationally, it became a game primarily for the leisure class, inspiring holiday and resort destinations for the wealthy. Exclusive clubs grew at a rate that far surpassed the availability of public golf, thereby changing the character of the game to one predominantly practised by the rich. The game's growth inspired enterprising pottery manufacturers to produce new and imaginative golf-themed pottery lines, pre-1930. Golf's burgeoning popularity, combined with the affluence of its practitioners, created the ideal consumer audience for decorative and non-utilitarian wares. Between 1895 and 1930, eighty-five or more manufacturers were actively developing golf wares. As the pottery industry recognized the potential of the golf market, inventive new lines were developed that utilized original artwork from renowned illustrators of the era, such as Charles Dana Gibson, Howard Chandler Christy, Palmer Cox, Mabel Lucie Attwell, and Harrison Fisher. This commitment to quality golf imagery indicated that potteries placed the game in a higher institutional priority than other traditional sporting themes, such as cricket, tennis, rugby, or football. Royal Doulton, for example, generated no fewer than twenty ranges specifically for the golf market or adapted to meet the demands of its expanding following. Doulton wares featured illustrative images produced by Gibson, Charles Crombie, Henry Mayo Bateman, Will H. Bradley, and Barbara Vernon (Bailey). Doulton’s commitment to prominent illustration reflected golf’s importance to the financial good footing of the firm. The substantial catalogue of historical golfing wares produced during the period of examination experienced unparalleled success in secondary markets throughout the 20th century. Prominent institutional and individual golf collections emerged, leading to the formation of international golf collecting societies, and golf-specific museums and archives. Interest in golf collectibles advanced to the level where golf became a stand-alone auction speciality. In 2000 and 2001 alone, twenty-three major international golf sales were held. Golf pottery values escalated commensurate with the increased notoriety, availability, and competition. Certainly, no other traditional sport can claim such an extensive collection of wares, or a more enduring legacy in the worldwide ceramics and fine art pottery industry.

Orientador: Renata Soares Junqueira / Banca: Fabiane Renata Borsato / Banca: Wiliam Pianco dos Santos / Resumo: O cineasta português Manoel de Oliveira (1908-2015) é reconhecido mundialmente pela sua estética cinematográfica singular. Uma de suas principais características é a relação intrínseca que os seus filmes ostentam com as artes de uma forma geral, como a pintura, o teatro, a literatura, a arquitetura, a escultura, a música e o próprio cinema. Do teatro podemos notar o peso da palavra proferida. Com mais de 50 filmes em sua carreira - longas, médias e curtas-metragens -, o realizador nos presenteou com diálogos antológicos que nos instigam a refletir sobre os mais variados dilemas que perturbam o ser humano. Além disso, a sua distinta estética apresenta traços épicos que causam um distanciamento entre o espectador e o que é mostrado na tela, já que, muitas vezes, seus filmes se mostram realmente como filmes, como espetáculos. Tendo isso em mente, e sublinhando alguns filmes em que os diálogos são imprescindíveis, como em Um filme falado (2003) ou em O gebo e a sombra (2012), para citar apenas dois, é interessante examinar a eloquência do silêncio em Belle toujours (2006), obra em que os diálogos existem e são importantes, mas que recorre à quietude das personagens, em planos fulcrais, para sugerir um significado maior do que aquele que qualquer palavra seria capaz de indicar. Outrossim, a mise-en-scène é composta por elementos expressivos e muito significativos, os quais parecem gritar e dar voz à mudez. Em vista desse silêncio que causa estranheza a nós, espectadores, e que se ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Portuguese film-maker Manoel de Oliveira (1908-2015) is known worldwide for his singular film aesthetic. One of its main characteristics is the intrinsic relation that his films display with art forms in general, such as painting, theatre, literature, architecture, sculpture, music and cinema itself. From theatre, we may notice the weight of the uttered word. With more than 50 films in his career - feature films, medium-length films and short ones -, the director gifted us with anthological dialogues which instigate reflection about various dilemmas that affect the human being. Furthermore, his distinctive aesthetic exhibits epic conventions which create distance between the audience and what is shown on screen, since his films are several times assumed as films, as spectacles. With this in mind, and underlining some films whose dialogues are crucial, as in A talking picture (2003) or in Gebo and the shadow (2012), to name but two, it seems interesting to examine the silence eloquence in Belle toujours (2006), masterpiece in which dialogues exist in their importance, but the film invokes the characters' quietness in fundamental shots, to suggest a deeper meaning than any other possibly indicated by words. Moreover, the mise-en-scène is composed by expressive and very meaningful elements, which seem to make muteness loud and give voice to it. In face of this silence that causes us, the audience, strangeness and that shows itself meaningful, this work aims to analyse how it... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The general debate around political advertising on television has been that the political advertisements on television concentrate more on the images rather than the political issues and thus, create an electorate who is entertained by the catchy slogans and this hinders a well informed decision. The study investigates the rise of political advertising on television in South Africa and its implications for democracy. It is focused on the 2009 pre-elections and specifically on the political advertisements which appeared on national television during the pre-election period beginning from 30th March 2009 up until 20th April 2009. The study also examines the extent to which political advertisements on television commodify politics. Furthermore, it explores the themes covered in the political advertisements on television and the extent to which these political advertisements focus on the images than the themes. In addition, the study also looks into the underlying issues and complexities, such as regulation and funding and financing issues which are hidden from the public glare, accompanying the images and messages seen on television around election time. Qualitative methods are used and the study is both descriptive and explorative and as means of interpreting the data, thematic content analysis is used. The critical political economy of the media theory is employed as well as the democratic theories of the media, with a key focus on liberal democracy and deliberative democracy. Thus the findings showed that the political advertisements on television in South Africa were informative as they concentrated more on the themes than the images and, in many instances where the images were used it was mainly to support the message. However, the political advertisements had some emotional appeals which communicated emotions of sadness and despair as well as emotions of happiness and success. Character appeals were used at minimum and it was only three political parties which made use of their leaders with only one political party, out of the three, using their leader throughout the advertisement. The issue of commodity in politics was very prominent in the political advertisements on television thus it can be concluded that political advertising on television commodify politics to a large extent in the production and distribution process but to a minimum extent in the content. The implications of the rise of political advertising on television for democracy are twofold because they are both positive and negative. It is recommended that the regulations on political advertising on television be re-visited and reviewed. Thus, a prospective model for the regulation of political advertising on television is also illustrated in the study.

This manuscript is a collection of short fiction pieces workshopped in creative writing classes throughout my undergraduate and graduate career at Florida Atlantic University, influenced by the experimental and form-driven nature of some of the writing workshops as well as other courses I took during my years at the university. This work is especially preoccupied with the opposed and intertwined natures of genre fiction and literary fiction. Other themes include human nature, humor, food and cooking, tabletop games, and exploration of form in short fiction. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Neste trabalho, foram analisadas duas obras que tratam sobre o Brasil e que são bastante conhecidas nacional e internacionalmente. O intuito foi apreender a formação das imagens femininas para saber se a sensualidade é um traço produzido por esses textos e se ele se torna relevante na construção da identidade das mulheres brasileiras, uma vez que aparece em descrições de estrangeiros sobre as mulheres brasileiras (SILVA; BLANCHETTE, 2005; PISCITELLI, 2005; PISCITELLI et al., 2007) e, igualmente, nas propagandas e mídias do Brasil (PISCITELLI, 1996; PACHECO, 2004; GABRIELLI, 2011). Fundamentada na semiótica francesa, a análise observou textos produzidos em momentos diferentes para possibilitar a percepção de semelhanças e continuidades ou de diferenças e rupturas entre as duas obras no imaginário sobre a mulher brasileira. A primeira narrativa investigada é a Carta do Descobrimento do Brasil, escrita por Pero Vaz de Caminha, no ano de 1500, e a segunda é Casa-Grande e Senzala, de Gilberto Freyre, publicada em 1933. Para analisar a contrução textual-discursiva da identidade feminina, o nível discursivo do Percurso Gerativo do Sentido se destacou, sendo observados os percursos figurativos e temáticos, as isotopias deles decorrentes, bem como as projeções da enunciação de cada texto. Ressalta-se que as manipulações, a sanção, as paixões, o ser e o fazer dos sujeitos contribuíram para a construção da identidade feminina. Os resultados da análise demonstram um direcionamento do olhar sobre as mulheres, que recai na sensualidade e na sexualidade. Em outras palavras, mesmo com uma extensão maior, tanto em Casa-Grande e Senzala quanto na Carta de Caminha as categorias de gênero e de sexualidade predominam nas descrições femininas e nas relações que elas estabelecem com a sociedade. / In this paper we analyzed two works nationally and internationally well-known dealing on Brazil in order to apprehend the formation of women\'s images to know if the sensuality is a trait produced by these texts and if this trait becomes relevant in the construction of Brazilian womens identity; since it appears in foreign descriptions about these women (SILVA; BLANCHETTE, 2005; PISCITELLI, 2005; 2007; et al) and also in advertisements and media in Brazil (PISCITELLI, 1996; PACHECO, 2004; GABRIELLI, 2011). Based on the French Semiotics, the study observed texts produced at different times to allow the perception of similarities and continuities or differences and ruptures between the two works in the imaginary about the Brazilian woman. The first narrative investigated is the Letter of the Discovery of Brazil written by Pero Vaz de Caminha, in 1500, and the second is The Master and the Slaves by Gilberto Freyre, published in 1933. To analyze the textual-discursive construction of female identity, the discursive level of Generative Route of Sense stood out being observed the figurative and thematic routes, the isotopies resulting from these routes and also the projections of each textenunciation. However, the manipulations, the sanction, the passions, the being and the doing of individuals contributed to the construction of female identity in the texts. The analyse results show a guidance of look at women which falls in sensuality and sexuality. In other words, even with a greater extention, both in The Master and the Slaves as in the Letter of Caminha, it is the category of gender and sexuality that prevails in women\'s descriptions and in the relationships that they establish with society.

Interested in nurturing beauty, I create paintings that reference life processes through layers of struggle, discovery, recovery and generation. Employing a metaphor of the garden, my paintings can be seen as spaces where I determine what grows, stays, is mulched, or weeded out. I seek a balance between coexisting desires of restraint and control and extravagance with a sense of coming unbound. I emphasize the painting field as a whole, while also paying deep attention to the minute, inviting the viewer to discover complex worlds at different scales within each environment I create. My intimate, domesticated painted environments offer the viewer the possibility to experience the spaces I find beautiful and to add to the conversation of where beauty resides today in contemporary art. / by Kim Spivey. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.