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Submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 1997. / The primary aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that the women characters in Joseph Conrad's works function in the narratives to present a 'saving illusion' which is in contrast to masculine existential despair. The women characters are characterised by 'being' not 'becoming'. They are also frequently associated with that which is stable because it is fixed, and with notions of courage, faith and fidelity. These notions constitute the 'saving illusion' for male characters who are threatened with moral collapse when illusions fail. The representation of the women characters as 'saving illusion' arises from a mythology of 'woman' which inheres in masculine imagination. In the terms of myth theory, Conrad's women characters can be said to offer the male characters the life-affirming possibilities that traditional myth does. The representation of the women characters as myth functions as a competing discourse with that of authoritative masculine discourse. The women characters' discourse is thus centrifugal in that it resists the centripetal, unitary discourse of male characters, and demonstrates that narratives are essentially heteroglossic rather than monoglossic. Women's discourse can either comply with or resist the way they are defined by male characters. Depicted as silent, passive and iconic, the women characters are also frequently attributed with unwavering commitment and fidelity. However their discourse seeks to resist such constructions. Mythologising women renders them 'other', and the underlying suspicion and awe that leads to their mythologising renders them objects in the relationships of knowledge and power. Women characters have their existence in patriarchal structures which bear a resemblance to colonial structures. Mythologised women are similar to colonised 'other' in that both serve to demarcate the space of the coloniser. Like the colonised subject, women are frequently associated with 'chthonian' forces of nature which the coloniser regards as threatening, uncontrollable and in need of taming. As mythologised, colonised 'objects', the women characters are in a state of ontological arrest; hence they do not participate in an exchange of knowledge because they are symbolised by it. A study of the women characters in the novels will reveal that they play significant roles in the mythologies of male characters, providing a 'sustaining illusion' which counters masculine disillusionment.

The thesis states that women characters in the works of Ramuz have much more depth, life and variety than first meets the eye. In order to demonstrate this, it was decided to show women characters, main, secondary and in groups, and to look at their presentation in the novels recognized generally as the most important.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2009. / Shakespeare portrayed women in his plays as people who should be valued. This is an opinion I held in the past, and one I still hold after intense reading of his works and that of authors such as Marlowe, Webster, Thomas Kyd and others. Shakespeare created his female characters out of a mixture of good and evil. When they interact with others, either the best or the worst in them is brought out: extreme evil in some cases and perfect goodness in others. I hope the reader will enjoy this study as much as I did, and that it will enhance their reading of Shakespeare‟s works and cultivate their interest in him. This study is intended to motivate other people to change their view that Shakespeare‟s works are inaccessible. Those who hold this view will come to know that anyone anywhere can read, understand and appreciate the works of this the greatest writer of all times. In his study Shakespeare’s World, Johanyak says, “I wrote [it] to help students appreciate the depth and breadth of Shakespeare‟s global awareness. Shakespeare was not only a London playwright, but a man of the world who dramatized his perceptions to create a lasting legacy of his times” (2004: ix).

For this study, an analysis will be made of six of Edith Wharton's heroines: Lily Bart, the luxury-loving, aristocratic heroine of The House of Mirth, who was destroyed by her own class; Ellen Olenska, who neither lost nor sought an established place in New York society, since it belonged to her, and she stayed there by the sacrifice of instinct and happiness; Anna Leath, a typical product of puritan New York, who suffered from having learned so thoroughly the rules of her generation; Halo Tarrant, who took love into her own hands and defied society but felt the strength of the social convention which shuts out the woman who does not play the game according to the rules; Undine Spragg, the social adventurer, who represents ambition, which Mrs. Wharton had come to recognize as the dominant characteristic of the new woman of America; and Sophy Viner, an American girl who, yielding to temptation, is plunged into insecurity because she comes into contact with Anna Leath and the rules of her world.

Medea’s powerful ability to inspire and confuse is at the core of this study. The contradiction concerning Euripides’ character of Medea as a murderer and a victim will be explored in order to understand what implications this would have held for an ancient Greek audience. Thus the irregularities in this female character will be used to indicate the inconsistencies within the society from which Euripides was writing. Women’s lack of freedom in ancient Greece, their confinement to the house and their lack of opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns produced an imbalance in society. This masculine community led to extremes in behaviour. Male heroes overemphasised traits which stressed their physical prowess and masculine bravery. As a hero, Jason’s all-consuming ambition was to succeed in endeavours such as the quest for the Golden Fleece, and to reclaim his title of king. He took advantage of Medea’s gifts until she was no longer of any use to him and then left her for a younger, more beneficial princess to accomplish his subsequent task of gaining a kingdom. Medea’s excessive behaviour was a protest against her position as supportive wife when she found that Jason had neglected his obligation as a protective husband. Euripides’ tragedy was a rebellion against a cultural definition of men and women which did not work. Men were pressured into being the sole providers and authorities over a whole household, whereas women were relegated to the status of possessions. The situation generally suited men, but women were not given a choice of career and had their marriage prearranged by their fathers. More importantly they were not provided with an opportunity to voice their displeasure and were in the hands of fate, whether they attained a kind or a cruel husband. This study argues that by challenging the definition of heroes and victims, Euripides questioned the preconceived perceptions of the nature of women and foreigners. He was also commenting on social restriction and the possible consequences of restraining women’s behaviour and their opinions. / Prof. J.L.P. Wolmarans

This is a critical study of F. Scott Fitzgerald‟s Tender Is the Night focusing primarily on the lack of examination and criticism surrounding the women characters. Included are reviews of Fitzgerald‟s personal and professional life from the publication of his critically acclaimed The Great Gatsby until the publication of his last complete novel, Tender Is the Night, discussion of the contemporary and current criticism of the novel, and a feminist reading of the novel in order to focus more significant critical attention upon the women characters in order to create a fuller understanding of Fitzgerald‟s novel.

This study is a comparison of female characters portrayed by different authors in selected Venda novels. Chapter One comprises the aim of the study, approach, life history of authors, comments on their work, a short summary of the selected novels, cultural fulfilment of a Venda woman, and the scope and composition of chapters. Chapter Two deals with characterization. The definition and methods of characterization are discussed in this chapter. The merits and demerits of various methods of character portrayal are also examined in some detail. Chapter Three discusses the different female characters portrayed in the selected novels. Chapter Four comprises a comparison of female characters in the selected novels. Chapter Five is the general conclusion to this study / African Languages / M.A. (African languages)

Willa Cather (1873-1947) is nowadays regarded as one of the most important U.S. writers, and the volume of critical works, articles and dissertations devoted to her as a person and an artist is immense. One of the problematic relationship has always been, as can be seen from a number of critical essays and books, between Cather and U.S. feminists. The feminists would have liked to include Cather, as an feminist writer, into their group of the first-rate, woman-authored "female canon", however, such intent brought about an important question. Is it possible to regard Willa Cather as a feminist, considering her attacks on other women-writers, and her negative attitude towards the organized women's rights movement? This work's objective is to explore the background of Cather and organized women's rights movement's bizarre relationship, and answer the question above. To find out if Cather's work with its strong heroines empowered or weakened women in general, her novels and stories, rather then facts and assumption about her personal life, are used. The relevant parts of the plots from Cather's fiction are put into the historical perspective of the contemporary U.S. laws, showing that although Cather created exceptional woman characters, she let them deal with the same conditions and problems other...

This study is a comparison of female characters portrayed by different authors in selected Venda novels. Chapter One comprises the aim of the study, approach, life history of authors, comments on their work, a short summary of the selected novels, cultural fulfilment of a Venda woman, and the scope and composition of chapters. Chapter Two deals with characterization. The definition and methods of characterization are discussed in this chapter. The merits and demerits of various methods of character portrayal are also examined in some detail. Chapter Three discusses the different female characters portrayed in the selected novels. Chapter Four comprises a comparison of female characters in the selected novels. Chapter Five is the general conclusion to this study / African Languages / M.A. (African languages)