This dissertation aims at positioning adventure games in game studies, by describing their formal aspects and how they have integrated game design with stories. The adventure game genre includes text adventures (also known as interactive fiction), graphical text adventures, and graphic adventures, also referred to as point-and-click adventure games. Adventure games have been the first videogames to evidence the difficulty of reconciling games and stories, an already controversial topic in game studies. An adventure game is a simulation, the intersection between the rule system of the game and its fictional world. The simulation becomes a performance space for the player. The simulation establishes how the player can interact with the world of the game. The simulated world integrates a series of concatenated puzzles, which structure the performance of the player. Solving the puzzles thus means advancing in the story of the game. The integration of the story with the simulation is done through the performance of the player. The game design establishes a specific set of actions necessary to complete both the game and the story, and this set of actions constitutes a behavior that must be restored through performance. The player can also explore the world and its workings, which is necessary to solve the puzzles. By solving the puzzles, the player restores this pre-set behavior. The simulation in adventure games may not be evident because of a historical shift in the level of abstraction, which determines how the world is implemented in the game mechanics. Adventure games have increasingly curbed the agency of the player in the world, in order to facilitate completing the story of the game. This move to a less fine-grained interaction has affected different aspects of game design, from reducing the number of possible actions to limiting the interactivity of non-player characters. The dissertation discusses how adventure games have integrated story with the performance in the simulated world of the game. This integration is further evidenced by how they apply to the four basic elements that bridge story and game design: space, player character, non-player character and time. The qualities of these elements help us understand how the player performs in the simulation, and how that performance is designed. Analyzing the properties of the simulation in adventure games helps draw comparisons with other videogame genres. The rich history of adventure games can inform the game design of other videogames, particularly in relation to the creation of fictional worlds, strategies to script the interactor, and design of non-player characters.

Cette étude vise à montrer de quelles manières les récits de Francisco Coloane contribuent à la définition d’une identité régionale australe à travers la représentation d’un espace naturel exceptionnel et la peinture de sociétés humaines marginales dont le mode d’existence est déterminé par leur environnement. L’écriture portant cette représentation témoigne d’une volonté de lever le voile sur une réalité méconnue, isolée et fantasmée, de saisir l’essence du monde austral. L’espace exploré s'écrit d'abord à travers l’expérience personnelle de son auteur en Patagonie où il a découvert des hommes, mais surtout des lieux et une nature à part qui seront au fondement d’un univers poétique unique. En accord avec la nature du lieu où les récits sont ancrés, Coloane écrit l’aventure. Une lecture approfondie de ses romans révèle que celle-ci s’y confond avec l’apprentissage de soi : les héros australs sont confrontés à une quête identitaire dont le sens est également collectif dans la mesure où leur trajectoire romanesque est représentative du destin d’une communauté. Dans le même temps, au sein de l’espace marin, la littérature de Coloane prend une dimension universelle car l’aventure en mer, en imposant à l’homme une confrontation permanente avec la mort, devient l’occasion de questionnements métaphysiques. Les enjeux de l’aventure ne sont pas seulement ontologiques : les récits proposent une aventure intellectuelle pleinement ancrée dans le contexte physique et culturel australs, guidée par des narrateurs géographe, naturaliste et ethnologue, autant de figures de savants et d’enquêteurs sur le monde austral. Les textes se révèlent les médiums d’un vaste savoir sur la région australe, dont ils réalisent la transmission. Ils participent ainsi de la saisie d’un monde qui reste toutefois essentiellement mystérieux. Enfin, le souci de vérité qui sous-tend l’écriture de Coloane doit s’entendre aussi comme un désir de justice : ses textes s’attachent à rendre visibles les ouvriers oubliés de l’histoire officielle ainsi que les habitants originels du Grand Sud, les Indiens australs, décimés par les promoteurs de l’exploitation industrielle de la région. Dans cette double perspective heuristique et critique, Coloane dévoile une réalité tragique longtemps occultée par le voile d'une utopie qui a fait des confins chiliens une terre avant tout romantique. Pourtant, tout en se dégageant de ce mythe, Coloane pense la survie de l'identité australe dans la pérennité de liens intimes entre l'homme et son milieu. / This study aims to show how the narratives of Francisco Coloane contribute to the definition of a regional Austral identity through the representation of exceptional natural spaces and the description of maginalized human societies whose way of existence is determined by its natural milieu. Coloane’s writing testifies to a desire to lift the veil on an unknown, isolated and fantasized reality and to understand the essence of the Austral world. The space explored in Coloane’s stories and novels is first of all that of the author’s personal experiences in Patagonia, where he discovered men, but above all places, an otherworldly nature that would become the foundation of a unique poetic universe. In keeping with the settings of his narratives, Coloane’s novels are adventures. Close reading reveals, however, that adventure isalways confounded here with the quest for self-knowledge : Coloane’s Austral heroes are engaged in a pursuit for identity whose meaning is also collective, to the extent that their novelistic trajectory is representative of the destiny of a community. At the same time, maritime space, Coloane’s work takes on a universal dimension, for adventure at sea, imposing on man a permanent confrontation with death, becomes the occasion for metaphysical examinations. The stakes of this adventure are not only ontological: Coloane’s work is an intellectual adventure fully anchored in the physical and cultural context of Chile’s southern territories, navigated by erudite, investigative narrators—geographers, naturalists and ethnologists of the Austral world. Coloane’s texts are vehicules for the transmission of an encyclopedic range of knowledge about Chile’s southernmost regions. They participate in the understanding of a world that remains nevertheless essentially mysterious. Finally, the concern for truth which underlies Coloane’s writing must also be understood as a desire for justice : his texts make visible the workers forgotten by official history as well as the indigeneous inhabitants of the extreme southern territories, decimated by the promoters of industrial exploitation in the region. From this heuristic and critical perspective, Coloane unveils a tragic reality long obscured by the veil of a utopia that transformed Chile’s outermost regions into the stuff of romantic legend. Abandoning such myths, Coloane nevertheless imagines the survival of the Austral identity in the permanence of intimate connections between man and his milieu.

This study explores reasons for Enid Blyton’s vast popularity. Blyton and her life are discussed in terms of the production and reception of her texts in the light of changing dominant discourses in society and varying horizons of expectation. It has been found that selected aspects of reception theory (in particular the horizon of expectation posited by Hans-Georg Gadamer and developed by Hans Jauss) and the theories of Michel Foucault on power and discourse can be used to examine the influence of societal and literary discourses on both Blyton’s writing and on those who read her work, including adults and children. The study includes a discussion of Blyton’s personal life, her role in education and her success in business. Blyton’s horizons of expectation – shaped not only by the dominant discourses that surrounded her, but also her training in the Froebel method of education – are examined. Furthermore, a number of aspects of Blyton’s life and writing subvert dominant discourses and these are discussed in terms of Foucault’s ideas on power relations. Evidence of the influence of her life on her work has been found in her texts. The criticism of Blyton is discussed in terms of both literary criticism and social criticism. Blyton’s popularity as a storyteller is also considered and it has been found that, regardless of criticism by adults, she remained popular with children. Furthermore, Blyton used a number of specific techniques (such as fast-paced plots and simple language and style) and it has been found that her techniques can be linked to both formula writing, the oral tradition, and to her training as a teacher in the Froebel method of education. These techniques are examined in terms of their manifestation in her writing, particularly in her series books – including adventure stories and school stories. In conclusion, the place of Blyton’s writing in contemporary society is deliberated and recommendations for further research are made. / Dissertation (MA (English))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / English / unrestricted

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie proefskrif is ’n ondersoek na die wyse waarvolgens Duitse jeugboekskrywers die koloniale periode in Afrika uitbeeld. Duitse avontuurliteratuur speel dikwels af in die koloniale periode in Afrika. Motiewe in die avontuurroman stem egter nie altyd ooreen met die historiese konteks en geografiese ruimtes nie. Dit skep die indruk dat so ’n verhaal tyd- en ruimteloos is en dat die historiese en geografiese konteks bloot die afstand tussen Afrika en Europa beklemtoon. In die lig van die feit dat Afrika en sy historiese konteks dikwels as eksotiese agtergrond dien, bespreek die studie die problematiek rondom die manier waarvolgens skrywers die koloniale periode in die avontuurliteratuur ontleed. Vervolgens word die vraag gestel tot watter mate die uitbeelding van Afrika sedert 1945 verander het. Die wyse waarop die koloniale periode in Afrika in Duitse jeugliteratuur uitgebeeld word, behoort dus ondersoek te word binne die konteks van die tradisionele avontuurliteratuur. Deurdat die studie gesentreer is rondom die avontuurliteratuur voor 1945 en avontuurboeke na 1945, stel die dissertasie ondersoek in tot watter mate jeugboeke en hulle uitbeelding van die koloniale periode verander het en in hoeverre die tradisionele avontuurliteratuur aan hierdie boeke ontleen is. In hierdie proefskrif word avontuurverhale en avontuurlike jeugverhale wat tydens die koloniale periode in Afrika afspeel, vervolgens ontleed. Die studie fokus op vier periodes: Eerstens word tradisionele avontuurstories en motiewe wat ’n belangrike rol speel in die uitbeelding van Afrika, geïdentifiseer. Die volgende tekste word ontleed: C.Falkenhorst se Der Baumtöter (1894), Gustav Frenssen se Peter Moors Fahrt nach Südwest (1906), Josef S. Viera se Bana Sikukuu (1924) en Gust in der Klemme (1933), Max Mezger se Aufruhr auf Madagaskar (1930) en Rolf Italiaander se Wüstenfüchse (1934). Tweedens ondersoek die studie die rol wat avontuurmotiewe – inisiasie, weerstand en verowering – speel in jeugboeke wat in die Federale Republiek van Duitsland gepubliseer is. Die volgende tekste word onder die loep geneem: Kurt Lütgen se ...die Katzen von Sansibar zählen (1962), Rolf Italiaander se Mubange, der Junge aus dem Urwald (1957), Herbert Kaufmann se Der Teufel tanzt im Ju-Ju-Busch en sy historiese roman Des Königs Krokodil (1959). Derdens ondersoek die studie watter rol avontuurmotiewe – die edel barbaar (edle Wilde), antiheld en die tweegeveg – speel in jeugboeke wat in die Duitse Demokratiese Republiek gepubliseer is. Die volgende tekste word analiseer: Ferdinand May se roman Sturm über Südwest-Afrika (1962) en Götz R. Richter se Savvytrilogie (1955 – 1963) en Die Löwen kommen (1969). Laastens stel die studie die vraag tot watter mate die kontemporêre avontuurliteratuur – soos Hermann Schultz se sendingroman Auf den Strom (1998) ’n nuwe ontwikkeling toon wat van die tradisionele avontuurliteratuur van die 19de en 20ste eeu afwyk. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This dissertation investigates how the African colonial period is portrayed in German youth literature. German adventure literature is often set in the African colonial period. However, motifs in the adventure novel do not always correspond with historical themes and geographical spaces. This gives the impression that such novels stand outside of time and space and that the historical and geographical context merely emphasize the distance between Africa and Europe. In light of the fact that Africa and its historical context are often reduced to an exotic backdrop, questions are raised about the way authors examine the colonial period in the adventure literature and how the portrayal of Africa has changed since 1945. The question how the African colonial period is portrayed in German youth literature is therefore examined within the context of the traditional adventure literature. Reflecting on adventure literature before 1945 on the one hand and adventure stories after 1945 on the other, this study examines to what extent youth books and their portrayal of the colonial period have changed and how these books relate back to the traditional adventure literature. For this purpose, adventure stories and adventurous youth stories and –novels that are set in the colonial period in Africa are analysed and the study focuses on four periods: Firstly, traditional adventure stories and motifs that play an important role in the portrayal of Africa are identified. The following are analysed: C. Falkenhorst’s Der Baumtöter (1894), Gustav Frenssen’s Peter Moors Fahrt nach Südwest (1906), Josef S. Viera’s Bana Sikukuu (1924) and Gust in der Klemme (1933), Max Mezger’s Aufruhr auf Madagaskar (1930) and Rolf Italiaander’s Wüstenfüchse (1934). Secondly, the dissertation investigates what role adventure motifs – initiation, resistance and conquest – play in the youth literature of the Federal Republic of Germany. The following are analysed: Kurt Lütgen’s …die Katzen von Sansibar zählen (1962), Rolf Italiaander’s Mubange, der Junge aus dem Urwald (1957), Herbert Kaufmann’s Der Teufel tanzt im Ju-Ju-Busch and his historical novel Des Königs Krokodil (1959). Thirdly, the study examines adventure motifs – noble savage (edle Wilde), anti-hero and the duel – in the literature published in the German Democratic Republic. These are Ferdinand May’s novel Sturm über Südwest-Afrika (1962) and Götz R. Richter’s Savvy-Trilogie (1955-1963) and Die Löwen kommen (1969). Lastly, the dissertation poses the question to what extent the contemporary adventure literature – like Hermann Schulz’ missionary novel Auf dem Strom (1998) – shows a new development which deviates from the traditional adventure literature of the 19th and 20th century.

The subject of this dissertation is Swedish upper secondary pupils’ reception of novels read as part of their literature instruction. The main purpose is to study and compare the reading of female pupils with that of male pupils and to analyze to what extent attention is paid to their private reading experiences in the literary teaching. What strategies do the students use to interpret and discuss fiction? And what is the relationship between their private reading habits and the way fiction is studied at school? Consequently, the subject field of this qualitative study concerns not only teenagers’ private reading habits, but also gender related issues, school adjusted reading routines and didactic matters. Reading at school differs in many ways from the pupils’ private reading habits, but there are also differences regarding the students’ attitudes towards reading as such. There proved to be certain diversities between the reading habits of boys and girls. The boys read in general less than the girls, and many boys were interested in reading adventurous and exciting stories. The girls were more into reading realistic novels, and to them it was important that they could identify with the characters. Many pupils responded personally to their reading. Instead of reflecting on the meaning of a text and comparing it to other texts or phenomena of the surrounding world, their reception confined itself to categories like “boring” or “exciting”. Merely a few students included a more profound literary analysis in their responses. An important aim of literature instruction must be to broaden the pupils’ literary repertoires and to make them improve their reading skills. This study shows that to achieve these improvements the students must feel involved, which means that literature instruction must be adapted to the literary cultures of both boys and girls.

The Malý čtenář (The Little Reader) magazine was published between the years of 1882 and 1941. At that time, this was one of the most significant Czech magazines for children and young people. The magazine altered during its existence. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction articles, games, jokes and puzzles remained its constant theme. The magazine was founded by teachers from Poděbrady. Its original role was to present school teaching through more fun and entertainment. Nonfiction articles played a significant role in the early years of the magazine. A big change for the existence of the magazine meant a transition to J. R. Vilímek publishing in 1888. In the 90s of the 19th century, the magazine became a more serious publication, primarily due to its incorporation of high quality poetry. Among the authors of the poems appears Josef Vaclav Sládek, who is regarded as the founder of Czech poetry for children. In these years, the magazine also aimed to appeal to a new target group of readers: adolescent school boys. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the ratio between poetry and prose in Malý čtenář gradually balanced. A key figure in the magazine, František Serafínský Procházka, took the main role in poetry. Prose came with longer serial stories with elements of realism; more fairy tales also appeared....

This thesis provides a wide-ranging account of the work of Robert Louis Stevenson, tracing an unyielding preoccupation with the mode of romance throughout his famously diverse body of writing. It argues that Stevenson's prose retools romance in several important ways; these include modernization, disenchantment, and the reinterpretation of romance as a practical force able to reach beyond textual confines in order to carve out long-lasting psychological pathways in a reader. In its pursuit of these arguments, the thesis draws upon and appends a significant amount of archival material never before used, including excerpts from The Hair Trunk – Stevenson's first extended piece of fiction, still unpublished in English. More widely, it analyses the appearance of romance within four major aspects of Stevenson's prose: aesthetic theme, structure, setting, and heroism, each of which is the focus of a discrete chapter. The introduction engages with the history and definition of romance itself, arguing that it is most usefully approached as mode rather than genre in the context of Stevenson's writing. Chapter I then assesses Stevenson's direct critical engagement with romance, and appraises his wider literary aesthetic in that light. Romance is shown to be built in to the way he writes about writing, adventure being intrinsic to his authorial quest for adequate expression. Chapter II goes on to examine Stevenson's relationship with structure, and argues that self-reflexivity interacts with romance to form the habitual core of his creative writing. Chapter III investigates the use of cities, forests and seas as sites of modern romance within Stevenson's oeuvre, arguing that he eschews descriptive Romanticism and instead lauds a primarily practical approach towards the navigation of these environments. Finally, Chapter IV demonstrates Stevenson's perception of a relationship between authorship and the heroic, charting his use of romance as part of a progressive evocation of the failure of heroism itself as a sustainable modern ideal.

Écrivain dramatique, romancier, nouvelliste et conteur, Carlo Collodi (1826-1890), à sa mort, est avant tout reconnu comme un journaliste de talent, auteur apprécié de livres pour enfants. Paradoxalement, l’œuvre de Collodi, sous la plume de ses biographes les plus célèbres, devient ensuite celle d’un seul livre : Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino (1883), un chef-d’œuvre isolé « écrit par hasard » (selon l’expression de P.Pancrazi). La recherche récente de type philologique – en particulier les travaux de Daniela Marcheschi – réinsère Pinocchio dans un ensemble littéraire faisant fonction d’atelier de création, dans lequel se sont élaborés les outils stylistiques et thématiques ancillaires de l’œuvre majeure. Une étude intertextuelle, ainsi qu’une approche de type anthropologique, de l’ensemble du corpus collodien, montrent que Pinocchio est l’aboutissement d’une recherche existentielle : le projet collodien, paré de la magie des contes de fées, explore les limites du vivant et de l’inanimé, il pose la question de l’intégrité des êtres. L’analyse textuelle révèle que l’auteur a tenté, avec Pinocchio, une opération de « reproduction », de régénération, un engendrement sans la mère: la création du pantin n’est pas celle d’un être nouveau mais initialement celle d’un double du vieillard, rajeuni. Voilà pourquoi « l’enfant parallèle », auquel Collodi donne corps, n’est pas le fruit d’un désir de paternité classique, mais l’objet d’une entreprise chimérique visant à refuser le destin mortel de l’homme. / Carlo Collodi (1826-1890) playwright, novelist, short story writer and storyteller was, at his death, known primarily as a talented journalist and author of popular books for children. Paradoxically, Collodi’s work, according to his most famous biographers, had been reduced to a single book: Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino (1883), an isolated masterpiece "written by chance" (in the words of P. Pancrazi). Recent philological research - in particular the work of Daniela Marcheschi - reinserts Pinocchio into a literary corpus that functioned as a creative writing workshop, in which the stylistic and thematic tools subordinate to the main work were developed. An intertextual study and an anthropological approach to the complete works of Collodi show that Pinocchio is the culmination of an existential search: Collodi’s design, adorned with the magic of fairy tales, is to explore the limits of the animate and the inanimate and raise the question of the integrity of the human being. Textual analysis shows that what the author attempted with Pinocchio is a project of reproduction or regeneration, a sort of engendering without the mother: the puppet he created is not initially a new being, but rather a duplicate of the old man rejuvenated. That is why "the parallel child " to which Collodi gives life stems not from the desire for traditional paternity, but from the impossible dream of refusing the mortal destiny of man.