Fairy-tale in the works of Václav Tille-Říha thesis is based on an analysis and an interpretation of Tille's fairy-tale writings and symbolist stories considering the means of developing symbolist poetics on an outline of a folklore fairy-tale. The target of this thesis is to grasp the function of fairy-tale features in Václav Tille's works which emerged from the intersection of literary adaptation of traditional folklore subjects with symbolist creation. The opening chapter deals with the historical context of Tille's works and its folklorist and literary aspects. The work aim, through the works of Václav Tille, to express a wider framework within the context of symbolist writing and Art Noveau fine arts.

This thesis concerns the similarities between Flann O'Brien's novel The Third Policeman and fin-de-siècle literature, more specifically decadent literature and literature of the early avant-garde. The fact that, apart from metafiction, O'Brien's novel does not deal with aesthetics (neither when it comes to the form nor when it comes to the topic) does not invalidate the presence of fin-de-siècle elements or strategies in it; the elements only change and thus adapt to their new environment. Many of them become ironic, other ones actively contribute to the metafictional scope of the novel. The first chapter explains the parallels between The Third Policeman and fin- de-siècle literature in general. It concentrates primarily on decadent literature and its central theme of "unnaturalness." Unnaturalness occurs in variegated forms, such as artifice, artificiality or make-believe. Unnaturalness can be detected also in the protagonists themselves and even (in compliance with the metafiction of the novel) in the form of O'Brien's hellish world where the narrator finds himself. Discovering and experiencing various forms of unnaturalness go hand in hand with sense perception which is what the chapter also refers to - The Third Policeman remarkably reflects descriptions of sense experiences known from...

This thesis deals with reception of Scandinavian decadent literature in the Czech literary milieu on the background of European culture and philosophy in the late 19th century, the cultural homogeneity of European fin-de-siècle literature being stressed. The Scandinavian literature is in this thesis recognized to be an element of importance for the Czech periodicals (the main emphasis is placed on the periodical Moderní revue) as well as publishing houses. The thesis deals more thoroughly with Scandinavian men of letters such as Ola Hansson, August Strindberg, Georg Brandes, Herman Bang, Arne Garborg and considers their impact on the Czech literary ground. The personal contact amongst the European literary personas of the decadent epoch is of certain importance to the thesis.

My master's degree thesis is about the premiere held at La Scala Theatre in Milan, Italy of Nabucco by Giussepe Verdi. This thesis is made up of two parts: a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part introduces the life of Verdi, the background of the "birth" of the Opera Nabucco, and the historical background of the time. This section will also discuss the history of the Babylon Captivity, which is the background of Nabucco. The history of Korea and Italy when (ruled over) will also be compared. Lastly Va Pensiero sull ali doroate, the very important aria of Nabucco, is examined. This thesis includes research on three different Nabuccos performed in the last two years in many different countries. The first is a collaboration by the Opera House of Royal Covent Garden of Britain and La Scala Theatre of Milano in 2013. This opera is very abstract and modernized, and presented with minimalist staging and costume. The second was held on Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, Belgium in 2013. This was an opera with very modern and fancy staging and costume like a musical compared to the first Nabucco. Also the opera was an adaptation of many problems of the present society. The third was a Nabucco performed in Kennedy Center by the Washington National Opera of Washington, U.S. in 2012. Beside the former two operas, it showed the quintessence of classic opera with an elaborate and magnificent scale of the stage, equipment, and costume. The three different recreations of Nabucco with historical accounts enabled me to work freely and more creatively. In the practical part, the overall concept of the recreation of Nabucco is shown. The concept describes how and when the inspirations come from, moreover the balance to the historical background tried. Compared to other works, the key concept is the contrast between two ethnic groups rather to the contrast between each character in the opera, and the traditional visual features of Jewish people used, as well as Babylon's. The main concept is the combination of historical and contemporary aspects. For example, in the case of Babylon, luxurious and decadent costumes partially inspired by the gold color of the Ishtar Gate used and in the case of Babylonian forces, the symbols that reminds one of Babylon attached to the present uniforms of military forces. Nabucco and his two daughters have significant differences. Abigaille is a woman with charisma and power, whereas Fenena is very thrifty and her mind is pure. Lastly, Zacharias and Ismael appear with typical Jewish costumes. The dramatical characteristics of opera is combined with the harmony of history and contemporary parts over the whole concepts of Nabucco. The costumes show the fundamental parts of people from each ethnic group over artistic factors.

The goal of the work advanced is to examine the problems of the Czech literary decadence, the term itself and the possible limits of its use. As a basic material we investigate a corpus of texts belonging mainly to the short story genre, also paying attention to the model of a decadent novel and being interested in the most significant decadent features. The problems of literary decadence do not belong to profoundly explored topics in the history of the Czech literature, incidentally conditioned by the preference of the symbolist and decadent poetry. That is why this work was to present some texts themselves, potentially representative for the model of a decadent short story genre and of certain artistic value. The text of this work consists of three main parts. The first presents the possibilities of progressive insight into the topic, its cultural and philosophical context, showing two model novels (Huysmans{\crq} A Rebours and Wilde{\crq}s The Picture of Dorian Gray) as different but relevant types of the decadent living scheme, the specific conception of life and the role of art in it. The second part applies several theoretical questions onto the topic, constructing the form. In the final part more than two tens of original Czech short stories are concerned and the thematic composition analysed, that at least some questions asked in the previous parts could be answered and certain theses postulated proved.

This thesis is focused on the decadent form of Czech symbolist literature at the turn of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The main task is to present a complex catalogue of motifs and images used by Czech decadents in their works and also to analyse the main methods and strategies they used - in particular interstatuality, also connected with the decadent effort to capture the uniqueness of each passing moment, and synaesthesia. The thesis also focuses on the radical individualism of decadent authors and its connection with both the motifs used and the symbolist style in itself - in the form of self-stylization of the decadent authors who tend to identify with their own works and become (even in real life) their own literal subjects. Because of the prominent visual aspect of decadent literature, the thesis also takes into consideration contemporary art works and the relations between words and images.

Czech Literary Anarchism in the Context of Socialism and the Women's Movement (1890-1914) Abstract The thesis focuses on Czech pre-WWI anarchism. It analyses it as a modernist movement comprising various activities spanning political propaganda, proposals of social organisation and thinking about moral values as well views on the arts and literary production. The aim is to present literary texts written by anarchists against a backdrop of other types of expression. At the same time, the thesis assesses anarchism in the historical context of other political, social, artistic and philosophical movements. We study the interweaving of ideological and aesthetic schemes of Czech anarchism, especially with socialism and feminism, but also concerning decadence, Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy and writings of the German Friedrichshagen poets' and anarchists' circle. The thesis focuses on how anarchism understands human beings and their relationship to the world and society. Given the anarchists' focus on the free individual, we present strategies of emancipation from traditional conventions and institutions such as marriage, family and the state. We also concentrate on reforms concerning morals and similarities with the feminist turn to one's own bodily and psychical experiences as starting points for setting...

Metamorphosis of Space Models of space in the Czech and Russian lyrical poetry of the late 19th and early 20th century The work deals with the representation of space in lyrical poetry by artistic imagery. Based on the analysis of the texts of the decadent poets I. Annensky, V. Bryusov, K. Hlaváček, O. Březina describes their individual models of space.

Mgr. Magdalena Kučerová Dissertation work: Myth of Narcissus in French literature at the turn of the 20th century ABSTRACT: This dissertation thesis based on knowledge of French myth criticism deals with the issue of myths in literature, which is a specific manifestation of human symbolic imagination. In its most general level the work studies the definition of a myth and its social function as well as the matter of opposite notions regarding to the mythos and logos, which have gradually more and more differentiated along with the development of European thinking. The myth of Narcissus has probably been one of the oldest myths in European culture. In its most renowned and most comprehensive form, the myth first appeared in the third book of Metamorphoses by Ovid, which has served as an inspiration for remakes by many later authors. The story of a young man who fell in love with his own reflection on the surface of the water contains a great variety of semantically strong structures (mainly the motifs of a mirror, narcissistic love, passively superior character of a hero, or the final metamorphoses into a flower), which are analysed in this study. The author of this study outlines the interpretational evolution of the myth of Narcissus in French literary history...

The main aspiration of this thesis is to illustrate on several selected examples (or almost "cases" of clinical kind) from French, Russian, Polish, Italian (and in the second plan also German or English) writtings of the 19th and early 20th century the methods of application and presentation of the Withdrawnnes-motif in literature. And on the basis of them (after attempting to mapping out the network of their possible mutual influences, consequences, concurrency or filiations, in the interpretative part of the thesis, so on the II. to VI. chapter) try to define its final characteristics, periodisation, classification and his general definition. … and, moreover, or on the way to this purpose, perhaps to provide the reader a few other - perhaps more useful, or more interesting - information. Keywords: Autostylisation, Confusion of the dream and the reality, Decadence, Dreaming, Extreme mental states of mind, fin de siècle, Individualism, Literary motives, Modernism, Psychologism, Psychic naturalism, Solipsism, Transposition of identity, Withdrawnnes