Magíster en artes con mención en artes visuales / El objeto de esta tesis son dos obras de arte que generan textos de modo mecánico. Se trata de Poetry Machine (2001) del escritor, filósofo, programador y artista alemán David Link (1971), y de Máquina de Coser (2009), obra de mi propia autoría. El propósito de este trabajo es contextualizar ambos trabajos en una generalidad mayor, dada, primeramente, por un género: la generación algorítmica de textos y la concepción de los respectivos mecanismos generativos. De esta manera, la tesis intenta poner en relación tres cuestiones elementales: máquinas lógicas (más bien simples), autómatas escritores –o ‘poéticos’, si así se quiere– y lenguaje natural. En ese espíritu, la introducción constituye un esbozo de toda la tesis y una descripción abreviada de la misma. El primer capítulo es una pequeña introducción a la historia de los generadores de texto desde la aparición de los primeros computadores electrónicos. Ese capítulo se concentra, principalmente, en sistemas de combinaciones basados en elementos predefinidos. El segundo capítulo examina un experimento de Inteligencia Artificial –ELIZA (1966)–, que conjuga elementos predefinidos con variables exógenas. Ese análisis se basa –en gran parte– en un examen efectuado a dicho programa por David Link en su libro Poesiemaschinen / Maschinenpoesie. Las figuras utilizadas en esa explicación –al igual que las que explican la aplicación Romance Writer (1977) en el I capítulo– provienen de ese libro. Igualmente, se examina, en ese capítulo, la obra Máquina Cóndor (2006) –también de mi autoría–, y la implementación de un procedimiento, que cita a la obra Bartleby el escribiente (1853) de Herman Melville –(1819-1891)–, en Máquina de Coser. El tercer capítulo esboza algunas reflexiones sobre la Poetry Machine, intentando conjugar su afán de novedad con algunos pensamientos de Peter Bürger (1936) en su Teoría de la Vanguardia (1974) y de Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) en su Teoría Estética (1970), que recién se terminan de constituir en la conclusión. El cuarto capítulo es una exposición de una comparación entre la Máquina Universal de Turing (1936), de Alan M. Turing (1912-1954) y los conceptos de devenir, existencia, ser y nada en la Ciencia de la Lógica (1816), de Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831). El autor de ese cotejo es, también, David Link. Mi aporte consiste en vincular dicho cotejo con un argumento de John Searle (1932) –The Chinese Room (1980)– acerca de la imposibilidad de comprensión de lenguaje en una máquina, y en plantear, desde ahí, otro experimento mental de mi propia autoría. En el quinto capítulo se esboza un prototipo de lenguaje primitivo y su relación con la noción de algoritmo, principalmente a partir de algunas consideraciones de Umberto Eco (1932) en su Tratado General de Semiótica (1976) y un ejemplo dado por Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) al comienzo de sus Investigaciones Filosóficas (1958). Ese capítulo termina con una proposición acerca de la noción de physical computing –invertida en computing the physical– encarnada en un máquina musical programable proveniente del mundo musulmán del Siglo IX, y la posible materialización de tal concepto en una obra imaginaria del Siglo XXI. En el sexto capítulo se exponen, con más detalle, algunas reflexiones del mismo Wittgenstein sobre la forma lógica del lenguaje en relación al lenguaje natural, y los abismos que separan lo lógicamente perfecto y el lenguaje natural. El séptimo capítulo examina la crítica de Saul A. Kripke (1940) a lo que llama teoría de cúmulos de descripciones definidas (con el propósito de comprender mejor los dos objetos de la tesis). La conclusión intenta conjugar lo esbozado en esos siete capítulos a la luz de las reflexiones de Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) sobre la categoría estética de lo sublime y su relación con la vanguardia y con la posmodernidad. Esta conjugación final se encamina hacia una mejor comprensión de las dos obras en debate. Se adjuntan las fichas técnicas de Poetry Machine y Máquina de Coser en un anexo. Se recomienda leerlas para una comprensión más cabal de toda la tesis. Lo mismo rige para las notas al pie de página, que durante todo el texto –pero especialmente en el II capítulo, la conclusión y en la ficha técnica de Máquina de Coser– y, en ocasiones, también en el III y IV capítulo, constituyen un escrito paralelo que se acopla al texto principal. Sin dicho engranaje, en esas partes, el texto principal resulta incomprensible. Insoslayable –redundante incluso– agregar que esta tesis carece de pretensiones epistemológicas –o de la intención de ser un estudio doctoral que aporte algo de manera consistente a la filosofía analítica–. Es una tesis en filosofía con mención en estética y teoría del arte; y ante todo es un texto de artista. Así quisiera que fuera leída

Demian has the characteristics of a Bildungsroman and an allegory, and may be put into either classification. However, rather than squeeze the work into some literary mould and end up with an “ugly duckling,” one can look upon Demian as the 40-year-old Hesse’s world view presented in literary form, which in fact is the development of a life-formula, “amor fati.” Demian then becomes a “beautiful swan.” The thesis is constructed in three main sections, looking at Demian from different perspectives: Demian as a Bildungsroman: Demian as an allegory; Demian as a life-formula. The work contains the qualifications of a Bildungsroman in so far as it deals with someones leaving the carefree and innocent world of childhood, experiencing years of wandering, trial and error, and finally entering into a paradise-state of existence because of knowledge he has gleaned from life. In Demian these standards of a Bildungsroman are generally fulfilled. The hero goes through these three stages, however, in a period of only about ten years, rather than the normal life-span of a person. That the work is also limited in both plot and action helps to account for its being not an excellent model of a Bildungsroman. Demian abounds in allegoric characteristics. Frau Eva, Pistorius, Demian and even Knauer all fulfill the common role of being a guide to Sinclair, who is himself the personification of a searching soul. Franz Kromer and Alfonse Beck, on the other hand, personify the tempter. The two worlds, the mark of Cain and Abraxas are symbolic elements in Hesse’s philosophy and are not to be read only literally That Demian can be viewed both as Bildungsroman and allegory is supported from findings in the secondary literature. What is not brought into focus through these sources, however, is the fact that Demian consists of many passages which present a philosophical view toward life. This view becomes clearer after studying Hesse’s other works together with Demian – especially those written shortly before and after its publication, because it is mainly this period of the author’s life which illuminates the subject of the thesis. After examining the ways in which Hesse repeatedly uses abstractions such as fate, self, soul and will, one begins to discern a pattern which can be traced to his philosophy of life. That philosophy is very amply expressed by the life-formula phrase of Nietzsche—“amor fati.”

Over the course of this thesis, three of Hermann Hesse’s novels will be examined – Demian (1919), Der Steppenwolf (1927), and Siddhartha (1922) – as performative texts in order to demonstrate how Hesse presents a blueprint of ideal paths to personal enlightenment through common themes that flow through his works, such as breaking out, creation and destruction, and Jungian archetypes. These themes will be compared to Nietzsche’s work on the transformation of the soul. Each of these performative texts by Hesse present a unique opportunity, not only to enjoy a masterful tale of such vivid characters, but also a chance for readers to discover for themselves a new access to peace of mind.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University

The theoretical part of this master thesis is based on the literary genre of the initiation novel, as presented by Daniela Hodrová. In an effort to gain a deeper insight into the novel's typical figures and spatial motifs, the theoretical part also contains a summary of archetypes described by C. G. Jung. In the practical part, principles of the initiation genre are demonstrated on the novels Demian and Steppenwolf written by the German author Hermann Hesse. The aim of the thesis is to provide a proof that the two novels can be assigned to the initiation novel genre and also to make use of the means presented in the theoretical part for an analysis of the initiation of the protagonists. The initiation in Demian is presented as a precursor of the initiation described in Steppenwolf. Therefore, the result of this thesis is also an attempt to present the philosophical connection between the analysed novels. KEYWORDS Demian, Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse, initiation novel, Daniela Hodrová, archetype

No description available.

Zugl.: Magisterarb. / Literaturverz.

Annotation: The main topic of this thesis is an analysis of tameness and wildness phenomena in particular Hermann Hesse's novels. Thesis will aim to expressions and interpenetrations of those phenomena and their position in period mind frame.Aim will be chronological analysis of those phenomena, their evolution and change in particular novels and an attempt of their synthesis. Key words: Hesse, Nietzsche, tammeness, wildness, Freud, Jung, Demian, Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead game, dialectic, dualism

The main focus of this study concerns the contribution of focalisation to the creation of fictional worlds through the combination of the “building blocks” of a fictional world, namely the central focalising and focalised character(s), focalised social contexts, events and spaces, in Hermann Hesse’s Demian (1919), Narziß und Goldmund (1930), E.L. Doctorow’s Welcome to Hard Times (1960) and Homer & Langley (2009). The relationship between the focalisers and their social contexts influence their human, subjective perspectives and represented perceptions of their textual actual worlds. Focalisation is constructive in the synergistic relationship between the “building blocks” that leads to the creation of fictional worlds. Chapter 2 discusses the theoretical basis of the thesis which is formed by the concepts of M. Ryan, L. Doležel, R. Ronen and T.G. Pavel with regard to possible worlds and fictional worlds. G. Genette’s and M. Bal’s theories provide the foundation of this study with regard to this concept as regards focalisation. Chapter 3 contextualises focalisation and fictional worlds as possible worlds in Hesse’s and Doctorow’s fiction and as such constitutes part of a twofold basis for the following analyses and comparisons. Four textual analyses of the individual novels by Hesse and Doctorow then follow. In the textual analysis of Demian the notions of M. Bal, M. Ryan and A. Nünning provide a theoretical basis that is specifically relevant for the argument that through his consciousness the individual, Emil Sinclair, creates the fictional world, i.e. by “transforming” textual actual world components into individualised fictional world ones. The views of Viktor Frankl, feminist activists against prostitution such as M. Farley, M.A. Baldwin and C.A. MacKinnon as well as the views of Talcott Parsons (in conjunction with those of G.M. Platt and N.J. Smelser) offer a theoretical underpinning for the analysis of the social context as the product of the mindset in the community in Doctorow’s Welcome to Hard Times and the mindset of the focaliser, Blue, that concurs with the mindset of the community. Focalised events are considered as psychologically credible and as contributing to the fictional world in Hesse’s Narziß und Goldmund. In this textual analysis the theoretical points of departure were based on theories proposed by D. Cohn, M. Ryan and S. Chatman. Concepts advanced by J. Lothe, J. Lotman, H. Lefebvre, L. Doležel, N. Wolterstorff and D. Coste comprise the theoretical basis of the analysis of social spaces in Doctorow’s Homer & Langley. Chapter 8 consists of comparative analyses of the said focalised “building blocks” of Hesse’s and Doctorow’s novels. The analyses and comparisons argue that focalising characters “filter” their actual worlds and “transform” them through their individualistic and subjective representations, as actual people do. Even if characters are “non-actual individuals” their mindsets or physical, social and mental properties (Margolin, 1989:4) are like those of actual people, i.e. “psychologically credible”. Ryan (1991:45) identifies “psychological credibility” or “a plausible portrayal of human psychology” as an “accessibility relation”, i.e. one that allows the mental properties of a fictional character to be accessible from and possible for the actual world. The interaction between a focalising character and his social context that affects his consciousness and focalisation is comparable to the interaction between a hypothetical actual person and his social world, that would also influence his mindset and how he communicates about the actual world. Perspectives of characters such as Sinclair, Blue, Goldmund and Homer Collyer are recognisable to hypothetical actual world readers as psychologically credible. In the light of Bal’s (1990:9) argument that the whole text content is related to the (focalising) character(s), one could say that the elements of a textual actual world become, as it were, focalised “building blocks” of the fictional world. The central finding is that focalisation contributes to the creation of fictional worlds. The relationship between a fictional world and the actual one becomes apparent in literary texts through focalisation that transforms the textual actual world and its elements, i.e. the central (self-focalising) character, the social context, events and space(s), through a focaliser’s consciousness. The focaliser’s consciousness in Hesse’s and Doctorow’s fiction is marked by psychological credibility. A fictional world is comparable to the actual world with regard to other accessibility relations that Ryan (cf. 1991:31-47) identifies, but focalisation specifically allows a fictional world to become possible in actual world terms by creating credibility of this kind. A fictional world is plausible not in mimetic terms, as a factual text presents itself to be, but in possible terms, i.e. through the comparability of human psychology in fictional worlds and the actual world. Focalisation significantly contributes to the creation of a fictional world through the interaction between psychologically credible subjectivity and the imaginary level of the text on which the textual actual world obtains human value through focalisation. A fictional world is, in this sense, a possible world and, in fact, comes about through being a possible world. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Applied Language and Literary Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.