Thesis (M.F.A.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 116 p. Includes abstract.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

This research takes a feminist post-structuralist perspective, informed by Lacanian and post-Lacanian theory to explore constructions of femininity, woman, and women’s experiences in the ‘post-feminist’ context of contemporary Western culture. How do post-feminist discursive constructions of woman regulate women’s subjectivity and define the field of possible actions and shape desire? What does post-feminist discourse make possible and consequently what does it exclude from the realm of possible actions and articulations? These questions are explored empirically through two studies: first, a discourse analysis of post-feminist discourses in popular media and, second, a discourse analysis of in-depth interviews with women on their experiences and views of ‘femininity’ and gender-power relations. From the analysis of Study 1, I argue that ‘post-feminism’ produces a feminine subject who understands herself to be ‘emancipated’, to have the same opportunities as men and the same ‘choices’ whilst simultaneously reproducing dominant patriarchal versions of femininity which continue to regulate and constrain women’s desire In Study 2, analysis of the interview texts illustrates some of the ways that feminine subjectivity continues to be regulated by patriarchal fantasies and ideals of ‘woman’. It was found that the regulative power of masculine fantasies of woman as ‘home’ and as ‘ideal mother’ constrain the interviewee’s experiences, choices and desires despite the post-feminist insistence that woman is no longer bound by anachronistic expectations or outmoded stereotypes. Overall, it is proposed that a post-feminist ‘regime of truth’ profoundly impacts on our ability to critically engage with issues of power as they relate to gender inequality. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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published_or_final_version / Literary and Cultural Studies / Master / Master of Arts

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'Galore' is a series of drawings that celebrate the urge to reproduce and multiply ‘beauty’. Working from a collection of appropriated photographs, I have produced a suite of small-scale ballpoint pen drawings that explore issues of desire and mortality through the rendered idealization and categorization of beautiful male types. This work is framed within a theoretical discussion of productive desire and the question of beauty as motivation to copy. Metaphorical associations of the cut flower with the disembodied human head are also examined in relation to the vanitas genre of art.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-51). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ56163.

The focus of this essay is to investigate homosociality in terms of ethnicity in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. The main method used in the investigative analysis is close reading of the novel, and the essay relates this close reading to theories expressed in a number of critical essays and articles regarding the novel itself and other subjects relevant to the analysis. Furthermore, the relationships between the main character and other male characters are compared. The main findings of this essay are that homosociality is a central theme in Hemingway's novel and that homosocial desire often decides how the main character Jake Barnes reacts to the statements and actions of other characters. Furthermore, the amount of homosocial desire aimed at one character is most often decided by the ethnicity of that character.

Throughout much of the twentieth century, early modern metaphysical literature has been interpreted as an upholder of traditional morals and cosmic unity. By re-examining the early critical reception of these works in connection with current theories of cultural reproduction, we can develop a new understanding of how metaphysicality undermines, in particular, an ideology of "natural" desire and identity. Focussing on desire, metaphysical authors produce a dissident knowledge of the cultural contingencies of normative thought, identity, and behaviour. Taking a philosophical approach to the subject, Edward Herbert reveals the impact of personal desires on the development of mental concepts. Christopher Marlowe, meanwhile, demonstrates the way definitions of natural gender identity inhibit sexual expression between men. Elaborating on women's same-sex desire, John Donne and Andrew Marvell contest heteronormative narratives of growth, while Aemilia Lanyer offers a vision of love between women as a homoerotic state of grace and alternative to men's violence. In his thoughts on martyrdom and political allegiance, Donne denaturalizes absolute authority and carves a space for liberty of conscience, an endeavour that corresponds to the desire for personal freedom that each of the other writers also expresses.