Thesis--Heidelberg. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 286-292).

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The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the aesthetic strategy of the political philosophy of Edmund Burke, by considering the relation between the "artificial infinite" of the Enquiry Into our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, and the "immemorial custom" of the Reflections on the Revolution in France. The argument addresses misreadings of Burke found in recent critical theories on the "aestheticism" of "bourgeois ideology." / The thesis shows that the demotion of the sublime in favour of the beautiful which is considered by these critics to be characteristic of bourgeois aestheticism, does not happen in Burke's aesthetics. It also shows that the "naturalism" of bourgeois ideology is contradicted by the strategic artificiality of Burke's politico-aesthetic. Insofar as the ideologue seeks to resolve the contingent aspects of language and history, Burke cannot be considered an ideological thinker. Rather, Burke's political philosophy consistently fails to provide the coalescence of subjective and universal which is required for ideology. Finally, the irreconcilable contingency of Burke's view of political experience shows that his conservatism is not, as his critics would have it, static and unchanging.

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Renaissance patriarchy maintained very clear distinctions between what was appropriately "masculine" and "feminine." Modern feminist criticism and research have tried to dispel some of the old illusions, and so they offer a fresh approach to evaluating the personal and social implications of gender in the Renaissance. Such perspectives can be specifically applied for enhanced appreciation of Spenser's Faerie Queene, after an initial assessment of Renaissance patriarchy itself. / The Faerie Queene, we find, questions many important conventions of gender roles in Renaissance patriarchal society. Spenser crosses the familiar boundaries of appropriate or accepted female social status and options, and situates both males and females in roles which seemingly challenge the existing conventions by advancing the possibility of a new perspective. Spenser examines femininity from a specifically feminine point of view and invites a broadened understanding of the feminine. He portrays many different aspects of femininity and his titular heroine, Britomart, approximates the modern androgyne. The poem suggests a variety of alternative gender roles for both females and males, and also uses symbolic aspects of gender, so that characters ultimately cease to be gender-specific in their significance. That too tends to soften distinctions between males and females, by allegorically representing the self in such a way that it is seen to have both masculine and feminine aspects. / Spenser's attempt to broaden his readers' understanding and valuation of the feminine and his suggestions of alternative roles for both genders, helped open the door to new freedom and equality for women by inviting redefinition or revision of culturally received notions of gender and its personal and social implications.

Zugl.: Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2005

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Title from title screen (viewed February 23, 2009) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Studies in Religion, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 2008; thesis submitted 2007. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.