This thesis argues that critical understanding of historical narratives needn’t be limited to cold, clinical applications of logic and reason. By doing a close textual reading of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s graphic novel, 300 and Zack Snyder’s 2007 film adaptation, I posit that critical analysis of popular narratives is better served when pathos takes a central role. Traditional rhetorical criticism tends to favor empirical evidence and fact over emotional, narrative truth. Yet, the writing, recounting and interpretation of history are more akin to arts than sciences. Historical narratives are subject to the same influences and techniques that make poetry, sculpture and music evocative and memorable. Therefore, the closest method by which to recreate the experience of historical events is through pathos. Pathos can serve to focus the attention of an audience and cultivates an intuitive understanding of historical, social, and cultural events.

[pt] O investimento emocional é um traço referente à disposição em investir emocionalmente nos relacionamentos. Em geral, quanto maiores os níveis de investimento emocional, maior a tendência a estabelecer relacionamentos compromissados e satisfatórios. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar a relação entre investimento emocional, sociossexualidade (tendência a ter relacionamentos casuais) e satisfação com o relacionamento. Para isso, foram desenvolvidos dois estudos. O primeiro estudo teve como objetivo construir uma escala para aferir o investimento emocional, bem como buscar suas evidências de validade e precisão. Os resultados desse estudo indicaram que a escala de Investimento Emocional apresenta estrutura de dois fatores, denominados Romantismo e Carinho, com adequados índices de consistência interna. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo testar o papel mediador da sociossexualidade na relação entre investimento emocional e satisfação com o relacionamento. O investimento emocional exerceu um impacto positivo na satisfação com o relacionamento e um impacto negativo na sociossexualidade, que por sua vez, exerceu um impacto negativo na satisfação com o relacionamento. A sociossexualidade mediou a relação entre investimento emocional e satisfação com o relacionamento, tornando a magnitude da relação mais fraca. Os achados desta pesquisa nos ajudam a compreender melhor a dinâmica dos relacionamentos românticos, sobretudo a sua manutenção. / [en] Emotional investment is a trait referring to the tendency to invest emotionally in relationships. In general, the higher the levels of emotional investment, the greater the tendency to establish long-lasting and satisfying relationships. This research aimed to verify the relationship between emotional investment, sociosexuality (tendency to have short relationships), and satisfaction with the relationship. For this purpose, two studies were developed. The first study aimed to elaborate a scale to measure emotional investment and search for validity evidence and precision. This study indicated that the Emotional Investment scale has a two-factor structure, called Romanticism and Affection, with adequate internal consistency indices. The second study aimed to test the mediating role of sociosexuality in the relationship between emotional investment and satisfaction with the relationship. Emotional investment had a positive impact on satisfaction with the relationship and a negative impact on sociosexuality, which had a negative impact on satisfaction with the relationship. Sociosexuality mediated the relationship between emotional investment and satisfaction with the relationship, resulting in a weaker magnitude of the relationship. This research s finding helps us better understand the dynamics of a romantic relationship, especially its maintenance.

Gamla normer som kretsat kring kärlek och relationer har idag försvunnit och kärleken har, likt samhället, moderniserats. Relationer har blivit friare och partners har blivit utbytbara. Den känslomässiga investeringen har därmed kommit att bli svårare i moderna relationer. Men trots detta söker människor efter sin perfekta match och ett långvarigt förhållande. Gift vid första ögonkastet är ett samtida realityprogram där deltagare som längtar efter kärlek ska gifta sig med en främling. Programmet ger insyn i hur par, från att aldrig ha träffat varandra, ska gifta sig och under ett par veckor bo ihop som hustru och man. Under programmets gång ska de bygga en relation för att vid programmets slut bestämma om de vill vara fortsatt gifta eller om de ska skilja sig. För att se hur moderna relationer och känslomässig investering förmedlas i reality-TV utgår den här studien i observationer av det svenska och amerikanska Gift vid första ögonkastet. Studien visade att kärleken i Gift vid första ögonkastet utgjordes av ett stort frihetsbehov och att kommunikation både möjliggjorde och skapade problem för den känslomässiga investeringen. Det var när deltagarna visade att de var redo att släppa på delar av sin frihet och värderade tilltro till sin partner som det känslomässiga engagemanget kom att kommuniceras som allra tydligast. / Old norms that revolve around love and relationships have today disappeared and love has, like society, been modernized. Relationships have become freer and partners have become replaceable. The emotional investment has thus become more difficult in modern relationships. But despite this, people are looking for their perfect match and a long-lasting relationship. Married at First Sight is a contemporary reality show where participants who long for love are about to marry a stranger. The program provides insight into how couples, from never having met each other, gets married and live together as a wife and husband for a couple of weeks. During the program they will build a relationship so that they in the end of the program can decide whether they want to remain married or whether they want to divorce. To see how modern relationships and emotional investment are conveyed in reality TV, this study is based on observations of the Swedish and American Married at first sight. The study showed that love in Married at first sight consisted of a great need for freedom and that communication both enabled and created problems for the emotional investment. It was when the participants showed that they were ready to let go of parts of their freedom and valued trust in their partner that the emotional commitment came to be communicated most apparent.