Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Afghan women suddenly gained high visibility all over the world. Since then, representations of Afghan women in the Western media and notably in the U.S. news media provide a critical concern to scholars. Much of the relevant literature on this topic speaks to the fact that the dominant portrayal of Afghan women in the Western media has shown them as passive victims of war and violence, to be liberated only by the Western military intervention. However, the question remains as to how the popular fictional narratives, as another vivid source of information, represent Afghan women to the Western readers. To address this question, A Thousand Splendid Suns, as a popular novel authored by Khalid Hosseini, an Afghan novelist, was selected. Bormannian fantasy theme analysis of this novel conveys the passivity of women in the context of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that the portrayals of Afghan women in the novel correspond with the images of Afghan women in the Western media. Moreover, an examination of a sample of book reviews of the novel unveils the important contribution of Khalid Hosseini to the Orientalist discourse.

The submitted thesis introduces the so-called phenomenon of vampirism in popular literature of last two hundred years. With the help of more or less known pieces of vampire prose, theoretical and historical works the thesis presents the beginning, the development and transformations of a vampire character. The thesis also contains parts about relations between vampire and non-vampire mortal characters, who belong in particular fictional worlds.

Esta dissertação configura-se por uma abordagem teórico-crítica das obras Dois Irmãos e Órfãos do Eldorado, de Milton Hatoum. Concentrando-se no exame das estratégias ficcionais utilizadas por nosso escritor contemporâneo, o trabalho evidencia as novas formas de conjugação dos elementos que contribuem para que se repense o debate acerca da formação da identidade nacional. Além disso, a dissertação busca mostrar como as transformações ocorridas desde a Modernidade vêm influenciando a composição dos sujeitos ficcionais e das narrativas / This thesis provides a theoretical and critical approach of Dois Irmãos and Órfãos do Eldorado. Concentrating on the implications of contemporaneity in the writing of Milton Hatoum, this thesis highlights new forms of conjugating the elements which contribute to the construction of national identity. This dissertation also seeks to demonstrate how the transformations that are taking place since the inauguration of Modernity have influenced the building of the fictional subject and his narrative

Esta dissertação configura-se por uma abordagem teórico-crítica das obras Dois Irmãos e Órfãos do Eldorado, de Milton Hatoum. Concentrando-se no exame das estratégias ficcionais utilizadas por nosso escritor contemporâneo, o trabalho evidencia as novas formas de conjugação dos elementos que contribuem para que se repense o debate acerca da formação da identidade nacional. Além disso, a dissertação busca mostrar como as transformações ocorridas desde a Modernidade vêm influenciando a composição dos sujeitos ficcionais e das narrativas / This thesis provides a theoretical and critical approach of Dois Irmãos and Órfãos do Eldorado. Concentrating on the implications of contemporaneity in the writing of Milton Hatoum, this thesis highlights new forms of conjugating the elements which contribute to the construction of national identity. This dissertation also seeks to demonstrate how the transformations that are taking place since the inauguration of Modernity have influenced the building of the fictional subject and his narrative

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Afghan women suddenly gained high visibility all over the world. Since then, representations of Afghan women in the Western media and notably in the U.S. news media provide a critical concern to scholars. Much of the relevant literature on this topic speaks to the fact that the dominant portrayal of Afghan women in the Western media has shown them as passive victims of war and violence, to be liberated only by the Western military intervention. However, the question remains as to how the popular fictional narratives, as another vivid source of information, represent Afghan women to the Western readers. To address this question, A Thousand Splendid Suns, as a popular novel authored by Khalid Hosseini, an Afghan novelist, was selected. Bormannian fantasy theme analysis of this novel conveys the passivity of women in the context of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that the portrayals of Afghan women in the novel correspond with the images of Afghan women in the Western media. Moreover, an examination of a sample of book reviews of the novel unveils the important contribution of Khalid Hosseini to the Orientalist discourse.

This text is a written articulation of my M.F.A. Thesis show titled, The Newlywed wherein description of the work produced and my artistic process is present. This body of work is explored through a fictional character, a newlywed, who acts as an outlet for my recent experiences living in western Massachusetts. The sculptures are made up of collections of the everyday, mundane objects that surround me and that propel me to contemplate where they came from, and what their histories were. The objects then become instruments for the creation of new stories.

The thesis being presented aims to stress the differences between characters in fictional worlds and characters in storyworlds by means of question of possibilities and limits of reader's inferences. The aims of this thesis is to prove that storyworld construed as a mental model manages to avoid some problems that relate to fictional worlds theories. First chapter provides an insight into the issue of definitions and theories of character and places cognitive approaches to character within it. Since a concept of fictional world and a concept of storyworld are often construed as very alike, in the second chapter, there are two opposed opinions concerning reader's activity during a construction of fictional world; that is theories of Lubomír Doležel and Marie-Laure Ryan. By means of their mutual comparision, the distinctive status of fictional character concerning reader's inferences is being emphasized that further bears a decisive role within theory of Umberto Eco of which a core is presented in chapter three. The link between story comprehension and construction of fictional character is a centre of interest of chapter four, where cognitive approaches are represented by theories by Alan Palmer and David Herman. This chapter presents storyworld and character within it as open and fluid flexible....

This article analyzes the missing rule and ruling about the protection of characters and fictional objects which are part of works covered by copyright. The author systematizes the criteria used in the administrative jurisprudence for conflicts between the intellectual property and the industrial property to extract specific rules in cases that involve fictional objects and characters, establishing and proposing criteria to find out the originality of these elements. / El presente artículo analiza la omisión normativa y jurisprudencial sobre la protección de los personajes y objetos de ficción que son parte de las obras protegidas por el régimen de derecho de autor. El autor sistematiza los criterios utilizados en los casos de jurisprudencia administrativa en conflictos existentes entre la propiedad intelectual y la propiedad industrial para extraer las reglas específicas existentes en casos que involucran objetos de ficción y personajes, estableciendo y proponiendo criterios para encontrar la originalidad de estos elementos.

Syftet med den här studien är att jämföra två grundskollärarens förhållningssätt till skönlitterärt läsande för att visa dess betydelse för hur elever i mellanstadiet kan uppmuntras till att läsa skönlitterära texter i skolan. Därför har semistrukturerade intervjuer använts enligt Bryman (2011) samt kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer. Resultaten av undersökningen är tvådelade. Det ena visar på att om läraren utåt sett visar eleverna ett positivt förhållningssätt till skönlitteratur kan det ha en positiv inverkan på elevens läslust. Om läraren istället visar ett negativt förhållningssätt till skönlitteratur för eleverna kan detta ha en negativ inverkan på elevens läslust. Det som inte har någon betydelse är om lärarens positiva förhållningssätt till skönlitteratur är äkta eller inte, såvida inte eleverna märker att lärarens positiva förhållningssätt inte är äkta utan lärarens personliga tycke om skönlitteratur lyser igenom. / The purpose of this study is to examine and compare two primary school teachers approach to fictional reading and to show its significance regarding how pupils in middle school can be encouraged to read fictional texts in classroom activities. Therefore semi structured research interviews have been used, according to Bryman (2011) which was used was qualitative research interviews. The results of the research are twofold. One the one hand if the teacher shows the pupils a positive approach to fictional reading the impact on pupils’ love of reading might be positive. If the teacher instead show the pupils a negative approach to fictional reading the effects can be negative. On the other hand, it does not seem important if the teachers’ positive approach to fictional reading is authentic or not, unless the pupils notice that the teachers just pretend having a positive approach and their real thoughts shine through.

This paper explores fantasy brands and product placement in order to determine which method serves to be more effective to a targeted audience. A fantasy brand exists only in a virtual or fictional world. Reverse product placement is the process of transforming brands in a virtual world into products or services in the physical world. Common fictional brands include Willy Wonka Chocolate (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Duff Beer (The Simpsons), Dunder Mifflin Paper (The Office), Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (Forrest Gump), Central Perk (Friends), and Stay Puft Marshmallows (Ghost Busters). Previous research has suggested that people who are fans of a television show or movie are more likely to purchase a fantasy brand than those who are unfamiliar with the show or movie. Additionally previous research indicates that some people believe product placement is invasive and results in negative brand image. However, no previous research directly compared product placement to fantasy brands, and which a consumer might prefer. This paper will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both product placement and fantasy brands. The study conducted tested 175 subjects in a moderated laboratory setting to discover which form of advertising was more likely to drive a purchase interaction. This study goes on to provide evidence that consumers are more likely to purchase a fantasy brand when there is a high level of “fandom”. However, if they have a low level of “fandom” they are more likely to purchase the item in the form of product placement. This paper contributes to the idea of branding, experiential consumption, and advertising in an overcrowded era.