<p>The child as a prominent figure in English literature reached its richest stage of development in the nineteenth century, particularly in the fantasy fiction of such writers as Lewis Carroll and George MacDonald. Until this time, the child was generally perceived as an essentially innocent and passive figure requiring little analysis of character or symbolic meaning. However, in the nineteenth century, a growing awareness of the child as a figure of isolation and sadness prompted many writers to embrace him as the representative individual struggling to survive in a hostile world. Such a concept proved very effe9tive in the Victorian era in particular, in which one finds a tremendous intellectual and moral confusion. Accordingly, the thesis deals with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Princess and the Goblin in terms of the child as surrogate wanderer in search of his proper place within the rapidly spinning world of which he is an integral part. In so doing, the paper discusses such aspects as Carroll's use of the journey through a world of inversions as the quest for self-identity, and MacDonald's concern with the passage of the human soul to complete union with God, keeping in mind that the child himself is the key to all that man will become.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The thesis involves a comparison of the philosophy and art of Henry David Threau and Henry Miller, with specific attention to the concept of vitality in their work.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Master of Arts (MA)

<p>In this thesis I am concerned with the fairly conssitent moral and aesthetic theory which seems to shape all of Jonson's writing. I am especially interested in Jonson's dictum that the good poet must be the good man. This leads on to an examination of the Jonsonian personality, with all its irresistible vigour, honesty, good-humour and coarseness, which always lurks with the obvious discrepancy between Jonson the man and Jonson the moral poet, and in particular how Jonson uses an understanding of his own personality to comment upon both the role of the artist in society, and the tenability of moral idealism.</p> <p>I am further concerned with the problems presented to Jonson as a moral poet writing for the popular theatre. Throughout his career as a playwright Jonson was faced with the difficulty of writing so-called 'closet' dramas for a learned elite which would also perform successfully in the public theatre. The early plays under have little theatrical value but do consistently dramatize Jonson's ideal of himself as the moral poet. In the 'Charis' sequence Jonson's ironic self-consciousness of his own humanity comments significantly upon the limitations of a moral and poetic idealism. By the time of the writing of the great comedies, Volnone, Epicoene, The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair I find that Jonson has disguised his moral idealism so as to be successful in the theatre. These plays are remarkable for their dramatic excitement, an indication that Jonson had an obvious flair for the stage. The later plays, with their bittersweet and very personal tone, were written at a time when Jonson no longer had a voice or place in Caroline society, and when he was suffering from ill-health and poverty. Again I found a consistent upholding of the idea of the poet as moralist but, moreover, a crucial acceptance of the playwright's medium. At the very end of his writing career Jonson seemed to be closing the gap between the moral poet and the popular dramatist.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>It is the purpose of this thesis to examine Chaucer's use of diet in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Certain of the portraits include references to diet: the Monk is described as loving a "fat swan" above all other "roosts". To discover why such a food is attributed to the Monk is to discover his spiritual state, the primary concern of the Church-dominated Middle Ages.</p> <p>By investigating medieval literature for dietary allusions, it becomes possible to understand the nature of Chaucer's references. The Monk's swan, it will be demonstrated, is highly significant in its metaphorical interpretation, and contributes to his characterization as representative of the failure of the monastic ideal. The swan, as well, indicates that the Monk has succumbed to the mortal sin of gluttony, which is defined as oVerindulgence in food and drink of an excessively delicate nature.</p> <p>Chapter Two, therefore, of the thesis investigates medieval moral literature for its definitions of proper and improper Christian diet. Chapter Three attempts to discover the use of references to diet in satirical poetry in order to understand the irony behind such references that Chaucer so consistently employed in the Prologue. The fourth chapter then applies the findings of Chapters Two and Three to seven of the portraits in the General Prologue which include dietary references: those of the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, the Franklin, the Cook, the Doctor, and the Summoner, in order to achieve a better perception of Chaucer's intention in the portrayal of these pilgrims. Having done so, it should be recognized that Chaucer's methods and intentions differed little from his contemporaries, even though his poetic genius al lowed his creations to outshine all others of his age.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The following study deals primarily with the major critical responses to William Golding's early fiction, the structural composition of Golding's fifth novel, The Spire, and the author's departure from his customary compositional patterns in his latest novel, The Pyramid.</p> <p>In Chapter I, the introduction to this thesis, I have provided a short biographical study of the author, documenting his early influences and directions.</p> <p>Chapter II evaluates the major critical trends that have developed in response to the first four novels, Lord of the Flies, The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and Free Fall. Each of the dominant patterns of critical thought is considered in the light of Golding's world view as it emerges from his fiction and essays and as it has been articulated by the author himself in a number of interviews. In this way I have attempted to adjust the predominantly moralistic approach of a significant number of critics.</p> <p>In the third chapter, I have provided an in-depth structural analysis of The Spire. Essentially I have analysed each chapter of the novel in an effort to determine what and how it contributes to the cumulative effect of the tale. In adopting this approach I have attempted to adhere as closely as possible to the gradual manner in which central elements of information are dispensed through the tortured perspective of Dean Jocelin, the novel's protagonist. The chapter concludes with a brief commentary on the novel's resolution, the cumulative effect of the information dispensed, and the identity of Goody Pangall.</p> <p>The final chapter attempts to demonstrate the innovative qualities of Golding's latest full-length novel, The Pyramid. The introduction of a "real" protagonist in the setting of the modern "ordinary universe", along with Golding's innovative restatement of a favourite theme, and the superficial independence of the novel's three sections suggest that The Pyramid is largely an experimental effort on the part of the author.</p> <p>In the Conclusion to this work, I have suggested a number of areas that remain unexplored and that may be interesting and rewarding upon consideration by future Golding critics.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Oscar Wilde and Walter Pater have ordinarily been labelled Decadents. However, there are real differences between their systems of thought. An examination of Pater's The Renaissance and Wilde's Intentions shows that although Wilde was profoundly influenced by Pater he deviated widely from Pater's ideas. Pater's thought focused on the concept of individuation within an idealistic context. Wilde, on the other hand, was concerned less with the growth and development of the personality and more with the undermining of the personality for the sake of the glorification of the self. The same principles can be seen to exist in Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Pater's Marius the Epicurean. The conclusions reached is that Wilde's ideas developed in a perverse direction while Pater's remained within the realm of the ideal.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The thesis is a critical reading of James Reaney's play Listen to the Wind. The play is examined in the light of Reaney's earlier works, both poetic and dramatic. Source material is taken into account and auditory and visual patterns of imagery are explicated in an attempt to demonstrate the playwright's primary concern, the involvement of his audience actively, in the workings of the creative imagination.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis demonstrates Ernest Hemingway's awareness of other writers, both past and contemporary to him. It collates Hemingway's references to other writers as culled from a variety of biographical and critical sources. It serves as a reference work for the study of Hemingway's statements on otherwriters, while seeking to establish them in a properly objective context. This thesis does not attempt to present Hemingway's credentials as a masterful critic. Its aim is more toward developing an understanding of Hemingway's opinions and perceptions in order to further a scholarly study of his own canon. As the body of Hemingway criticism becomes increasingly more textual and less biographical, the need to examine Hemingway's literary statements becomes correspondingly more crucial.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)