This dissertation presents an argument for the ethical value of a reader's inability to fully comprehend works by Jorge Luis Borges, G.K. Chesterton, William Faulkner, and Brian O'Nolan (aka Flann O'Brien). Such texts demand creative engagement by the reader which could be described as a necessary betrayal of the text. Viewed in the context of the so-called "ethical turn" in literary theory, the revaluation of infidelity accomplished by such unfaithful reading can foster a greater openness toward the unknown, and ultimately unknowable, other. Similarly, by juxtaposing the work of Faulkner, a canonical modernist writer, with more nontraditional writers such as Chesterton and O'Nolan, I mean to betray the sort of limitations created by employing such categorical terms as "modernism" itself. In an introductory chapter, I use the work of ethical theorist Emmanuel Levinas, as well as the socio-political theory of Zygmunt Bauman and Ernesto Laclau, to develop a theoretical framework for the project, taking some examples from the writings of Borges. My chapter on Chesterton presents "The Man Who Was Thursday" as a site of multiple betrayals which can awaken the reader to the instability of any fixed notion of identity. I conclude the chapter with a specific show of infidelity in the 1924 Russian adaptation of Chesterton's novel for the Kamerny theater in Moscow, an intentional "misreading" that reveals aspects of the work glossed over by years of more ostensibly faithful interpretations. My third chapter features a sustained reflection on the ethics of reading Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying," a work which stubbornly "keeps its secret," to use Derrida's phrasing. Since any reading of this story must be, on a certain level, a betrayal, I discuss the possibilities opened up by resisting the tendency to fix the meaning of such an undecidable work. In my final chapter, I consider the work of O'Nolan as a testimony to the constitutive power of betrayal. In his deconstruction of authorial presence, his Judas-like betrayal of James Joyce, and his provocative 1943 "translation" onto the Dublin stage of the Capek brothers' "Insect Play," O'Nolan is always unfaithful to his object; however, the revaluation of infidelity posited by this dissertation suggests that his traitorous stance could paradoxically do more justice to the objects of his focus than would a more ostensibly faithful approach.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Comparative Literature, June 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Afhandlingen handler om bøger og litteratur. Nærmere bestemt handler den om begrebet det litterære værk, som inden for litteraturvidenskaben er en problematisk størrelse. Formålet er at udfordre og i sidste instans omdefinere litteraturanalysens genstand og selve litteraturens centrum. Når vi læser et værk, sker det altid via et medie - oftest en bog trykt på papir - og denne fysiske genstand udgør også en del af vores læseoplevelse. Afhandlingen forsøger at syntetisere disciplinerne boghistorie og litteraturteori og opstille en metode for inddragelse af bogens materialitet i litteraturanalysen. På denne måde opnås en bedre forståelse af, hvad der gør litteratur til litteratur.

Denne afhandling undersøger tegneseriens tilsyneladende simplicitet ved at afsløre nogle af de meningsskabende lag, der bliver skabt i et komplekst netværk med fokus på tid og rum deles tegneserien op i flere spatio-temporale lag, der alle interagerer i den måde hvorpå repræsentation, forestilling og erfaring bliver konstitueret i tegneserier. Afhandlingen anvender forskellige teoretiske tilgange i en undersøgelse af forskellige slags tegneserier på tværs af genrer og formater for at afsløre, hvordan tid og rum konstrueres i tegneserier. Jeg argumenterer for at "tid og rum i tegneserier" er en alt for bred betegnelse, og at vi har brug for at konceptualisere en multipel, spatio-temporal konstruktion, der tager højde for hvordan diegesens tids-rumlighed bliver repræsenteret gennem strukturens tids-rumlighed og hvordan den igen bliver aktiveret gennem læserens forestillingsevne. Afhandlingen indeholder 5 artikler og to essays, der alle diskuterer den generelle problemstilling på forskellig vis. Ved at anvende Mikhail M. Bakhtins begreb om kronotopen undersøger jeg hvordan sammenstillingen af flere spatio-temporale konstruktion forbinder sig i superhelteserien Top 10. Disse forbindelsertrækker på for læseren gennem erfaringer erkendte virkelige verdens tids-rumlighed, og jeg diskuterer, hvordan spatio-temporale strukturer fra diegesen kan påvirke vores opfattelse af virkeligheden gennem brug af Paul Ricoeurs tanker om fiktion. Afhandlingen undersøger også specifikke formelle elementer som fx helsiden og det sorte panel og deres effekter på tid og rum ved at sammenligne værker af forskellige kunstnere eller af samme forfatter. På baggrund heraf er der et specifikt kapitel, der analyserer tegneseriens struktur som et netværk ved at kombinere Thirry Groensteens tegneserieteori med Manuel De Landas begreb om assemblagen. Denne kombination anvendes efterfølgende i en analyse af den klassiske albumserie, Asterix. Afslutningsvist bliver tegneseriens strukturelle rum og dets relation til virkelighedens rum analyseret ved hjælp af Edward Sojas begreb om "Thirdspace" og Michel Foucaults "heterotopi" begreb.

Over the past two decades the contribution of postmigrant literature to Germany's literary landscape has attracted significant scholarly interest. This study investigates selected prose of Turkish-German authors. Six primary texts are reconceived as "transgressive" as they intervene in contemporary spatial, especially urban and global discourses. They employ diverse "spatial tactics" by citing conventional dichotomies (local-global, West-East) in order to abandon and replace them subsequently with dynamic views on space and time. This thesis proposes a new theoretical model of literary analyses in order to grasp the multidimensional aspects of space. Thereby, Lotman's cultural semiotics is used as springboard to expand the model throughout the readings of the texts. By including additional theories on space from disciplines such as gender studies (Gleber; Weigel), urban geography(Lynch; Downs/Stea), cultural-historical psychology (Nora; Assmann) and postcolonial criticism (Said), this analysis focuses on narrative strategies that challenge physical and conceptual concepts of boundaries. The originality of this approach lies in a perceptive, thorough reading of textual productions of space that refrains from pinpointing the texts as homogenous minority literature. The theoretical model examines spatial motifs and themes inherent in the primary texts while disregarding the alleged "foreignness" of the authors. Each of the main chapters discusses two works focusing on the dimensions gender-space, memory-space and geography-space: Emine S. Ozdamar's Die Brikke vom Goldenen Horn and Aysel Ozakin's Die Blaue Maske are analyzed as novels transgressing gender-coded urban spaces. The Berlin settings in Aras Oren's Berlin Savignyplatz and Zafer Senocak's Gefahrliche Verwandtschaft are conceived as multi-discursive fragments shedding new light on German "realms of memory". Yade Kara's Selam Berlin and Feridun Zaimoglu's Zwolf Gramm Gluck are investigated in relation to "glocal" dislocations and Oriental imaginations. This dissertation makes two key contributions to German literary studies: First, it proposes an alternative reading to the common practice of categorizing postmigrant literature by cultural heritage and generation by putting forward the idea that writers adopt manifold perspectives on spatial configurations. Second, by reading literary spaces through an alternate disciplinary lens, this dissertation reads the texts as multilayered complexities of spatial presentations and advocates a comparative, text-centered method of literary analysis.

This is an examination of the critical reception and canonical status of Ernest Bucklers <i>The Mountain and the Valley </i> and Sinclair Rosss <i>As For Me and My House</i>. While both novels have been regarded as important works of Canadian literature,<i> As For Me and My House</i> is currently regarded as a canonical novel and <i>The Mountain and the Valley</i> is not. This study examines the notion of the Canadian canon and its relation to Bucklers and Rosss novels to show how the specific case of Ross and Buckler illustrates the process of Canadian canon formation. Through a review of the critical work produced on each novel, an understanding of trends in Canadian critical practice and theory, and the application of canon theory, this thesis examines the reasons for the differences in the reception and status of the two works. This thesis argues that the interplay between critical trends, academic interests, and literary value ultimately determines the canonical status of a text.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a learning sequence involving copy related activities and to provide clarifying evidence regarding copying effects on personality and artistic development. Improvement in selected aspects of creative behavior was hypothesized. The aspects of creative behavior selected for the study were: Figural Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration as identified by researchers in creative behavior, and two drawing tasks developed by the investigator. In addition, improvement in self-concept ratings was also hypothesized.Three intact groups made up of 58 fourth grade students from the Milwaukee Public Schools comprised the sampling. A random cluster sampling procedure was used to identify three schools from the population of 123 elementary schools in the system. Random procedures were used to identify the specific class within the schools and also to assign specific classes to treatment and control groups. The intact groups represented broad socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and were representative of racially balanced schools in the system.The Copy Activity Group of 18 subjects received the copy treatment, a second group of 20 subjects received an art activity treatment, and the third group of 20 subjects, a control group, received no treatment. All groups received pre- and posttests consisting of the Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration categories of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Forms A and B, and two drawing tasks designed by the investigator. The drawing tasks included an imagination or memory task (IDT) and an observational task (ODT). The tasks were rated by experienced judges on a rating scale designed specifically for the study. In addition, all groups received a posttest only administration of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Five treatment sessions were administered to the Copy Activity Group and the Art Activity Group on five consecutive days between the pretest and posttest sessions.Two similar yet different treatments were used in the experiment. One utilized structured copy activities designed to promote the mastery of specific concepts, and the other stressed similar concepts and subject matter but utilized more traditional, open ended art activities. Both treatments made use of similar art media and were of identical length. The copy activities provided information which was abstracted from the natural environment and artist's interpretations of the environment. Subjects were instructed to attend to points of maximal information, peaks of curvature, distinctive features, naturally occurring elaborations and artist's interpretations of the visual world in the context of the treatment. The activities, structured from simple to complex, involved tracing, dot-to-dot activities, copying, and coloring activities.The data were subjected to analysis of covariance during the hypotheses testing. The statistical results indicated improved overall performance on all instruments in favor of the Copy Group over the Art Activity Group. The data analysis also indicated that the ability to perceive and subsequently delineate perceptions may have been positively influenced by the copy treatment. While clearly significant differences were noted in the analysis of the self-concept data in favor of the Copy Group, generalizations as to cause-effect relationships were considered to be hazardous and therefore subject to further analysis.

This thesis investigates the womanist theme of spirituality in Amy Tan’s novel, The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Spirituality unfolds in five linked themes: ghosts, ghostwriting, nature, bones, and memory. In structure, the thesis is composed of four parts. The Introduction proposes spirituality as a womanist way of reading The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Chapter one investigates how the spirit of Gu Liu Xin, the Chinese grandmother, plays a critical role in developing the psychological integrity of Ruth Luyi Young, the American-born Chinese granddaughter. The second chapter examines how Gu Liu Xin’s ghost helps to guide LuLing Liu Young, Liu Xin’s daughter and Ruth’s mother, out of the hazardous situation in China, and how Gu’s spirit sustains LuLing in times of alienation and hardship in America. The thesis concludes that spirituality is essential for a subjugated woman character to achieve her personal and political freedom as well as her physical and spiritual wholeness.

This dissertation follows two interrelated lines of inquiry. The first, I formulate as follows: (1) How, historically speaking, has the discourse of literary criticism thought the book? How has it represented the book? Used the book? Put simply, what has the book become in the hands of the critic? Though, of course, answers to such questions will vary widely—especially as they intersect with related matters concerning the critic, herself, and what Henry Sussman refers to as the perceived “task of the critic”—it is my contention that the discourse of literary criticism remains unified by its inability to extricate itself from what I call the transcendent orientation to literature: an orientation that has both ancient and modern coordinates. In Part 1 of the dissertation, I map criticism’s ongoing historical affair with transcendence—an affair that begins as far back as the Platonic dialogues, but that can be traced right up through the twentieth century, in and through the work of any number of critics, and many prominent schools of literary critical thought. I, then, formulate the second of my two lines of inquiry as follows: (2) How might the materialist critic, imbued by Deleuzean sensibilities, think the book anew? And, by extension, how might the materialist re-think the role or task of the critic? In Part 2, I shift the focus from the transcendent to the immanent (or immanentist) orientation; that is, from the logic of representation to what philosopher Gilles Deleuze—a prominent voice within this dissertation—labels “the logic of sensation”; also, from fixed essences (i.e., fixed laws, identities) to potential powers; from being to becoming; from the regulated and scientized practices of the institutional critic (spawning predictable results) to the “co-creative” encounters of the critic-artisan (unleashing pure potentials from the book). In short, Part 2 of the dissertation explores the question of how the book opens up to its own becomings—i.e., its own difference, its own transformation. To that end, I will enter into a number of co-creative relations of my own with various works of American literature (including, Kerouac’s On the Road, Melville’s Moby-Dick, Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, and William Gass’s On Being Blue).

This dissertation follows two interrelated lines of inquiry. The first, I formulate as follows: (1) How, historically speaking, has the discourse of literary criticism thought the book? How has it represented the book? Used the book? Put simply, what has the book become in the hands of the critic? Though, of course, answers to such questions will vary widely—especially as they intersect with related matters concerning the critic, herself, and what Henry Sussman refers to as the perceived “task of the critic”—it is my contention that the discourse of literary criticism remains unified by its inability to extricate itself from what I call the transcendent orientation to literature: an orientation that has both ancient and modern coordinates. In Part 1 of the dissertation, I map criticism’s ongoing historical affair with transcendence—an affair that begins as far back as the Platonic dialogues, but that can be traced right up through the twentieth century, in and through the work of any number of critics, and many prominent schools of literary critical thought. I, then, formulate the second of my two lines of inquiry as follows: (2) How might the materialist critic, imbued by Deleuzean sensibilities, think the book anew? And, by extension, how might the materialist re-think the role or task of the critic? In Part 2, I shift the focus from the transcendent to the immanent (or immanentist) orientation; that is, from the logic of representation to what philosopher Gilles Deleuze—a prominent voice within this dissertation—labels “the logic of sensation”; also, from fixed essences (i.e., fixed laws, identities) to potential powers; from being to becoming; from the regulated and scientized practices of the institutional critic (spawning predictable results) to the “co-creative” encounters of the critic-artisan (unleashing pure potentials from the book). In short, Part 2 of the dissertation explores the question of how the book opens up to its own becomings—i.e., its own difference, its own transformation. To that end, I will enter into a number of co-creative relations of my own with various works of American literature (including, Kerouac’s On the Road, Melville’s Moby-Dick, Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, and William Gass’s On Being Blue).