A sense of place is important to the construction, believability and success of regional mystery novels. Authentic representation of place is challenging if an author is not originally from the area being portrayed. Despite this, some authors are able to depict foreign places more comprehensively and realistically than others. Professor Gary Hausladen of the University of Nevada, Reno identifies: narrative description, dialogue, iconography, and attention to detail as the basic literary devices that convey sense of place. This thesis questions the manner in which successful mystery novelists writing about foreign places meet Hausladen's model. Specifically, do they use all four of the literary devices, which are most commonly used, which are consciously used, and what research methods and resources do they use to incorporate the literary devices. Primary and secondary data are collected through interviews and literary analyses. It is found that these authors use all four of the prescribed literary devices, that some of the literary devices are more challenging to use than others, that place establishing literary techniques are important to the authors and that the authors seek to incorporate sense of place through diverse types of intensive research.

Tricksters are popular cultural and literary characters which appear across regions and genres in various forms. The characters Uncle Julius from The Conjure Woman collection of short stories by Charles W. Chesnutt, and the confidence man from Herman Melville's The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade are both tricksters who are based on strong cultural backgrounds: the African(- American) religious trickster, and real life con artist William Thompson, respectively. This thesis sets out to compare the tricksters in thematic and structural elements. The origins of the literary characters help shape the readers' expectations and perception of the tricksters. Melville and Chesnutt encourage the stereotypical reading of the characters while also including an alternative one in the text. The conflict of perceptions serves to introduce a number of social topics regarding slavery in The Conjure Woman and self-reliance in The Confidence-Man, both of which ultimately point to the problematic distribution of freedom in American society. The tricksters appear both as literary characters and literary devices, corresponding with the ambiguous nature of the trickster archetype.

Makala hii inachambua sitiari katika Kichomi, diwani ya kwanza ya marehemu Euphrase Kezilahabi. Mashairi yaliyochunguzwa yanahusika na dhamira tatu za kijumla: maana ya maisha, udhalimu wa kikoloni, na hali ya sasa ya Afrika. Mashairi yanayochambuliwa ni: “Nimechoka”, “Mwamba Ziwani”, “Fungueni Mlango”, na “Kisu Mkononi” (dhamira ya “maana ya maisha”); “Hadithi ya Mzee” (dhamira ya “udhalimu wa kikoloni”); “Afrika na Watu Wake”, “Kumbe”, na “Namagondo” (hali ya sasa ya Afrika). Mashairi haya yako kwenye muundo usiofuata urari wa vina na mizani. Lengo la makala hii si kufanya uchambuzi wa kina bali ni kuonyesha kuwa sitiari ni mbinu ya msingi ya mshairi katika kuwasilisha maana na mtazamo wake katika dhamira kadhaa. Nimeteua mashairi hayo tu ili kudhihirisha mbinu ya kisitiari katika dhamira zilizotajwa. Uchambuzi wa sitiari umezingatia mkabala wa kisemantiki unaotambua vipengele vitatu katika muundo wa sitiari: kifananishi, kitajwa na kiungo (taz. Richards 1936; Leech 1969). Hitimisho muhimu ni kwamba sitiari ni mbinu inayoyawezesha mashairi hayo kuchanuza mawazo na hisia kwa uwazi na athari nzito. / This article analyses metaphors in Kichomi, the first collection of poems by the late Euphrase Kezilahabi. The poems analysed deal with the following main themes: the meaning of life, colonial oppression, and the current state of Africa. The poems under discussion are: “Nimechoka” (I Am Tired), “Mwamba Ziwani” (Rock in Lake), “Fungueni Mlango” (Open the Door), na “Kisu Mkononi” (Knife in Hand; theme: meaning of life); “Hadithi ya Mzee” (An Old Man’s Tale) (theme: colonial oppression); “Afrika na Watu Wake” (Africa and Its People), “Kumbe” (That’s Why ), and “Namagondo” (Namagondo; theme: current state of Africa). The structure of these poems does not follow the conventional rules of metre and rhyme. The aim of this article is not a thorough analysis, but to show that metaphor is a fundamental device for the poet to present meaning and his view concerning a variety of themes. I have selected these poems only in order to make the device of metaphor clear concerning the mentioned themes. The analysis proceeds on a semantic approach which recognizes three aspects of metaphor: vehicle, tenor and ground (cf. Richards (1936); Leech (1969:153-56)). An important conclusion is that metaphor is a device which enables the poems to evoke thoughts and feelings in a candid manner and with a deep impact.