This thesis is in two sections. The first critically examines the tradition of harmonia mundi. The earliest complete and developed account of musica mundana appears in Plato, but numerous fragmented references appear in the pre-Socratic sources. The notion that harmonia mundi originated as an idea of quantitative speeds and distances of the celestial bodies, is discredited. Rather, it is shown that it more probably originates as an expression of an 'esoteric spiritual' teaching in which self-knowledge, death, the concept of harmonia, and consequently music, are related. The idea that the greatest importance of music rests on the relationship of music and emotion, is undermined in this context, and the relationship of music, emotion and experience is examined in a way that supports much of what was asserted by Hanslick in the nineteenth century. The interpretation of ancient sources is critically assessed in terms of common 'hermeneutic filters' which are shown to be inconsistent with the content and hence context of some of the sources. It is also argued that Plato should be approached not merely through the assessment of the arguments that appear in his discourses, but in the light of his portrayal of the life and death of Socrates. The discourses are treated as inexact, exoteric expressions of esoteric meaning, much of which can be gleaned from the 'symbol' and example of Socrates' own life and death. The second section presents an original music philosophy that is an entirely contemporary exposition of the essential meaning of the harmony of the spheres tradition, as interpreted in the first section. In this contemporary exposition, some of the ideas that appear in Plato concerning the relationship of soul, world and harmonia, are re-expressed in terms of self, world, and an original contemporary 'parable' for harmonia. The background to the ancient tradition, of the macrocosm-microcosm relationship, is brought into contemporary terms, drawing critically on some ideas of the quantum physicist David Bohm, and questions raised by quantum theory in general. Finally, the nature of the macrocosm-microcosm is related to parts of Wittgenstein 's Tractatus logico-philosophicus.

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Architecture is an exhaustive act. With the Herculean efforts of the patron, the architect and the builder, a building comes into being. Materials are collected and transformed in order to create a place for Man to dwell. That is, materials occurring in their natural state are transformed by the Hand of Man and thereby enter it His realm. In turn, the Manmade becomes situated in and a part of the natural world. This relationship is a Material Reciprocity. In the Timaeus, a concept of a world soul is outlined in which all elements that compose the physical world (the "ten-thousand things" of the Tao-Te Ching) are endowed with consciousness: the Anima Mundi. How does architecture become part of Place? What role does Weathering play in this act? How does Man's understanding of Weathering's accretions enoble architecture? Sun Moon Earth BREW / Master of Architecture

Nul n’est sans savoir l’influence de l’ésotérisme sur la formation de la« littérature nouvelle » et pourtant, des questions essentielles demeurent toujours sansréponse : quelle place prend véritablement le fait ésotérique dans l’esthétiquesymboliste ? Jusqu’où peut-on parler d’ésotérisme, où celui-ci s’arrête-t-il, et quel estréellement son rôle dans l’avènement du sacerdoce poétique de la fin du XIXe siècle ?Notre réflexion se réfère à une méthode académique nouvelle qui a su proposerune définition de l’objet ésotérisme. Les différentes publications des historiens ontfavorisé une démarche historico-critique permettant l’isolement de critères identifiantaujourd’hui cette forme de pensée. À partir d’un des critères, l’analogie et lescorrespondances, nous aborderons l’ensemble des autres composantes, en explorant lesliens cosmologiques, anthropologiques et esthétiques qui se sont progressivement tissésavec les « sciences maudites ». Cette grille de lecture nous permettra de retracerl’avènement d’une véritable religion esthétique, d’approfondir la représentation de laNature considérée par les poètes comme le Liber Mundi, et de délimiter l’influence del’ésotérisme qui a concouru à l’originalité de l’esthétique symboliste dans l’histoire dela littérature française / No one ignores the influence of esoterism on the making of the "littératurenouvelle". Yet essential questions remain still unanswered: what is the real place heldby esoterism in the aesthetics of the Symbolist movement? How far reaches themeaning of the word, where are the borders of esoterism, and what was its contributionto the concept of the poet's priesthood at the end of the XIXth century?Our reflection refers to a new academic method which provided us with a definitionof the esoterism object. By their textual criticism, historians have isolated a number ofcriteria which allow us to identify this kind of thought. Starting from one of thosecriteria, i. e. analogy and correspondences, we will deal with all the others components,and explore the cosmologic, anthropologic and aesthetic links which were progressivelywoven with the "cursed knowledge". This process will enable us to observe the arisingof a true religion of aesthetic, to examine thoroughly the representation of Nature asLiber Mundi for the poets'eye, and to delimit the influence of esoterism,which contributed to the originality of the Symbolist aesthetics in the history of Frenchliterature

Axis Mundi - Ett examensarbete som undersöker om tvärvetenskap kan användas som alternativ process i skapandet av arkitektur. I arbetet formgavs en helig struktur efter den tvärvetenskapliga undersökningen, som sedan användes som en scenografi i en dansfilm.

The De miseria humane conditionis (1191--1195) by Lotario di Segni (Pope Innocent III) was a greatly influential text in medieval culture, and was translated and reworked in many European languages. Early translations of the work, however, have been usually overlooked by scholars. This is true in particular of Della miseria dell'uomo, composed in the second half of the 13th century by the Florentine judge Bono Giamboni. / My thesis consists in an extensive comparison of Bono's Della miseria dell'uomo with Lotario's De miseria humane conditionis. My purpose is twofold: to detect the differences between the two texts; and to understand how the two texts correspond to two completely different historical contexts. How the spirit of Lotario's text was transformed a century later into Bono's work? Bono's Della miseria reveals some crucial dimensions of the mentality and sensitivity of the communal age. It transforms Lotario's discouraging analysis of earthly life into a moral treaty conceived according to a more realistic and serene mentality. Bono feels compelled to console those who are burdened by the tribulations of life; to encourage sinners to humble themselves and repent; and to give hope to men of good will in order that they become better persons. He thus conveys a positive vision of life. It is not by chance that the last part of Bono's treaty deals with paradise.

Bibliography: leaves 242-255. / 256, [8] leaves, [8] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.), maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A study which examines medieval religious beliefs through a range of symbols found on medieval world maps and in geographical texts. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of English, 2000

Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Literatura mención Literatura Chilena e Hispanoamericana. / El trabajo consta de tres capítulos y el primero está referido a los momentos más importantes de la vida de María Luisa Bombal como a los antecedentes que influyeron en su narrativa y el lugar de privilegio que ocupa en las letras universales. El segundo, pretende fundamentar la noción de mito, sus características, determinar la relación mito y razón y comprender cómo se produjo el traspaso de una conciencia mítica a una racional junto con las consecuencias más importantes para la vida humana. Por último, se analizan los textos ya mencionados desde la perspectiva del mito y, específicamente, del motivo del Axis Mundi como estructura mítica, que emerge en medio de un mundo racional con las consecuencias que implican para el desarrollo vital de los personajes.

Les études consacrées à l’évangélisme français ont pris essentiellement trois directions. La première approche est scripturaire et consiste à isoler un certain nombre de citations ou de paraphrases bibliques chez tel ou tel auteur, afin de déterminer la substance d’une « doctrine » située dans un entre-deux confessionnel, loin de Rome comme de Genève (cf M. A. Screech). La seconde approche, historique et thématique, se propose d’observer en diachronie la spiritualité évangélique à partir d’un thème fondamental comme celui de la mort (cf C. Blum). La troisième approche, sémantique et stylistique, entend mettre au jour une « écriture concertée », un « idéolecte » évangélique (cf I. Garnier-Mathez). Toutes ces approches se sont montrées productives, mais elles n’envisagent pas la spécificité des différents types d’imprimés évangéliques, et tout particulièrement le « trouble » que peut créer la médiation fictionnelle dans la présentation de ces idées et de ce langage partagés. Nous voudrions montrer que l’évangélisme se dévoile aussi à travers une utilisation de la fiction qui lui est propre. Les trois mondes fictionnels que sont les Livres rabelaisiens, le Cymbalum Mundi et L’Heptaméron nous permettront de dégager les traits caractéristiques d’un « évangélisme fictionnel ». Par delà leurs différences parfois très nettes, ces œuvres mettent en place certaines procédures fictionnelles communes, qui sont le fruit d’une même spiritualité évangélique, et qui les distinguent à la fois des productions dites « religieuses » de ce courant spirituel, mais aussi des œuvres de fiction non évangéliques de l’époque. / Studies dedicated to French evangelism have essentially taken three directions. The first approach is scriptural and consists in isolating a certain number of biblical quotations or paraphrases from an author, in order to determine the substance of a “doctrine” situated half-way between the denominations, as far from Rome as from Geneva (cf M. A. Screech). The second approach, both historical and thematic, plans to observe the evangelical spirituality diachronically through a fundamental subject such as death (cf Blum). The third approach, semantic and stylistic, intends to bring to light a “concerted writing”, an evangelical “idéolecte” (cf I. Garnier-Mathez). All three approaches have shown to be productive, but they do not take into account the specificity of the different kinds of evangelical printed books, and in particular the “confusion” that fictional mediation can create when displaying these shared ideas and language. The aim of this thesis is to show that evangelism can also be revealed through a specific use of fiction. Three fictional worlds, the Rabelaisian Books, the Cymbalum Mundi and the Heptameron, will be studied so as to define the characteristic features of a “fictional evangelism”. Beyond their sometimes very clear differences, these works set up certain common fictional procedures, originating from the same evangelical spirituality, and distinguishing them at the same time from the so-called “religious” productions of this spiritual current, but also from contemporary non-evangelical works of fiction.