During the twelfth century, the Norman monarchy in southern Italy and Sicily created a cosmopolitan culture that promoted connectivity, rather than domination, between the various kingdoms of the Mediterranean and Europe, in particular, those of the Byzantine Empire and of Fatimid Egypt. Rather than exhibiting <i>translatio imperii</i>'s unidirectional movement from east to west, the Normans in southern Italy created what I term <i>translatio normannitatis</i>; a multidirectional flow between east and west, which helped to circulate people, goods, and ideas. Using post-colonial and spatial theories, this dissertation explores the Norman monarchy's claim to be the successors of Troy and Rome, a vital element to their development of <i>translatio normannitatis</i>, as well as examining how texts and religious structures associated with the Norman kingdom in southern Italy and Sicily both reflect and endorse the cosmopolitan culture that the Normans created. Close readings of two romance texts - <i>Cliges </i>and <i>Guillaume de Palerne</i> - and the Norman monarchy's palace chapel in Palermo, Sicily - the Cappella Palatina - demonstrate the blendimg of European, Byzantine, and Islamic cultures fostered under Norman rule. The study of this unique place and time period, and its cosmopolitan atmosphere, creates a fuller picture of the medieval period, revealing its heterogeneity and combating modern tendencies to underestimate the intercultural nature of the medieval Mediterranean and Europe.<br>

This dissertation is a companion to Norman Mailer’s Egyptian novel, Ancient Evenings (1983). Presented in seven parts, it combines a monograph and a selection from the novel outfitted with footnotes, plates, and captions. Part I provides an overview of the dissertation, a definition of terms, and a statement of my editorial principles. Part II is a biographical description of the author in relation to Ancient Evenings and its significance in the arc of his oeuvre. Also explored are Mailer’s unrealized plans to produce two related novels that would have formed a triad that embodied his existential ideology. Part III consists of criticism by me that will later take the form of a general introduction, footnotes, and endnotes for an annotated edition of Ancient Evenings. Part IV is a synthesis of published critical reactions to the novel placed in conversation with Mailer’s own commentary on his creative process and intentions. Ancient Evenings is notoriously difficult to navigate, and to provide a beacon for readers, Part V includes a character list and a synopsis of each of the novel’s seven “books.” Part VI is the second section of the novel, “The Book of the Gods,” presented as an annotated edition. The Coda includes a transcription of a previously unpublished prose piecethat represents the development of a novel, The Boat of Ra, that would have followed Ancient Evenings had Mailer completed his triad. For the use of future scholars, the bibliography documents Mailer’s confirmed research materials. Norman Mailer’s Book of the Dead speaks to the development of a major work by one of the most influential authors and public intellectuals of the second half of the twentieth century. / 2019-11-21T00:00:00Z

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bryn Mawr college, 1915. / Vita. University Microfilms facsimile reprint. Chapter IV contains the text of the Lay each line "accompanied by a corresponding line of Gaimar's text if one is to be found."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bryn Mawr college, 1915. / Vita. University Microfilms facsimile reprint. Chapter IV contains the text of the Lay each line "accompanied by a corresponding line of Gaimar's text if one is to be found."

Universiẗat, Diss., 2003--Freiburg (Breisgau).

At least from the time of Augustine, Christians have been reflecting on the question of moral conflicts. Since the mid-1960s this issue has become the center of attention for several scholars, including Norman L. Geisler, who developed ethical hierarchicalism in an attempt to resolve these conflicts. The question therefore arises: Is ethical hierarchicalism comprehensive, consistent, and biblically sound, and the only viable approach for Christians, as Geisler claims? Because Geisler is the most articulate and influential proponent of this strategy, his ethical method was selected for this research. To provide some framework, a brief survey was made of various methods relating to ethical dilemmas. In addition to observing the contrasting ways in which eminent early Christians, Reformation leaders, post-Reformation thinkers, and twentieth-century scholars have dealt with moral conflicts, this overview examined utilitarianism, situationism, non-conflicting absolutism, conflicting absolutism, hierarchicalism and the principle of double effect. Additional background traced Geisler's philosophical, theological, and ethical development over the years. Then, after outlining what Geisler considers the fundamental presuppositions of theistic morality and Christian ethics, hierarchicalism was delineated. Next, Geisler's moral methodology was critiqued, firstly against his own basic presuppositions, then by comparing contradictory concepts within hierarchicalism, and finally by contrasting his theories with those of other Christian thinkers, and with the biblical passages that Geisler uses. Following this, positive aspects of hierarchicalism were enumerated, a synopsis and recommendations made, and a final conclusion drafted. This study indicates that ethical hierarchicalism contradicts most of the essential characteristics of theistic morality and Christian ethics as specified by Geisler himself. careful research suggests that, while this theory holds to divinely-derived objective moral norms, it also embraces relativistic, utilitarian, situational, antinomian, and teleological components. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that hierarchicalism is based on falsely assumed responsibilities, inaccurately specified absolutes, naturalistic definitions, a descriptive approach to Scripture, a bifurcation in God's law, and subtle semantic strategies. Though hierarchicalism does grapple with difficult issues, emphasize personhood and individual responsibility, and offer relief from false guilt, this method of moral reasoning appears unacceptable for Christians since it is incoherent, inconsistent, self-contradictory, and unscriptural. / Theological Ethics / D.Th, (Theological Ethics)

Norman Mailer's seminal works The Naked and the Dead and The Armies of the Night both outline Mailers distaste for oppression. The Naked and the Dead's bleak reprisal of oppressive leadership tactics offers little in the way of a solution to fight this power. However, twenty years later, The Armies of the Night names personal expression of political views as the answer to oppressive force within the American government. Mailer met the hypocrisy of fighting for freedom abroad while oppressing one's own citizens by encouraging personal expression and flaunting the "rules" of the novel. In the end, Mailer surmises that the best way to encourage freedom of thought and action is to educate his fellow citizens to question objectivity.

The story of Lady Godiva's naked ride through Coventry is well known. While scholars agree that it has no historical basis, no satisfactory explanation has been offered as to when and why it first appeared. This thesis explores the possibility that it may have been an original composition intended as hagiography. Beginning with the historical Godiva, who died in 1067, it details the various categories of saint that were popular in Anglo-Saxon England, in particular the 'cartulary' or 'founder' saint - a category for which Godiva was eminently qualified. It examines the possibility of political objections to her canonization in the light of her grandsons' role in the rebellion against William the Conqueror, and considers the allegation that Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, had a particular animosity towards the English saints. The paper then turns to hagiography as a literary genre. It explores the purpose of writing about the saints, and how this correlates with the well-known flurry of such writing that occurred in England in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. It discusses the influence of folklore, classical literature and twelfth-century courtly romance on hagiography in general, and examines the story of Godiva's Ride with specific reference to the Virgin Martyr tradition and to Chrétien de Troyes' courtly romance Erec et Enide. A brief overview of the political situation in Coventry when the story was first written in 1218 suggests that Godiva was intended to serve a role similar to that of the cartulary saint. Finally, the thesis considers how Godiva became a local folk hero, and how this may have preserved her memory long after she would have been forgotten as a saint. It examines her changing role as a symbol of Coventry and of the East Midlands, and ends with the revelation that she may have become a saint after all - albeit of a uniquely secular variety.

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