Beckett celebrates the solidity of selfhood and relation in his erosive texts against the grain. In light of this, this dissertation sets out with the intention to salvage the grains lost by Beckett¡¥s elliptic style with a focus on the device of inversion. In Three Novels, this device is employed to deal with world cultures, Irish landscapes and the looming relations, adumbrating a selfhood enriched by these select fragments. Also, the volatile self performs rites of rebirth with a voice as witness. Under the voice¡¥s narration and an un-specified hearing body, two births, one problematic the other immaculate, are at narthex: the former fading out the latter in. Thus, a selfhood is in transition. In Nohow On, a phosphorescent relation between one¡¥s plural selves and concerned others and between the artist and art denotes Beckett¡¥s ideas of relation to be interpersonal, aesthetical but inchoate. In an effort to explore the scale of inversion in the two trilogies, five aspects of Beckett are highlighted. First, his self-searching by fusing cultural elites and the distinct I into the voice of ¢wnot-I¡ü delivers an oracle about the everlasting soul rather than the ephemeral individual. Second, a kinetic I that acts against time, space and the superficial self indicates a dynamic and vigorous selfhood. Third, many incompatible things are juxtaposed and displaying their mutuality. By their examples, a new occasion and a new term of relation have been introduced. Fourth, aisling, an ancient Irish genre, characterizes Ill Seen Ill Said. It niches a deformed yet beloved hag and helps dissolve Beckett¡¥s trouble with May Beckett, to whom he is, simultaneously, son and lover. Last and not the least, a solipsistic Beckett negotiates the haunting others with virtuosities. His creative managements make others shine like stars in the artist¡¥s cosmos. Not until this constellational allocation of himself and his dear ones does Beckett¡¥s selfhood appear to be in plenum and cornucopia. Together, these five facets feature our author¡¥s triumph over the besieging void. Confronting the void, which Schopenhauer warns against yet Beckett embraces full-heartedly, becomes an opportunity to relate men, art and humor. While deploying selfhood and relation as the double agent to expose the very least things and persons he can¡¥t be without, Beckett accomplishes another task as well. Namely, he tames the void and makes it glow simultaneously. This ploy verifies Beckett¡¥s vow that an art, if not also the self, well done is a consecration to the void. For his capacities to contract laughter despite woes and his determination to have fun despite despair, our author that scrutinizes selfhood and relation with unblinking eyes is rhapsodic all in all.

This thesis is a study of social mobility in Thomas Hardy's novels based on The Return of the Native, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Using the influence of family background, education and social injustice, it discusses the identity crisis that arises from an individual's rapid social mobility. The study also shows how the obstacles and the inner conflicts that the novelist himself encounters in his own process of moving upward socially, are transformed into parts or fragments of his novels, imbuing them with highly autobiographical elements. The introduction discusses the roles that the Industrial Revolution and other occurrences in history played in creating social mobility at the time and the roles that family background, education, personal temperament, and social injustice played in inhibiting it. Particular attention is paid to how the individuals, particularly those from the lower classes, are stopped from moving upward completely and what conflicts in self-identity are created in their struggles. Chapter one discusses The Return of the Native, focusing on the dilemma arising from the discrepancy between the expectations of oneself and others in social mobility. Chapter two discusses Tess of the d'Urbervilles, focusing on the idea that family background and education can lead to social displacement and alienation in a mobile society. Chapter three discusses Jude the Obscure, focusing on how disillusion with one's own life and goals caused by one's own family background and negative temperament as well as social injustice can sabotage one'

This study seeks to unravel the intricate connection between a selection of graphic novels, the moments in which they were created, and the process of weaving an Italian cultural history. It analyzes graphic novels and comics from three periods in Italian contemporary history – 1968, 1977 and 2001 – and asks how the hybrid image-text language of graphic novels might provide a unique insight into the relationship between the individual and history in contemporary Italy. More specifically, it looks at how the comic medium not only reflects or represents historical events, but effectively re-writes and re-traces them, allowing us to re-think History. Ultimately, this work reveals how the graphic novel medium has been used as an instrument in the process of weaving an Italian cultural history since 1968. Comics not only reflect the time in which they are created, either explicitly or implicitly, but also work as cultural agents in the formation and re-telling of history. Whether they attempt to speak to and for a generation seeking change and a new reality of freedom, are a means of aggressive socio- political criticism in a moment of apathy and disillusion, or a space to reflect on and work through personal and historical trauma, graphic novels are shaped by, and help to shape, our vision of ourselves and our society. / Romance Languages and Literatures

The Middle Age Period in Eight Juvenile Novels. This study investigates how the Middle Age is presented in literature for youths. I have taking four questions into consideration: How are the different groups or class in the Middle Age society are presented in terms of their housing, clothing, work assignments and leisure activities? What work assignments, leisure activities did children had and their relationship to adults? How was the religious life of monks, nuns and of the people in general? How are the people in the Middle Age described? The study focuses on youth literature written by Swedish authors. Eight books were read and compared. The results of this study shows that there were four kinds of housing during the Middle Age period: housing in cities or villages, housing on the country side and farms, housing in fortresses and housing in monasteries. The difference between housing conditions of the rich and the poor is that the rich could afford bigger houses, fancier building materials and interial details. Most of the garments were worn by both men and women in all the society classes. The biggest difference in the people´s clothing was the one between the rich and poor. The clothes of the rich were made in the fancier materials silk and velvet. Their clothes also had more ornaments. The work assignment between women in the different society groups differs less than the work assignments between men in the different society groups. Children most often took over their parents work. The leisure activities for children were about the same between the society groups. The relation between adults and children was strainous and the children were totally submissive to the adults. The religious life of the people consisted of actions done daily, weekly, annually and once in a life time. There were also actions that were done once in a while. Monks and nuns religious life was different from the rest of the people. They dedicated their lives to prayer and singing for God, and also to assist their fellowmen. The most common description of the people in the Middle Age period is that they did and thought things that were typical for that time period in question and that can seem strange for today`s readers.

The exegesis accompanies a thesis, the latter being the portfolio of work consisting of two parts, each being a completed first draft of a novel written during the Masters of Creative Writing course: Part 1: ‘Sandcastles’ - a 'closed' text novel Part 2: ‘The Postmodern Rules For Family Living’ - an 'open' text novel These two works are separately bound with a thesis cover sheet and numbered. They are embargoed until 30 June 2011. The exegesis covers the writer’s motivation for writing these works, reflections on the course of development and changes in thinking that occurred during research and the act of writing. It shows the changing perspectives of the writer’s two thesis works in context and in contra-distinction to each other. It includes the writer’s academic and creative goals as they developed and the result achieved in terms of those goals. It highlights the writer’s developing interest in literary theory including suggesting an ephemeral adjunct to Reader-Response theory which is described as 'Collapse'. It shows the development of the writer’s deep interest in reality in fiction versus the lie in fiction and in the differences between writing and reading a creative work produced primarily for entertainment versus work of a literary nature, identifying some of the differences in features the writer has perceived.

The exegesis accompanies a thesis, the latter being the portfolio of work consisting of two parts, each being a completed first draft of a novel written during the Masters of Creative Writing course: Part 1: ‘Sandcastles’ - a 'closed' text novel Part 2: ‘The Postmodern Rules For Family Living’ - an 'open' text novel These two works are separately bound with a thesis cover sheet and numbered. They are embargoed until 30 June 2011. The exegesis covers the writer’s motivation for writing these works, reflections on the course of development and changes in thinking that occurred during research and the act of writing. It shows the changing perspectives of the writer’s two thesis works in context and in contra-distinction to each other. It includes the writer’s academic and creative goals as they developed and the result achieved in terms of those goals. It highlights the writer’s developing interest in literary theory including suggesting an ephemeral adjunct to Reader-Response theory which is described as 'Collapse'. It shows the development of the writer’s deep interest in reality in fiction versus the lie in fiction and in the differences between writing and reading a creative work produced primarily for entertainment versus work of a literary nature, identifying some of the differences in features the writer has perceived.

Dissertation (BA (Hons)--Bachelor of Art and Design) -- AUT University, 2005. / Print copy accompanied by CD. Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (99 p. : col. ill. ; 20 cm. + CD (3 in.)) in City Campus Theses Collection (T 707 WIL)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-267).

Thesis (M.A. in English) -- University of Dayton. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed 06/23/10). Advisor: James Boehnlein. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-46). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Oct. 6, 2006). PDF text:190 p. ; 8.76Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3213860. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm, microfiche and paper format.