Thesis (MPhil (Visual Arts. Illustration))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The aim of this thesis is to decode my autobiographic graphic novel, Portrait in Pieces (a narrative of a mother / daughter relationship), utilising a genealogical mode of analysis. This takes place, firstly, through a discussion of the themes of photography, memory and repetition which occur in the graphic novel; secondly, through a consideration of the role of language and difference within a specific mother / daughter relationship; and thirdly, through the study of autobiography and the self as performative entities. In this thesis I interrogate the autobiographic genre in a manner that questions internalised notions of femininity and (patriarchal) cultural constructs, which precede and influence the performance of our ‘life scripts’. I posit Portrait in Pieces as a transitional object between my mother and myself, and language as a medium which can both Otherise and close the distance between us. Translation is the medium by which one reads this distance, turning miscommunication into communication, and misunderstanding into understanding. The illustrations and text constituting the graphic novel have been produced through creative play, representing the ‘post talking’ required for the process of healing, empathising, and taking ownership of one’s ‘life script’.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the genre of dystopian fiction in the graphic novel, V for Vendetta in which a futuristic police state, run by a totalitarian regime is portrayed. Since V for Vendetta draws on a number of other dystopian texts, New Historicist theory is employed which begins its analysis of literary texts by attempting to look at other texts as well as the historical context in which it originated, to aid in the understanding of that text. Therefore, V for Vendetta with its thorough character development and multi-dimensional storyline that the larger format of the graphic novel allows, is studied alongside other highly regarded novels. The characteristics of the nightmarish anti-utopia is identified and analysed in V for Vendetta by looking at real examples of totalitarian regimes from history. The chapters are divided into what I identified as the main themes of the totalitarian dystopia. Chapter one explains the concept of the utopia in order to grasp the concept of dystopia, and more specifically, the Totalitarian dystopia. Chapter two looks at the social structure of V for Vendetta as well as the common Totalitarian dystopia. Chapter three discusses the issue of censorship which is a recurring theme in dystopian fiction. Chapter four examines the manner in which the totalitarian regime manipulates the populace of the dystopia through propaganda. Chapter five discusses the systems of surveillance and lack of privacy in the Totalitarian dystopia and a chapter on the protagonist in dystopia concludes this study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studiestuk word die genre van distopiese fiksie in die grafiese roman, V for Vendetta behandel, wat ’n futuristiese polisiestaat teen die agtergrond van ’n totalitêre staatsbestel uitbeeld. Omdat V for Vendetta by soveel ander distopiese tekste leen, word dit vanuit die teoretiese oogpunt van New Historicism bestudeer, wat in die ontleding van ’n roman ander tekste asook die geskiedkundige konteks van daardie roman ondersoek, ten einde dit beter te begryp. Daarom word V for Vendetta, wat vanweë die grafiese roman se langer formaat wat ruimte skep vir deeglike karakterontwikkeling en ’n veelvlakkige storielyn, as volwaardige roman naas ander hoogaangeskrewe romans behandel. Aan die hand van ware voorbeelde van totalitêre regimes uit die geskiedenis word die eienskappe eie aan ’n nagmerriestaat in V for Vendetta geïdentifiseer en geanaliseer en dit is waardeur ek my laat lei het ten opsigte van die hoofstukindeling. In hoofstuk een word die begrip van utopie eers duidelik gemaak om die distopie, en meer spesifiek die Totalitêre distopie te verstaan. In hoofstuk twee word daar gekyk na die sosiale samestelling en magstruktuur binne V for Vendetta en die Totalitêre distopie in die algemeen. Hoofstuk drie bespreek die kwessie van sensuur - ’n gewilde tema in distopiese fiksie. In hoofstuk vier word ondersoek ingestel na die manier waarop die Totalitêre-distopie die burgery breinspoel deur propaganda. Hoofstuk vyf bespreek die verskynsel van bewaking en die skending van privaatheid in die totaliêre distopie en in die sesde hoofstuk word daar gefokus op die protagonis in die distopie.

本文並不同於孟森等的史家立場，將民國流行的清朝「四大疑案」：太后下嫁、順治出家、雍正奪位與乾隆出身海寧等作為辯駁對象；而是將清末民初記載疑案的筆記野史與長篇歷史演義，作為小說創作的「現象」考察，觀察小說家如何在通俗場域中，「製作」出大眾熱於閱讀，卻不同於史書上的帝王形象。「四大疑案」所涉及的帝王為順治、康熙、雍正、乾隆四帝，當康乾三朝被文人以「盛世」歌頌時，盛世三朝對漢人言論的嚴格箝制，亦讓晚清民國流傳豐富的盛世帝王野史。而民國時期的小說家，不僅作意好奇，處於消費娛樂的語境中，亦融合「小說救國」的風潮，進而形成具「排滿」與「漢族」意識的「演義救國」創作群，在筆墨之間多夾雜華夷之辨、滿漢意識。 本文的研究目的，在於指出民國歷史演義在新小說的影響下，如何從傳統的「演義」文類過渡到「新演義」，形成描寫自清以來的民族「傷心史」；並梳理順治、康熙、雍正、乾隆四帝的野史傳聞，在文人作品如《影梅庵憶語》和《紅樓夢》，以及官方出版的典籍如《大義覺迷錄》和乾隆御製詩的基礎上，匯合清末不同的野史筆記，在多種身分轉化、觀念演變等文學手法中形成富含漢族意識的長篇歷史演義。在順治野史裡，帝王被化作為情出家的「情種」，而董鄂氏作為「天眷」，野史卻將其降格反諷為明遺民冒襄寵妾的「名妓」董小宛；從「天眷—名妓」的女體形塑，可見清朝國體被替換為明代國體的寓言轉換。康熙朝的雍正奪嫡，則將帝王化作武俠，藉由頭顱被割下的復仇敘事與身體政治，將清朝統治正統「大義」藉由「俠義」平反。乾隆皇帝在野史中則多以「漢家皇帝」現身，歷史上奉母南巡的「孝」在言說中質變為對漢家身世的「孝」，而「海寧省親」所啟動的風月故事，亦成為小說家筆下清朝國運轉衰的關鍵。種種身分與觀念的轉變，皆攸關漢人與滿人的矛盾。本文並認為民國相關小說產量豐富，當代作家金庸、高陽、瓊瑤均有所承繼，如不釐清民國小說的本來面目，即容易忽略從晚清至當代，小說創作脈絡中的「民國根源」與「現代路徑」。 / Since the late Qing and early Republican, historians have debated about the four big mysteries of Qing四大奇案, which were popular stories about Qing Dynasty: Empress Xiaozhuang's rumored marriage to Dorgon太后下嫁; Qing Shizu’s entering a monastery順治出家; Qing Shizong’s inheriting the throne雍正奪嫡; and Qinglong as a son of a Han family, the Chens, in Haining乾隆出身海寧陳家. Evinced by many unofficial histories and popular novels, the four big mysteries were well and alive in late Qing society. While historians treat these mysteries as suspicious rumors, this thesis uses the perspectives of collective memory and narrative production in order to examine the ways in which the emperors in these mysteries are in effect fabricated. I contend that the rewritings and literal sequels of high Qing emperors in the four big mysteries were not only products of public entertainment, but they also represented the Han’ s traumatic memory and their ideals of anti-Manchuism, especially as they are correlated with the “new novels” 新小說employed by late Qing intellectuals to aid their pursuit of the national enlightenment in modern China. In the first chapter, I assert that contemporary historical novels of Qing emperors are mostly based on the re-writings since late Qing. In my view, without discovering the “roots” of the late Qing novels readers would be able to misunderstand the “routes” that the contemporary history novels have paved. In the second chapter, I reevaluate the classical genre of Chinese novels: yanyi演義 from early Republican China. During this period, Yanyi connected the thoughts of national enlightenment and “salvation and survival” 救亡圖存 in the “new novel”, giving rise to what I call “new yenyi”新演義, which was apparently different from the original one. In the following chapters, I focus on how the Qing emperors, such as Shunzhi順治, Yongcheng雍正 and Qianlong乾隆, are portrayed to express Ming-Qing transitional dynasty memory and the trauma of Manchu’s political persecution by way of using literary symbols, such as corresponding pattern of “body” and “nation” in literature. In the third chapter, by discussing how the courtesan Dong Xiao-wan, who was married to an adherent of Ming Mao Xiang, was referred to the princess consort Donggo, I argue that the Shunzhi emperor was “adherentized” 遺民化to an adherent of a former dynasty. In the fourth chapter, I examine the ways in which the Yungcheng Emperor, a great monarch of Qing dynasty, is transformed into a despot and peculiarly into a knight-errant, particularly his violent death, in which he was decapitated by the female knight-errant Lü Siniang (Lü’s fourth daughter). In the fictional narrative, the assassination of Yung-cheng (the fourth son of the Qing royal family) by Lü’s fourth daughter leads the readers to contemplate the Qing’s legitimacy and the position of the Han Chinese against the Manchus. Finally, by analyzing the narrative of Qianlong as a son of Han family, instead of Manchu family, I aim to explain the historical cause of Qianlong’s southern tour, namely, filial piety, as he was alternated to a kind of nostalgia for the hometown where he was born.

說唐家將小說包括《說唐後傳》、《說唐三傳》、《反唐演義》與《粉妝樓》四部小說。系列小說前承說唐系列小說，書寫題材由「君王」轉向「家將」，呈現了講史小說發展脈絡本身由「國」而「家」主題更迭的動態移轉過程。又說唐家將小說之題材於史有據，再依民間想像改編創想，承衍脈絡淵遠流長、橫跨古今，其間的家／國想像或合乎正統、或顛覆遊戲，形成官／民、虛／實等等多元對話空間。 論文第二章先討論「前之所承」，梳理小說成書之前，由官方史傳而至民間之平話、詞話、雜劇、傳奇等作品。民間說唱曲藝受官方史傳影響甚深，保持了系列小說國家宏偉敘述的「講史」特色；戲曲搬演深入民間，促成了「離家／榮歸」的情節結構，講史系統與民間戲曲的特色雜揉、交融於小說文本之中，形成說唐家將小說的獨特體質。 論文之第三、第四章進入核心論題，分從「情感關係」與「空間配置」探討小說文本之家／國想像，呼應影響家／國認同之血緣與地緣概念。第三章剖析小說中親子代際、男女性別與敵我陣營關係，發現看似穩固的倫理規範之下，其實隱藏了諸多不盡平靜的衝突與角力。第四章探察系列小說「家、國間遭到架空、戰場空間卻誇張膨脹」的空間配置情形。發現「寒窯」等破碎的家屋意象充斥文本，國朝空間更遭擠壓，只枯澀地擔負故事之間的串場任務；倒是邊境戰場含納各種家、國互動的情感因子，成為民間自掌定義、恣意戲耍的狂歡空間。 第五章再論「後之所衍」，以「個案研究」方式觀察臺灣戒嚴時期由楊麗花領銜主演之電視歌仔戲《薛剛》、二十一世紀初國光劇團創作之新編京劇《新編樊梨花》與本論文寫作當下於東森電視臺上映之電視連續劇《薛仁貴傳奇》三種現代承衍作品，探察系列小說進入現代之後，如何透過情節改編新詮改造家／國想像內涵，使更切合現代人的生命處境，故事持續傳講搬演。 第六章為總結，提出「完成承衍脈絡探討」、「深化家／國想像內涵」與「重估系列小說於小說發展史脈絡中的定位」等三項研究成果。 / The “Novels about family of warriors in Tang dynasty”(說唐家將小說) include “Shou Tang Hou Zhuan”(說唐後傳), ”Shuo Tang San Zhuan”(說唐三傳), “Fan Tang Yian Yi”(反唐演義), “Fen Zhuang Lou”(粉妝樓). Although those novels were combined with folk tales, they were also based on history facts. Thus, there are some opposite views in those novels, such as official vision verses folk culture, reality faces unreality. They inherit the “Novels about Tang dynasty”(說唐系列小說), but the subject matter transforms from the emperor to the family warriors, which reflects the theme transformation flow in history-based-novels. It leaves state and get closer to home. Related texts before the novels have been composed were collated in chapter 2. We can see those stories appeared in folk art “Quyi” (曲藝) were deeply effected by official history story. History vision still remains. At the same time, some Chinese operas have formed the basic structure of these novels, which is “leaving family/ coming home proudly”. Chinese opera and Quyi are two important sources of those novels we referred. Relationship and space arrangement are discussed in chapter 3 and chapter 4 to analyze the imagination of state and of family in the novels. In the study of chapter 3, it seems that conflicts in the novels happen under a stable requirement of ethic. However, code of ethics are shown only in appearance. In chapter 4, we will find out that war spaces are almost overstated, while space of home and state are ignored. Three case studies are put in Chapter 5. They have one thing in common: they are three modern works of art which inherits the series of novels. In Chapter 5, the study focus on how those novels has been revised to adapt nowadays culture. The essay is trying to achieve the following statement from the ” Novels of family warriors in Tang Dynasty”(說唐家將小說): further study to the heritage of tradition Chinese novels; further understanding of the imagination of family and state; revaluate the position of these novels in the history of Chinese traditional novels.

When youth novels were first written, Afrikaans speaking adolescents spent their time reading the original and absorbing youth novels then available. These suited their psychological and environmental development and they could identify with the language and style used in these novels. The contents were a representation of a world which they knew and in which they could feel secure. Although authors often dealt with issues relevant to the adolescent world, the plot reflected a secure and nurturing world where the readers and their life experiences were taken into account. In recent years the adolescent world has changed dramatically from a secure environment to a more exposed one, posing the question whether contemporary Afrikaans youth novels have retained the same traits mentioned earlier and answer to the same norms. The value of literature should never be underestimated; it can develop the imaginative skills and moral values of adolescent readers. Also, it has become clear that adolescents have a great need for reading material that deals with relevant issues. The main focus of this study is characterization and development of identity in selected youth novels by Barrie Hough, viz. My kat word herfs, Vlerkdans and Skilpoppe as revealed in textual analysis and empirical research. The literature study focuses on developmental psychology and the reading expectations of the adolescent, character development according to some narrative theories, e.g. reader response criticism and intertextuality theories. The main objective of this study is to analyze, interpret and evaluate the above three youth novels in order to establish whether or not the contemporary adolescent can identify with these specific stories. It has been found that the adolescent reader in the early years of the twenty first century is able to identify with the contemporary youth novels such as those by Barrie Hough. Although young readers do not want to steer clear of contentious themes and issues in youth novels, it seems that they still prefer evergreen classical topics and themes. This suggests that the modern adolescent is still positive about life and aspires to attain goodness and moral strength. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

The purpose of the essay is to discuss the power narration has over our gender roles. John Fiske and Pierre Bourdieu´s theoretical texts have been used to discuss the connection between power and culture in A.S. Byatt’s novel Possession: A Romance. Possession demonstrates how male academics take part in shaping knowledge about the past and the present from their perspective. Byatt uses allusions to myth and folktales to emphasise both the romance theme of the novel and how the past has formed us and continues to affect us in our relationships and social roles. The novel reveals how women are trapped by cultural myths about women’s roles in society. The female characters’ fates demonstrate the complexity of heterosexual relationships for independent women in a society where women are supposed to be taken care of by men. The roles imposed on women in romance stories in particular can be seen as a reductionist patriarchal view of women. Byatt emphasizes how women who at varying levels do not collaborate with men are punished for their chosen lifestyles and how some, like homosexual women, have been removed or have chosen to remove themselves from society in different ways. Byatt attempts to demythologize social myths concerning women and men by rewriting traditional myths and fairy tales. Still, Possession does not ultimately challenge the importance of the heterosexual relationship or the male and female characters’ gender roles.

À l'aide des tout derniers modèles narratologiques développés entre autres par Ansgar Nünning, nous nous penchons sur l'oeuvre d'Eveline Hasler, une voix phare de la littérature alémanique contemporaine. À partir d’un corpus de six romans, nous examinons de façon systématique sa poétique du roman historique au regard 1) des techniques narratives, 2) de la marginalité de ses personnages en société, 3) de la conception de l’Histoire, 4) de l'image critique qu'elle présente de la Suisse. Il en ressort un portrait très nuancé de l'oeuvre de Hasler, puisqu’elle allie un récit principalement réaliste, plutôt traditionnel, mais aussi inspiré du langage cinématographique, à des passages métahistoriographiques postmodernes, où une narratrice assimilable à l’auteure fait part au « je » de ses réflexions sur l'Histoire. Même si ces brefs passages relativement rares rappellent sans contredit la posture de l’historien, ils s’inscrivent toutefois dans la fiction, laquelle actualise le passé dans la perspective historique d’un lecteur contemporain. De fait, l’œuvre de Hasler se présente comme un jeu habile avec la liberté poétique et le souci de véracité historique, ce à quoi concourt l’imbrication de documents originaux en italique dans le roman. Par ailleurs, la question de la marginalité en société joue un rôle prépondérant chez Hasler, car tous ses personnages principaux sont autant de marginaux, de Außenseiter. Cette problématique montre entre autres les limites de l’Aufklärung, étant donné que ses tenants, les adversaires des marginaux, se targuent le plus souvent d’être motivés par la pensée éclairante pour mieux la pervertir. Il en résulte la mise à l’écart des individus dérangeants — la prétendue sorcière, le géant et les femmes qui remettent en cause l’organisation patriarcale. Or, certains marginaux de Hasler parviennent à s’arracher un espace de liberté dans la marge, au prix de leurs racines helvétiques. Ainsi, ces marginaux peinent à s’inscrire dans l’Histoire dite officielle, ce que Hasler tente de rectifier en leur redonnant une voix. Sur le plan individuel, la plupart d’entre eux expérimentent une évolution circulaire, puisqu’ils ne parviennent pas à sortir de la marge (sauf peut-être Henry Dunant). Cette impression de tourner en rond s’oppose à une conception de l’Histoire humaine qui se déroule en continuum, puisque les exclusions d’hier préfigurent celles d’aujourd’hui. Au-delà de cette mesure humaine du temps, l’horizon temporel de la nature s’inscrit pour sa part dans la permanence. Ainsi, Hasler développe une conception historique qui varie selon des points de vue coexistants. Cet amalgame est le plus souvent marqué par un certain pessimisme, comme le dénote la vie d’Emily Kempin associée au mythe d’Icare. Finalement, tous les acteurs historiques de Hasler appartiennent au contexte helvétique et en présentent une image assez rétrograde, laquelle se dévoile non seulement à travers la fictionnalisation des lieux, mais aussi par des références à trois symboles nationaux : les Alpes, le réduit helvétique et la légende de Guillaume Tell. Hasler fait le procès de ces mythes, associés à la liberté et à la sauvegarde de ce « peuple de bergers », en montrant que la Suisse n’apporte pas de solution originale aux défis de l’Occident. / The work of Eveline Hasler, who stands as a leading influence in contemporary Swiss-German literature, is examined through the latest narratological models, among which Ansgar Nünning’s. Through a corpus of six novels, a systematic analysis of Hasler’s poetics of the historical novel is undergone on the basis of 1) the narrative techniques, 2) the marginality of the characters in society, 3) the perception of History, 4) the critical views of Switzerland that are brought forth. From the analysis emerges a nuanced portrait of Hasler’s work, principally due to the fact that the author combines a rather traditional realistic narrative – at times inspired from a cinematographic language – with metahistoriographic passages, where the narrator offers her own reflections on History using “I”. Although these few brief passages suggest a resolutely historian position, they nonetheless pertain to fiction and the past is revitalised into present for the contemporary reader’s historical perspective. Hasler’s work thus brings together a skilful mixture of poetic liberty and care of historical veracity, the latter being compounded by the insertions in the novel of original texts in italic character. Furthermore, the issue of the marginality in society plays a leading role in Hasler’s work. In essence, her main characters are all outsiders, Außenseiter. This issue highlights the limits of the Aufklärung in that its tenants, the outsiders’ opponents, most often claim to be led by the Enlightenment, but only to pervert it even more. From this results the exclusion of those unwanted individuals: the so-called witch, the giants and the women who question the patriarchal organisation. Yet, some of Hasler’s outsiders succeed in finding a piece of freedom at the edge of society, however not without paying it to the price of their Helvetian roots. Hasler therefore aims to rectify History by giving their voice back to the outsiders. Most of them evolve only in circular fashion, individually speaking, since they never actually set foot outside the margin (except maybe Henry Dunant). The impression of going round and round opposes the linear continuum of human History, which is the result of yesterday’s exclusions foreshadowing those of today. Beyond this measure of time however, Hasler develops a conception of History that varies with the co-existing points of view. This association is more often than not imbued with pessimism, as in the case of Emily Kempin’s life and its association to the myth of Icarus. To conclude, Hasler portrays a rather retrograde Helvetian background in which the historical actors evolve. This is done not only through the fictionalization of locations, but also through references to three Helvetian symbols: the Alps, the national redoubt and the legend of William Tell. These myths, which evoke the maintenance of freedom and the protection of the “shepherds’ nation”, are brought into trial by Hasler, who proves that Switzerland does not in fact bring any fresh solutions to the challenges faced by the Occident. / Ziel der vorliegenden Doktorarbeit ist es, Eveline Haslers Poetik des historischen Romans unter den folgenden vier Relevanzkriterien zu untersuchen: 1) Erzählverfahren, 2) Außenseitertum und Gesellschaft, 3) Geschichtsbild und 4) Bild der Schweiz zwischen Mythos und Realität. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein Korpus von sechs Romanen anhand der neuesten narratologischen Modelle systematisch erläutert, welche u. a. von Ansgar Nünning weiterentwickelt oder neu untersucht wurden. Aus dieser Forschung geht hervor, dass Hasler eine besondere Rolle in der Gattungsgeschichte spielt. Denn sie verbindet eine meist realistische Schreibweise, die ab und zu von Kinoverfahren inspiriert ist, mit metahistoriographischen Passagen. In diesen Passagen kommt eine Ich-Erzählerin vor, die eine Verbindung zur Gegenwart herstellt und insofern den gegenwärtigen Leser in die Fiktion einbezieht. Obwohl diese eher seltenen Passagen an die Arbeitsmethoden des Historikers erinnern, gehören sie zur Fiktion. Haslers Romane erweisen sich als ein geschicktes Spiel mit poetischer Freiheit und historischer Wahrheit, worauf die Originaldokumente hinweisen, die kursiv in die Romane eingefügt sind. Außerdem zeigt das Außenseitertum, das Haslers Werk wie ein roter Faden durchzieht, die Grenze des aufklärerischen Denkens. Denn die meisten Gegner der sogenannten Außenseiter treten als überzeugte Anhänger der Aufklärung in Erscheinung, hinter der sie sich verstecken, um sie zu pervertieren. Trotz alledem gelingt es einigen Außenseitern, sich einen Freiheitsraum am Rande der Gesellschaft zu schaffen, jedoch nur, wenn sie bereit sind, auf den größten Teil ihrer Identität zu verzichten. Infolge ihrer sozialen Ausgrenzung wird diesen Figuren ein angemessener Platz in der Geschichte verweigert. Hasler möchte das ändern und verleiht den Außenseitern eine Stimme, um so die „offizielle“ Geschichtsschreibung zu berichtigen. Insofern versucht sie, die sogenannte offizelle Geschichtsschreibung zu berichtigen. Doch bekommt das Geschichtsbild in ihren Romanen drei Formen: eine individuelle, eine gesamtmenschliche und eine naturgebundene. Die Protagonisten sehen sich ihrerseits mit einem Kreislauf konfrontiert, denn es gelingt ihnen nicht, sich aus den sozial vorgeschriebenen Bahnen des Andersseins zu befreien. Andererseits folgt die Menschheitsgeschichte einem Kontinuum, indem die Ausgrenzungen von gestern die Gegenwart erklären. Aus ihrer ahistorischen Zeit leidet die Natur unter der unaufhaltsamen Gier des Menschen nach Reichtum. Insofern resultiert das allgemeine Geschichtsbild im Roman aus drei Perspektiven, die alle durch einen gewissen Pessimismus geprägt sind, wie das Leben von Emily Kempin es andeutet, da diese mit dem Mythos des Ikarus verglichen wird. Da alle Figuren Haslers in einen schweizerischen Kontext gehören, stellt sich zum Schluss ein kritisches Bild der Schweiz heraus, denn laut den Romanen scheut sich dieses Land vor neuen Ideen. Dieses Bild entsteht nicht nur durch die Raumsemantik, sondern auch durch die Darstellung dreier Nationalsymbole: die Alpen, das Schweizer Reduit und die Wilhelm Tell Legende. Indem sie diese Freiheitsmythen kritisiert, deutet Hasler darauf hin, dass es der Schweiz nicht besser als den anderen westlichen Ländern gelingt, eine Lösung für die Probleme des Okzidents zu finden.

This study is an examination of the hypothesis that selected contemporary American novels offer vivid illustrations of modern problems and practices of management as seen in business and industry. Too often, university management courses treat management processes as isolated cases in limited and static settings. Novelists, on the other hand, treat these same processes in a broader context and often deal quite subtly and perceptively with everything from the mammoth corporation to the single proprietorship. Students proposing to become businessmen, therefore, should benefit from this novelistic perspective so frequently overlooked.

The dissertation traces the trope of the incomplete character in four twentieth-century cosmopolitan novels that reflect European colonialism in a global context. I argue that, by creating characters sharply aware of the insufficiency of the Self and thus constantly seeking the constitutive participation of the Other, the four authors E. M. Forster, Samuel Beckett, J. M. Coetzee, and Congwen Shen all dramatize the incomplete character as an agent of postcolonial resistance to Western humanism that, tending to enforce the divide between the Self and the Other, provided the epistemological basis for the emergence of European colonialism. For example, Fielding's good-willed aspiration to forge cross-cultural friendship in A Passage to India; Murphy's dogged search for recognition of his Irish identity in Murphy; Susan's unfailing compassion to restore Friday's lost speech in Foe; and Changshun Teng, the Chinese orange-grower's warm-hearted generosity toward his customers in Long River--all these textual occasions dramatize the incomplete character's anxiety over the Other's rejection that will impair the fullness of his or her being, rendering it solitary and empty. I relate this anxiety to the theory of "posthumanism" advanced by such thinkers as Marx, Bakhtin, Sartre, and Lacan; in their texts the humanist view of the individual as an autonomous constitution has undergone a transformation marked by the emphasis on locating selfhood not in the insular and static Self but in the mutable middle space connecting the Self and the Other.

In this study of several novels each by Barbara Pym, Fay Weldon, and Margaret Atwood, I focus on two areas: the ways in which female protagonists break out of their victimization by individuals, by institutions, and by cultural tradition, and the ways in which each author uses a structural pattern in her novels to propel her characters to solve their dilemmas to the best of their abilities and according to each woman's personality and strengths.