《心城》描寫主角馬修的邂逅戀情和著墨他平日對倫敦市景的冥想。兼具建築師專業和都市行人特質使他更能洞察倫敦，而其城市冥想和四位時代的敘述者交替更迭，《心城》編織出層層刮覆式和萬花筒般視界。若簡化看待交錯的今昔倫敦時空，《心城》不是被視為情節貧乏空有冥想，就是被冠上賴芙莉以往作品中貫有特色的印記─即強調歷史和記憶。因此本論文企圖利用馬修的城市經驗來重新檢視《心城》，並漸次引申城市論述中互為錯綜的三面向：現代性、空間和心靈。 本論文第一章說明賴芙莉的研究價值和生平、摘要小說、回顧評論，和闡述如何以城市經驗的三面向為研究重心。第二章探討《心城》的現代性面向，馬修扮演和修飾波特萊爾型和班雅明式的漫遊者(the flâneur)，以簡克斯提出的「步行方法論者」(walking methodologist)強化馬修和現代性的聯繫。第三章探討《心城》的空間面向，以傅柯的「異質空間」(heterotopias)和列斐伏爾的「空間生產」(production of space)討論馬修的空間經驗，而《心城》不僅是倫敦的城市文本並呈現特殊「時空壓縮」(time-space compression)型態的空間文本。第四章探討《心城》的心靈面向，以齊莫爾提出的「神經刺激的強化」(intensification of nervous stimulation)和班雅明對現代都市反省出的「震驚」(shock) 和「憂鬱」(melancholy)輔助論述城市和馬修的心靈互動，並指出馬修的心理狀態與四位倫敦歷史人物亦互相映照。希冀透過檢視《心城》能從中反省文學作品中的城市形象和城市經驗。 / City of the Mind (hereinafter CM), Penelope Lively's ninth novel (1991), is about Matthew Halland's budding love story and his meditation on London. As an erudite walking architect, Matthew gives a portrait of a metropolis. Due to the textured images of the cityscape, his narration is periodically punctuated with the episodes of four different historical figures. Lively builds up a palimpsest and kaleidoscopic web where time and space collide. However, most book reviews and scholar critics either regard CM as a novel with a thin plot or think of it as a repeat of Lively's consistent concern, the operation of memory and history. I think otherwise. Since CM is a book about the city of London, Matthew's urban experience braids together from modernity displayed by walkabouts, the production of urban space, and a metropolitan mind. The first chapter clarifies the scholarly value of the Lively study, marks the influence of her unusual childhood in WWII Egypt, gives a summary of CM in a palimpsest and kaleidoscopic vision, discusses previous approaches to CM, and points out the scaffoldings for a troika of my study—modernity, space, and mind. In Chapter Two, I first explain the Baudelairean poetic flâneur and the Benjaminian Marxist flâneur, and support Chris Jenks's walking methodologist or the flâneur in the (post)modern city with which Matthew modifies the flâneur and revisits modernity or contemporaneity. In Chapter Three, I notice Matthew-as-architect walker with a flair for the spatiality of the urban spectacle. The influence of space piques Matthew to experience Michel Foucault's “heterotopias” and Henri Lefebvre's “production of space.” Because space and time are not mutually exclusive, I propose a concept of time-space compression with which CM as a spatial text represents a particular sort of urban space. In Chapter Four, as the book title suggests, I explore how the city sophisticates mental life. I take Georg Simmel's “intensification of nervous stimulation” and Walter Benjamin's “shock” and “melancholy” to describe how a metropolitan mind like Matthew's subtly interacts with a metropolis. Especially, four different historical figures resonating in London are counterparts of Matthew's psyche. A final concluding chapter emphasizes that the trio of my study on CM reflect upon urban representations and upon metaphors and metamorphosis in city fiction.

A presente pesquisa, denominada “A filha de Icário, Penélope bem-ajuizada: métis e kléos da rainha tecelã de Homero”, pretende averiguar de que maneira Penélope, personagem do épico homérico Odisseia, utiliza-se da tecelagem para articular sua astúcia e, assim, alcançar fama em sua comunidade. Considera-se Penélope como um paradigma, com o intento de realizar uma análise sobre as diferentes representações do feminino manifestas na Odisseia, de modo a refletir sobre possíveis correspondências entre a filha de Icário e demais personagens femininas retratadas na epopeia com os princípios formadores de comportamentos e práticas sociais relativas às mulheres gregas do século VIII a.C. Assume-se a prerrogativa de que a tecelagem de Penélope, ao ser efetuada com inteligência astuciosa, permite-lhe obter mais do que um tecido, na medida em que contribui para a propagação de sua fama. Reconhecendo o prestígio conferido pelos gregos aos poemas homéricos, ao privilegiarem-se os aportes teóricos do imaginário e da representação, torna-se possível verificar como Penélope e as demais personagens da Odisseia, concomitantemente, inspiravam e expressavam os principais atributos das mulheres gregas do explanado período histórico. / This research, named “Icarius’ daughter, well-behaved Penelope: métis and kléos of Homer’s weaver queen”, intends to verify how Penelope, the epic character of Homer’s Odyssey, makes use of weaving in order to articulate her craftiness and reach fame in her community. Penelope is considered a paradigm, so as to analyze the different representations of the feminine manifest in Odyssey. This is aimed in order to reflect on possible correspondences between Icarius’ daughter and the other feminine characters portrayed in the epic, with the principles that shape the behavior and social practices related to Greek women of the 8th century BC. The prerogative assumed is that Penelope’s weaving, by being made with cunning intelligence, allows her to obtain more than fabric and contributes to the propagation of her fame. Acknowledging the prestige conferred to Homeric poems by the Greeks, giving priority to theoretical approaches of the imaginary and representation, it is possible to verify how Penelope and the other characters in Odyssey, concomitantly inspired and expressed the main attributes of the Greek women of the referred historical period.

A presente pesquisa, denominada “A filha de Icário, Penélope bem-ajuizada: métis e kléos da rainha tecelã de Homero”, pretende averiguar de que maneira Penélope, personagem do épico homérico Odisseia, utiliza-se da tecelagem para articular sua astúcia e, assim, alcançar fama em sua comunidade. Considera-se Penélope como um paradigma, com o intento de realizar uma análise sobre as diferentes representações do feminino manifestas na Odisseia, de modo a refletir sobre possíveis correspondências entre a filha de Icário e demais personagens femininas retratadas na epopeia com os princípios formadores de comportamentos e práticas sociais relativas às mulheres gregas do século VIII a.C. Assume-se a prerrogativa de que a tecelagem de Penélope, ao ser efetuada com inteligência astuciosa, permite-lhe obter mais do que um tecido, na medida em que contribui para a propagação de sua fama. Reconhecendo o prestígio conferido pelos gregos aos poemas homéricos, ao privilegiarem-se os aportes teóricos do imaginário e da representação, torna-se possível verificar como Penélope e as demais personagens da Odisseia, concomitantemente, inspiravam e expressavam os principais atributos das mulheres gregas do explanado período histórico. / This research, named “Icarius’ daughter, well-behaved Penelope: métis and kléos of Homer’s weaver queen”, intends to verify how Penelope, the epic character of Homer’s Odyssey, makes use of weaving in order to articulate her craftiness and reach fame in her community. Penelope is considered a paradigm, so as to analyze the different representations of the feminine manifest in Odyssey. This is aimed in order to reflect on possible correspondences between Icarius’ daughter and the other feminine characters portrayed in the epic, with the principles that shape the behavior and social practices related to Greek women of the 8th century BC. The prerogative assumed is that Penelope’s weaving, by being made with cunning intelligence, allows her to obtain more than fabric and contributes to the propagation of her fame. Acknowledging the prestige conferred to Homeric poems by the Greeks, giving priority to theoretical approaches of the imaginary and representation, it is possible to verify how Penelope and the other characters in Odyssey, concomitantly inspired and expressed the main attributes of the Greek women of the referred historical period.

The ultrashort chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser technology opens the path to high intensities of 10^21 W/cm² and above in the laser focus. Such intensities allow laser-matter interaction in the relativistic intensity regime. Direct diode-pumped ultrashort solid-state lasers combine high-energy, high-power and efficient amplification together, which are the main advantages compared to flashlamp-pumped high-energy laser systems based on titanium-doped sapphire. Development within recent years in the field of laser diodes makes them more and more attractive in terms of total costs, compactness and lifetime. This work is dedicated to the Petawatt, ENergy-Efficient Laser for Optical Plasma Experiments (PENELOPE) project, a fully and directly diode-pumped laser system under development at the Helmholtz–Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf (HZDR), aiming at 150 fs long pulses with energies of up to 150 J at repetition rates of up to 1 Hz. The focus of this thesis lies on the spectral and width manipulation of the front-end amplifiers, trivalent ytterbium-doped calcium fluoride (Yb3+:CaF2) as gain material as well as the pump source for the final two main amplifiers of the PENELOPE laser system. Here, all crucial design parameters were investigated and a further successful scaling of the laser system to its target values was shown. Gain narrowing is the dominant process for spectral bandwidth reduction during the amplification at the high-gain front-end amplifiers. Active or passive spectral gain control filter can be used to counteract this effect. A pulse duration of 121 fs was achieved by using a passive spectral attenuation inside a regenerative amplifier, which corresponds to an improvement by a factor of almost 2 compared to the start of this work. A proof-of-concept experiment showed the capability of the pre-shaping approach. A spectral bandwidth of 20nm was transferred through the first multipass amplifier at a total gain of 300. Finally, the predicted output spectrum calculated by a numerical model of the final amplifier stages was in a good agreement with the experimental results. The spectroscopic properties of Yb3+:CaF2 matches the constraints for ultrashort laser pulse amplification and direct diode pumping. Pumping close to the zero phonon line at 976nm is preferable compared to 940nm as the pump intensity saturation is significantly lower. A broad gain cross section of up to 50nm is achievable for typical inversion levels. Furthermore, moderate cryogenic temperatures (above 200K) can be used to improve the amplification performance of Yb3+:CaF2. The optical quality of the doped crystals currently available on the market is sufficient to build amplifiers in the hundred joule range. The designed pump source for the last two amplifiers is based on two side pumping in a double pass configuration. However, this concept requires the necessity of brightness conservation for the installed laser diodes. Therefore, a fully relay imaging setup (4f optical system) along the optical path from the stacks to the gain material including the global beam homogenization was developed in a novel approach. Beside these major parts the amplifier architecture and relay imaging telescopes as well as temporal intensity contrast (TIC) was investigated. An all reflective concept for the relay imaging amplifiers and telescopes was selected, which results in several advantages especially an achromatic behavior and low B-Integral. The TIC of the front-end was improved, as the pre- and postpulses due to the plane-parallel active-mirror was eliminated by wedging the gain medium.

The ultrashort chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser technology opens the path to high intensities of 10^21 W/cm² and above in the laser focus. Such intensities allow laser-matter interaction in the relativistic intensity regime. Direct diode-pumped ultrashort solid-state lasers combine high-energy, high-power and efficient amplification together, which are the main advantages compared to flashlamp-pumped high-energy laser systems based on titanium-doped sapphire. Development within recent years in the field of laser diodes makes them more and more attractive in terms of total costs, compactness and lifetime. This work is dedicated to the Petawatt, ENergy-Efficient Laser for Optical Plasma Experiments (PENELOPE) project, a fully and directly diode-pumped laser system under development at the Helmholtz–Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf (HZDR), aiming at 150 fs long pulses with energies of up to 150 J at repetition rates of up to 1 Hz. The focus of this thesis lies on the spectral and width manipulation of the front-end amplifiers, trivalent ytterbium-doped calcium fluoride (Yb3+:CaF2) as gain material as well as the pump source for the final two main amplifiers of the PENELOPE laser system. Here, all crucial design parameters were investigated and a further successful scaling of the laser system to its target values was shown. Gain narrowing is the dominant process for spectral bandwidth reduction during the amplification at the high-gain front-end amplifiers. Active or passive spectral gain control filter can be used to counteract this effect. A pulse duration of 121 fs was achieved by using a passive spectral attenuation inside a regenerative amplifier, which corresponds to an improvement by a factor of almost 2 compared to the start of this work. A proof-of-concept experiment showed the capability of the pre-shaping approach. A spectral bandwidth of 20nm was transferred through the first multipass amplifier at a total gain of 300. Finally, the predicted output spectrum calculated by a numerical model of the final amplifier stages was in a good agreement with the experimental results. The spectroscopic properties of Yb3+:CaF2 matches the constraints for ultrashort laser pulse amplification and direct diode pumping. Pumping close to the zero phonon line at 976nm is preferable compared to 940nm as the pump intensity saturation is significantly lower. A broad gain cross section of up to 50nm is achievable for typical inversion levels. Furthermore, moderate cryogenic temperatures (above 200K) can be used to improve the amplification performance of Yb3+:CaF2. The optical quality of the doped crystals currently available on the market is sufficient to build amplifiers in the hundred joule range. The designed pump source for the last two amplifiers is based on two side pumping in a double pass configuration. However, this concept requires the necessity of brightness conservation for the installed laser diodes. Therefore, a fully relay imaging setup (4f optical system) along the optical path from the stacks to the gain material including the global beam homogenization was developed in a novel approach. Beside these major parts the amplifier architecture and relay imaging telescopes as well as temporal intensity contrast (TIC) was investigated. An all reflective concept for the relay imaging amplifiers and telescopes was selected, which results in several advantages especially an achromatic behavior and low B-Integral. The TIC of the front-end was improved, as the pre- and postpulses due to the plane-parallel active-mirror was eliminated by wedging the gain medium.

The ultrashort chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser technology opens the path to high intensities of 10^21 W/cm² and above in the laser focus. Such intensities allow laser-matter interaction in the relativistic intensity regime. Direct diode-pumped ultrashort solid-state lasers combine high-energy, high-power and efficient amplification together, which are the main advantages compared to flashlamp-pumped high-energy laser systems based on titanium-doped sapphire. Development within recent years in the field of laser diodes makes them more and more attractive in terms of total costs, compactness and lifetime. This work is dedicated to the Petawatt, ENergy-Efficient Laser for Optical Plasma Experiments (PENELOPE) project, a fully and directly diode-pumped laser system under development at the Helmholtz–Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf (HZDR), aiming at 150 fs long pulses with energies of up to 150 J at repetition rates of up to 1 Hz. The focus of this thesis lies on the spectral and width manipulation of the front-end amplifiers, trivalent ytterbium-doped calcium fluoride (Yb3+:CaF2) as gain material as well as the pump source for the final two main amplifiers of the PENELOPE laser system. Here, all crucial design parameters were investigated and a further successful scaling of the laser system to its target values was shown. Gain narrowing is the dominant process for spectral bandwidth reduction during the amplification at the high-gain front-end amplifiers. Active or passive spectral gain control filter can be used to counteract this effect. A pulse duration of 121 fs was achieved by using a passive spectral attenuation inside a regenerative amplifier, which corresponds to an improvement by a factor of almost 2 compared to the start of this work. A proof-of-concept experiment showed the capability of the pre-shaping approach. A spectral bandwidth of 20nm was transferred through the first multipass amplifier at a total gain of 300. Finally, the predicted output spectrum calculated by a numerical model of the final amplifier stages was in a good agreement with the experimental results. The spectroscopic properties of Yb3+:CaF2 matches the constraints for ultrashort laser pulse amplification and direct diode pumping. Pumping close to the zero phonon line at 976nm is preferable compared to 940nm as the pump intensity saturation is significantly lower. A broad gain cross section of up to 50nm is achievable for typical inversion levels. Furthermore, moderate cryogenic temperatures (above 200K) can be used to improve the amplification performance of Yb3+:CaF2. The optical quality of the doped crystals currently available on the market is sufficient to build amplifiers in the hundred joule range. The designed pump source for the last two amplifiers is based on two side pumping in a double pass configuration. However, this concept requires the necessity of brightness conservation for the installed laser diodes. Therefore, a fully relay imaging setup (4f optical system) along the optical path from the stacks to the gain material including the global beam homogenization was developed in a novel approach. Beside these major parts the amplifier architecture and relay imaging telescopes as well as temporal intensity contrast (TIC) was investigated. An all reflective concept for the relay imaging amplifiers and telescopes was selected, which results in several advantages especially an achromatic behavior and low B-Integral. The TIC of the front-end was improved, as the pre- and postpulses due to the plane-parallel active-mirror was eliminated by wedging the gain medium.

The ultrashort chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser technology opens the path to high intensities of 10^21 W/cm² and above in the laser focus. Such intensities allow laser-matter interaction in the relativistic intensity regime. Direct diode-pumped ultrashort solid-state lasers combine high-energy, high-power and efficient amplification together, which are the main advantages compared to flashlamp-pumped high-energy laser systems based on titanium-doped sapphire. Development within recent years in the field of laser diodes makes them more and more attractive in terms of total costs, compactness and lifetime. This work is dedicated to the Petawatt, ENergy-Efficient Laser for Optical Plasma Experiments (PENELOPE) project, a fully and directly diode-pumped laser system under development at the Helmholtz–Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf (HZDR), aiming at 150 fs long pulses with energies of up to 150 J at repetition rates of up to 1 Hz. The focus of this thesis lies on the spectral and width manipulation of the front-end amplifiers, trivalent ytterbium-doped calcium fluoride (Yb3+:CaF2) as gain material as well as the pump source for the final two main amplifiers of the PENELOPE laser system. Here, all crucial design parameters were investigated and a further successful scaling of the laser system to its target values was shown. Gain narrowing is the dominant process for spectral bandwidth reduction during the amplification at the high-gain front-end amplifiers. Active or passive spectral gain control filter can be used to counteract this effect. A pulse duration of 121 fs was achieved by using a passive spectral attenuation inside a regenerative amplifier, which corresponds to an improvement by a factor of almost 2 compared to the start of this work. A proof-of-concept experiment showed the capability of the pre-shaping approach. A spectral bandwidth of 20nm was transferred through the first multipass amplifier at a total gain of 300. Finally, the predicted output spectrum calculated by a numerical model of the final amplifier stages was in a good agreement with the experimental results. The spectroscopic properties of Yb3+:CaF2 matches the constraints for ultrashort laser pulse amplification and direct diode pumping. Pumping close to the zero phonon line at 976nm is preferable compared to 940nm as the pump intensity saturation is significantly lower. A broad gain cross section of up to 50nm is achievable for typical inversion levels. Furthermore, moderate cryogenic temperatures (above 200K) can be used to improve the amplification performance of Yb3+:CaF2. The optical quality of the doped crystals currently available on the market is sufficient to build amplifiers in the hundred joule range. The designed pump source for the last two amplifiers is based on two side pumping in a double pass configuration. However, this concept requires the necessity of brightness conservation for the installed laser diodes. Therefore, a fully relay imaging setup (4f optical system) along the optical path from the stacks to the gain material including the global beam homogenization was developed in a novel approach. Beside these major parts the amplifier architecture and relay imaging telescopes as well as temporal intensity contrast (TIC) was investigated. An all reflective concept for the relay imaging amplifiers and telescopes was selected, which results in several advantages especially an achromatic behavior and low B-Integral. The TIC of the front-end was improved, as the pre- and postpulses due to the plane-parallel active-mirror was eliminated by wedging the gain medium.

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The title of this thesis 'South African History Painting : Reinterpretation By Women Artists' indicated that the focus was to be on South African history painting. As the research progressed, however, it became apparent that the initial title did not encompass a broad enough spectrum. Therefore a more suitable title for this dissertation is 'A Visual Reinterpretation Of Aspects Of South African History By Women Artists: Penelope Siopis and Philippa Skotnes'. It is the intention of this dissertation to examine the way in which two contemporary South African women artists namely, Penelope Siopis (1953-) and Philippa Skotnes (1957) visually challenge in their paintings and prints respectively the conventional depictions of recorded South African history. Poststructuralism, deconstruction, new historicism and Postmodernism are among the theoretical currents upon which this research is based. It is from a Postmodern standpoint that selected works by Siopis and Skotnes will be analysed. The intention of this analysis is to examine their attempts to access the Postcolonial condition in South Africa through their visual presentations. The work of Siopis and Skotnes reflectects an interest in Postcoloniality. Furthernore, their visual imagery addresses questions of culture and power in South African visual representation. Works such as those created by Siopis and Skotnes can be seen as uncovering some of the contradictions within the process of decolonization. Nederveen, Pieterse and Parekh (1995 ) describe decolonization in the following way: 'Decolonization is a process of emancipation through mirroring, a mix of defiance and mimesis. Like colonialism itself, it is deeply preoccupied with boundaries - boundaries of territory and identity, borders of nation and state. (Nederveen, Pieterse and Parekh 1995: 11)' The focus in this dissertation is on the works of Siopis and Skotnes and their use of specific deconstructive methods to undermine prejudicial historical imagery and question established perceptions within South African history. In other words, the visual presentation of these two artists explores the boundaries or margins of established history. Both Siopis and Skotnes confront in visual terms the prejudicial representations of women and/or ethnic groups who have been subjugated by what they perceive as white, middle class, patriarchal history. The primary concern of the research is the visual imagery produced by these two artists and the effect of deconstruction on their respective art works. In the first chapter selected works from Siopis's 'History Painting' (1980s) series are to be analysed. In the second chapter the focus is on Skotnes's etchings in 'Sound From The Thinking Strings' (1993) exhibition. The investigation then moves to a project entitled 'Miscast' (1996). Skotnes was the curator of the 'Miscast' exhibition. It does not contain original art works by Skotnes. It is however an extension of the ideas which her prints embody and is therefore relevant to this dissertation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.