This study investigates short stories published in South Africa and in Zimbabwe before the turn of the twenty-first century. The short story as a genre provides a more accessible and shorter means of viewing literary trends after the official end of the hostilities of apartheid and colonialism. Because of their brevity and specific focus, these short stories from many voices allow a glimpse of different arenas affecting contemporary reality. Post-independence stories reveal that in the process of navigating or directing hope after independence, people are sometimes left bereft as disenchantment with politics sets in, leaving people to search for hope in areas of their everyday lives such as marriage, birth and friendship. But because their lives are also fraught with conflict, hate and betrayal, hope may remain uncertain and prospects frightening. Chapter One embarks on a brief historical and political background of South Africa and Zimbabwe. This chapter also conceptualizes the issues of hope and disillusionment in the South African and Zimbabwean socio-historical contexts. Chapters Two and Three analyze selected stories from South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively, focusing on issues with which the writers are preoccupied, especially how they explore hope and disillusionment. The analyses of the stories in these two chapters are structured chronologically depicting events in the stories. Thus the study creates its own narrative of South African and Zimbabwean life towards the new millennium. These two chapters discuss how meanings, significances and ramifications of the post-colonial community are negotiated and re-negotiated in selected stories, highlighting the challenges and engagements with hope and disillusionment dramatized in short prose fiction. Chapter Four will undertake to conclude with comparisons of the selected stories, discussing the implications of the study for South African and Zimbabwean contemporary societies at the turn of the twenty-first century. Granted, it is always difficult to generalize about a society from such highly individual, personal stories. But my study suggests that at the turn of the twenty-first century in South Africa, disillusionment is beginning to displace the heady expectation many felt at the 1994 election. And perhaps even more unlikely, given the current crisis, Zimbabwean stories from recent years show people hopefully waiting for the new millennium, a dawning of new, unpredictable possibilities.

The problem of this study was to develop a simplified Spanish teaching guide for analytical commentaries about contemporary short stories in Spanish. To realize this study, major approaches in analytical commentary of short story instruction in classes of Spanish in American colleges and universities were identified through intensive research and have been incorporated into the guide. Consequently, general principles for the analysis and explication of the contemporary short story in Spanish are identified. The objectives in these major principles found in the literature are concepts which meet the needs of the present-day student in an ever-changing society. The analytical commentary on the short stories focuses on specific and essential elements of the short story. It is based on four selected representative authors from the Hispanic world—Juan Rulfo, Ana Maria Matute, Sabine R. Ulibarri, and Horacio Quiroga—and four short stories of their respective authors from anthologies used in Spanish classes in the United States of America. The linguistic analysis and commentary on the short story are basically limited to the linguistically cultural aspect. Those educators of the Spanish language and Hispanic literatures having a personal interest on the subject may find useful the reference list constructed. It was compiled from resources obtained through a computer search and the card catalogs in their respective places: Biblioteca Municipal de Salamanca, Espana, Biblioteca Nacional de Espafia, Madrid; Dallas Public Library; ERIC; Fondren Library, Southern Methodist University; Texas Woman's University; and Willis Library, University of North Texas. Recommendations for instructional evaluators and educators in Spanish are enumerated in Chapter V. Also, based on the results of the development of the teaching guide, recommendations for further research and studies are suggested.

This paper examines the characteristics of The Best American Short Stories and the personalities reponsible for this series. More specifically, the goal of the paper is to add intelligence to the general store of knowledge in the area of the American short story, first, by demonstrating through statistics, biographical data and a summation of critical opinion the salient characteristics of the series; second, by giving statistical-analytical data relative to the periodicals furnishing the selections; third, by presenting statistical-biographical characteristics of the authors contributing to the series; and fourth, by making a biographical examination of the important personalities intimately associated with the series. / Typescript. / "August, 1957." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Robert G. Clapp, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56).

Through a storytelling/yarning methodology (Bessarab & Ng'andu, 2010) and experience centered narrative research (Patterson, 2008), three Indigenous followers of Jesus and original inhabitants of the lands currently known as Canada, shared their stories of healing. The storytelling/ yarning method (Bessarab & Ng'andu, 2010) is rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and fit seamlessly with the participants diverse Indigenous backgrounds and shared oral traditions. Through the experience centered research model, each participant engaged in meaning making of their personal narratives, reconstructed and presented their stories as their human lived experience, and finally, revealed their metamorphosis (Patterson, 2008) and contributions to Indigenous knowledges. The experience centered research framework utilized for knowledge gathering worked concertedly with the storytelling/yarning methodology as the healing stories presented here evolved not as stories of defeat, but of strength (Bessarab & Ng'andu, 2010). Some key teachings and themes arising from their stories include trauma, forgiveness, resilience, family, healing, and hope. This study aims to reveal Indigenous stories of healing and cease the perpetuation of harm to Indigenous peoples who have declared Jesus as their source of healing. Furthermore, this study aims to situate the knowledges gathered through these healing stories within the academic body of Indigenous knowledges. / Graduate

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This study is based on a qualitative study conducted through interviews and exploring how individuals aged 50 to 60 describe their experiences of ads on Instagram Stories and which preferences and actions emerge. The aim of this study is to investigate and comprehend how this age group perceives, reacts to, and expresses their preferences for ads on Instagram Stories. These preferences can be linked to categories such as user experience, purchasing behaviour, decision-making, content, presentation, influence and relevance. By employing theories such as the VALS 2 model, uses and gratification, and medium theory, the study examines how individuals in this age group experience and interact with advertisements on Instagram Stories. The results indicated that credibility and relevance were two crucial factors in how participants perceived ads on Instagram Stories. Ads from well-known and credible companies, as well as ads featuring offers or contests, tended to be appreciated more by participants. Additionally, participants expressed a desire for ads to be more relevant to their interests and needs, in order to capture the attention of this age group. / Denna studie är baserad på en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervjuer, om hur personer i åldersgruppen 50 till 60 år beskriver sina upplevelser av annonser på Instagram Stories och vilka preferenser och ageranden som framträder. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka och förstå hur åldersgruppen upplever, agerar och uttrycker sina preferenser för annonser på Instagram Stories. Dessa kan kopplas till kategorierna användarupplevelser, köpbeteende, beslutsfattande, innehåll, presentation, påverkan och relevans. Genom användningen av teorierna VALS 2-modellen, uses and gratification och medium theory, har det undersökts hur individer i denna åldersgrupp upplever och interagerar med annonser på Instagram Stories. Resultatet visade att trovärdighet och relevans var två viktiga faktorer för hur deltagarna uppfattade annonser på Instagram Stories. Annonser från välkända och trovärdiga företag, och annonser som innehöll erbjudanden eller tävlingar tenderade att uppskattas mer av deltagarna. Dessutom uttryckte deltagarna en önskan om att annonserna skulle vara mer relevanta för deras intressen och behov, för att fånga åldersgruppens uppmärksamhet.

These stories explore contemporary people who find their lives taking a shape they fear. These people often try to cling to their old life, control a loved one who is changing, or seek an escape. Their aspirations are often higher than where they land. Their situation resembles the writer’s situation in attempting to shape the lives of characters: they attempt to control what often cannot be controlled.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen, 2001. / UMI no. 3030090. Includes bibliographical references (p. 341-373).

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