Few of Chaucer’s works provoke such animosity as does his “Clerk’s Tale.” Modern critics are divided by the social and gender issues that to which the tale lends itself. However, the tale was immensely popular to Middle Age audiences and was one of the best loved of the Canterbury Tales. Therefore, to dismiss this tale’s literary values outright, as some critics have done, is a mistake. By examining the history of the Griselda story, Chaucer’s use of his source materials, and the tales placement within the Canterbury Tales, this thesis is an attempt to examine the tale in more culturally, religiously, and historically appropriate way.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The classic view of narrative since the time of Aristotle is that plot structure is prioritized over characters in defining the nature of stories. According to this view, plot is an abstract structure external to the protagonist, and the protagonist’s actions are determined by the thematic goals of the plot. The current analysis calls for a reversal in the prioritization of these elements in creating a story. We present an Embodied Plot model in which character not only drives plot, but embodies plot as well. According to this model, the dramatic arc of plots is attributable to psychological processes occurring in the protagonist’s mind. Plot structure is thus isomorphic with the psychological and problem-solving experience of the protagonist inside the storyworld. We apply this model to a number of fairy tales to demonstrate how the dramatic arc of these stories can be explained in each case by the protagonist’s experientiality. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Fairy-tale in the works of Václav Tille-Říha thesis is based on an analysis and an interpretation of Tille's fairy-tale writings and symbolist stories considering the means of developing symbolist poetics on an outline of a folklore fairy-tale. The target of this thesis is to grasp the function of fairy-tale features in Václav Tille's works which emerged from the intersection of literary adaptation of traditional folklore subjects with symbolist creation. The opening chapter deals with the historical context of Tille's works and its folklorist and literary aspects. The work aim, through the works of Václav Tille, to express a wider framework within the context of symbolist writing and Art Noveau fine arts.

La méthylation de l’ADN est une modification épigénétique sur les cytosines des dinucléotides CpG catalysée par les enzymes DNMT. Les cellules cancéreuses présentent des hyperméthylations aberrantes sur les promoteurs de gènes dits suppresseurs de tumeurs, ce qui contribue à leur répression transcriptionnelle et favorise la progression tumorale. De par sa nature réversible, la méthylation de l’ADN est une cible de choix pour des thérapies épigénétiques ; cependant, les inhibiteurs de DNMT ont une action de déméthylation globale du génome qui conduit à une forte toxicité. Mon travail a consisté à développer des stratégies de déméthylation ciblée sur des régions spécifiques du génome. Premièrement, j’ai validé une stratégie induisant une reprogrammation épigénétique spécifique et durable du gène suppresseur de tumeurs SERPINB5 dans des cellules de cancer du sein. Deuxièmement, j’ai optimisé des stratégies d'édition de l’épigénome comme outil en recherche fondamentale. / DNA methylation takes place on cytosines of CpG dinucleotides in mammals and is catalysed by DNMT enzymes. Cancer cells are characterised by frequent promoter hypermethylation leading to transcriptional repression of tumor suppressor genes and favouring tumor progression. Because of its reversible nature, DNA methylation is a target of choice in epigenetic therapies. However, current DNMT inhibitors act in a global and non-specific manner, leading to side effects and toxicity in normal cells. During my thesis I have developed strategies to perform targeted demethylation in specific regions of the genome without affecting global methylation. First, I have validated a strategy inducing the specific and durable epigenetic reprogramming of the tumor suppressor gene SERPINB5 in a breast cancer cell line, which can pave the way to further biomedical research. Second, I have optimised epigenome editing strategies as a regular tool in basic research.

This study examines the use of the fairy tale intertext in contemporary Canadian womens fiction. In using specific fairy tale plots, themes, motifs, and/or characters within their works of fiction, women writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries purposefully express their goal for the revival and continuity of the female narrative voice and sense of agency. To explore the fairy tale-fiction relationship, Margaret Atwoods Alias Grace and Anne Hberts Kamouraska are approached from what fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes has constructed as the theory of contamination of the fairy tale genre. The fairy tale genres integration into contemporary fiction represents an important development where fairy tale narratives are critically reread so as to bring out deeper meanings for the contemporary audience. / Comparative Literature

No description available.