No abstract available / English Studies / M.A. (English)

This thesis is an extended reading of the topos of the ghostly as it is staged in the modernist writings of T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Bowen and D.H. Lawrence. As I argue, their distinct appropriations of haunting are innately tied to their individual theories of the aesthetic; there are also a number of recurring motifs throughout their respective oeuvres, which time and again evoke a ghostly register. Consistently appearing in the texts I read here, most of which were published between the years 1919 and 1935, are figurations of the ghostly as a symptom of ‘ontological uncertainty’, as well as renderings of purgatorial subjectivity, and aporias of mourning. I locate my reading in response to the scholarly fields of haunting studies, mourning modernisms and Gothic modernisms. In a move common to contemporary theoretical studies of haunting, I draw also from the latter work of Jacques Derrida, a theoretical lens that facilitates my reading of a complex modernist ethics of mourning and alterity, one that often courts the ghostly, but resists what Derrida terms ‘hauntological’ work. The Derridean figure of the ethical apparition, in its status as the Absolute Other, is consistently complicated or rejected in these texts. This resistance mirrors a purgatorial mode of subjectivity that recurs in a range of guises in the modernisms I read here. In uncovering the economies that lie beneath these haunted subjectivities Jacques Lacan’s metapsychology of the subject helps also to conceptualise Bowen and Lawrence’s handling of the spectral. Bowen’s is a distinctly visual imagination, and her staging of a haunted subjectivity is elucidated by calling upon Lacan’s formulation of the gaze. Lawrence, whose work is consistently concerned with a-symbolic bodily registers, bypasses a number of the purgatorial aporias staged in the writings of Woolf, Eliot and Bowen. Viewing his appropriation of haunting through a Lacanian understanding of feminine jouissance suggests Lawrence’s welcoming of a radical ghostly other that may transcend the aporias of subjectivity, ethics and mourning that characterise these haunting modernisms.

Hallucination was always the ghost story's elephant in the room. Even before the vogue for psychical research and spiritualism began to influence writers at the end of the nineteenth century, tales of horror and the supernatural, of ghosts and demons, had been haunted by the possibility of some grand deception by the senses. Edgar Allan Poe's stories were full of mad narrators, conscience-stricken criminals and sinners, and protagonists who doubted their very eyes and ears. Writers such as Dickens and Le Fanu continued this idea of the cheat of the senses. But what is certainly true is that, towards the end of the century, hallucination took on a new force and significance in ghostly and horror fiction. Now, its presence was not the dominion of a handful of experimental thinkers but the province of popular authors writing very different kinds of stories. The approaches had become many and diverse, from Arthur Machen's ambivalent interest in occultism to Vernon Lee's passion for art and antiquity. Henry James's The Turn of the Screw (1898) is the most famous text to pose a question that was, in fact, being asked by many writers of the time: reality or delusion? Other writers, too, were forcing their readers to assess whether the ghostly had its origins in some supernatural phenomenon from beyond the grave, or from some deception within our own minds. This thesis explores the many factors which contributed to this rise in the interest in hallucination and visionary experience, during the period 1880-1914. From the time when psychical research became hugely popular, up until the First World War often considered a watershed in the history of the ghost story and literature in general something happened to the ghost story and related fiction. Through a close analysis of stories and novels written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Vernon Lee, Henry James, Arthur Machen, and Oliver Onions, I attempt to find out what happened, and even more importantly why it happened at all.

The paranormal industry in Edinburgh has become a thriving niche within the country's tourist market. While ghost walks have been explored in anthropology from the perspective of spectacle, this thesis investigates and analyses the cultural framework which has furthered the success of the industry. Namely, the ways in which the paranormal industry have appropriated the beliefs and practices of an overarching ghost culture: a community of believers, investigators, mediums, and all those who actively attempt to engage with the paranormal. The increased visibility of the paranormal within popular culture has spurred a wide interest in the unknown and unexplained. Ghost hunting television shows and the prevalence of ghost stories has inspired the desire for unique experiences, and for audiences to contextualise the supernatural within their own lives. The paranormal industry has grown to accommodate this intense, active enthusiasm for all things spectral, and belief has become a commodity. This burgeoning fascination in ghosts has become an important aspect of how Scotland is sold as a destination. While commercial paranormal industries exist in other cities around the world, the historical perception of Scotland as other has created a precedent for the connection between Scottish national identity and the spectral. This thesis further investigates the ways in which the tourist industry continues to solidify the connection between Scottish heritage and the paranormal.

Hantologie – terme composé, formé par Jacques Derrida – signifie : « ontologie (c'est-à-dire, science de l'être) de ce qui “hante” : les spectres, les fantômes » (Charles Ramond, Le Vocabulaire de Jacques Derrida). Le néologisme derridien est une paronomase, le paronyme d’un mot – ontologie –, dont il n’est pas un synonyme. L’hantologie est une « « catégorie […] irréductible, et d’abord à tout ce qu’elle rend possible, l’ontologie, la théologie, l’onto-théologie positive ou négative », écrit Jacques Derrida (Spectres de Marx). C’est une ontologie, l’ontologie de l’être du non-être et du non-être de l’être, de quelque chose ou quelqu’un qui « n’est pas là », « comme tout fantôme digne de ce nom » (Ibid.). « Il n’y a pas de Dasein du spectre mais il n’y a pas de Dasein sans l’inquiétante étrangeté, sans l’étrange familiarité (Unheimlichkeit) de quelque spectre » (Ibid.) Il n’y a pas d’ontologie, donc, sans hantologie. Appliquée à l’étude des textes, l’hantologie derridienne n’est pas une nouvelle méthodologie de l’analyse littéraire. Elle vise moins à définir un texte qu’à se demander, d’abord, quelle question nous posons lorsque nous demandons : qu’est-ce qu’un texte ? S’agit-il d’une question d’ordre ontologique ? phénoménologique ? En demandant : qu’est-ce qu’un texte ?, nous disons déjà que le texte est quelque chose, quelque chose dont nous sentons bien qu’il n’est pas qu’une chose. Qu’il soit un objet, d’ailleurs, cela n’est pas sûr, et s’il l’est, il reste à savoir pourquoi et comment. Il l’est, si l’on souscrit au discours du structuralisme. Il ne l’est plus, si l’on adopte la définition barthésienne du texte comme productivité. L’hantologie du texte n’est pas un simple catalogue des fantômes de la littérature. Elle consiste surtout à étudier les hantises de l'écriture et de la lecture – les mots fantômes notamment (anagrammes, palindromes, etc.) et les textes fantômes (hypotextes, intertextes). C’est une recherche attentive au procès de signifiance du texte, appropriée aux œuvres de Poe et de Baudelaire, et dont la proposition critique est elle-même déductible de leurs créations. Notre thèse cherche à mettre en évidence les possibilités d'une telle déduction à travers des études comparées de leurs œuvres littéraires, poétiques, traductions de Poe par Baudelaire comprises, en portant une attention toute particulière aux figures et motifs de la revenance, à la problématique de l'image et du langage, laquelle intègre les questions de traduction (copie, fidélité à la lettre ou à l’esprit de la lettre, etc.). / Hauntology – a compound term created by Jacques Derrida – means the “Ontology (that is to say, the science of being) of what “haunts”: specters, ghosts” (Charles Ramond, The Vocabulary of Jacques Derrida). The Derridean neologism is a paronomasia, the paronym of a word – ontology – of which it is not a synonym. The hauntology is a “category […] irreducible, and first of all to everything it makes possible: ontology, theology, positive or negative onto-theology”, Jacques Derrida writes (Specters of Marx, tr. Peggy Kamuf). It is an ontology, the ontology of the being of non-being and the non-being of being, of something which, or someone who “is not there”, “like any ghost worthy of the name ». (Ibid.) “There is no Dasein of the specter, but there is no Dasein without the uncanniness, without the strange familiarity (Unheimlichkeit) of some specter.” There is no ontology, thus, without any hauntology. Applied to the study of text, the Derridean hauntology is not a new methodology of literary analysis. It aims less to define a text than to ask us, first, what is the question we ask when we de-mand: what is a text? Is this a question of ontological order? phenomenological? In asking: what is a text ?, we are already saying that the text is something, something of which we feel that it is not just a thing. That it is an object, moreover, it is not sure, and if it is, it remains to know how and why. It is, if we subscribe to the structuralist discourse. It is not anymore if we adopt the Barthesian definition of text as a productivity. The hauntology of text is not a mere catalog of ghosts in literature. It consists above all in studying the hauntings of writing and reading, such as ghost-words (like anagrams, palindromes, etc.) and ghost-texts (hypotext, intertext). This research is attentive to the process of what Barthes calls the signifiance of text, and quite appropriate to the works of Poe and Baudelaire. Indeed, our critical proposition is itself deductible from them. Our thesis thus aims to highlight the possibilities of such suggestions by and through comparative studies of their literary and poetical works, translations of Poe by Baudelaire included, in paying very particular attention to figures of revenance, and the problematic of image and language, which incorporates many issues of translation (copy, faithfulness to the letter or the spirit, etc.).

Texas Pararnormalists mixes participatory and observational styles in an effort to portray a small community of paranormal practitioners who live and work in and around North Texas. These practitioners include psychics, ghost investigators, and other enthusiasts and seekers of the spirit world. Through the documentation of their combined perspectives, Texas Paranormalists renders a portrait of a community of outsiders with a shared belief system and an unshakeable passion for reaching out into the unknown.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Katherine Nesse / Humanity’s belief in the paranormal has shaped cultures, folklore, religion, and influences the arts, customs, politics, and economics. In the modern era, paranormal belief continues to capture public interest, often fueled by popular entertainment and media. With belief in the paranormal on the rise, so are the social and economic implications. Literature and data also shows that paranormal niche tourism is becoming increasingly popular and have an effect on the tourism sector, yet it is poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to ask, “how does paranormal niche tourism affect and relate to local economics and public policy?” New Orleans serves as the subject city due to its rich paranormal history and folklore and thriving tourism economy. I divided data collection into two main phases: 1) surveying paranormal tourists and 2) surveying and interviewing paranormal-related businesses including tour companies, retail and services, and hotels. I distributed online surveys to paranormal tourists to collect data pertaining to demographics, education, employment, belief, belief influencers, travel habits, and costs. In addition, I conducted online surveys and personal interviews with businesses relating to paranormal tourism in regards to business model, marketing, revenue, employment, local community impact, and public policy impacts. A site visit provided further insight and immersion into paranormal tourism itself. Results indicate that paranormal tourism is positively impacting local communities and that public policy in New Orleans has both positively and negatively affected tourism. The results from this research provide insight in how other communities can accommodate paranormal tourism through policy and how businesses can also capitalize on this growing trend.

Ce travail de recherche vise à mettre au jour un aspect particulier de l’œuvre d’Eduardo De Filippo (Naples, 1900 – Rome, 1984), à savoir l’intrusion du surnaturel dans la production théâtrale de l’auteur-acteur-metteur en scène. Nous avons structuré notre thèse en deux phases. Nous analysons d’abord l’adhésion de De Filippo au théâtre dit “réaliste”, sa conception de la fonction du théâtre, l’ancrage thématique dans l’Histoire du XXe siècle et dans le vécu personnel de l’auteur ; nous nous attachons à la manière dont De Filippo intègre la tradition littéraire et théâtrale du XXe siècle et propose une autre vision du réel faisant appel aux catégories du fantastique. Puis nous examinons l’espace scénique, lieu de l’ailleurs et du fantasme par excellence, dans les différentes composantes de la scène (scénographie, objets), du jeu actoriel (la parole, la corporéité, le personnage et le fantôme) et du contrat spectatoriel pour mettre en lumière la relation que tous les participants au spectacle entretiennent avec le surnaturel. Enfin, nous mettons à l’épreuve de l’analyse la traduction sur scène des problématiques liées au fantôme et au fantasme dans deux interprétations exemplaires et très différentes de La grande magia : celle de Giorgio Strehler au Piccolo Teatro de Milan en 1985 et celle de Dan Jemmett à la Comédie-Française en 2009. / This research work focuses on a specific point of Eduardo De Filippo’s work (Naples, 1900 – Rome, 1984), that is to say the irruption of the supernatural in the production of the author-actor-stage director. We have structured our thesis in two phases. We first analyse the authors’s compliance with the so called « realistic » theatre, his vision of the role of theatre, the thematic foothold in the 20th century history and in his personal experience ; we are concerned with how De Filippo integrates the literary and theatrical tradition of fantasy and offers a realistic vision appealing to the Fantastic categories. Then we investigate the stage space as an ideal place for fantasy and fantasies, we examine the stage varied components (stage design, objects), the acting of the actors (voice, corporeality, the character and the ghost) within the stage-audience conventions to bring to light the particular link that all those who participate to the performance maintain with the supernatural. Finally, we study the process of traduction on stage of problematics linked to ghost and fantasy in two remarkable and very different interpretations of La Grande magia : the one by Giorgio Strehler at the Piccolo Teatro of Milan in 1985 and one by Dan Jemmett at Comédie-Française in 2009.

Localizada às margens da grande metrópole paulistana, a cidade de Mogi das Cruzes realiza uma espetacular festa para o Divino Espírito Santo. Esta dissertação focaliza as formas expressivas de devoção que ocorrem na superfície da cidade e busca penetrar em camadas mais profundas da experiência dos devotos na tentativa de desvendar os elementos aparentemente arredios que surgem como força transformadora durante os dias de festa. / Located on the edges of the great paulistana metropolis, the city of Mogi das Cruzes carries through a spectacular celebration for the Holy Ghost. This master thesis focuses the expressive forms of devotion that occur on the surface of the city and search to penetrate in layers deeper of the experience of the worshippers in the attempt to unmask the apparently timorous elements that appear as transforming force during the days of celebration.

O método variacional foi usado para estudar a possibilidade de existência de um vácuo composto da Eletrodinâmica Quântica. Um ansatz contendo um condensado de pares elétron - pósitron foi investigado e uma equação de otimização para a função de onda do condensado foi encontrada. A prescrição de renormalização utilizada quebrou a simetria de escala inicialmente presente no Lagrangiano. A equação de otimização foi rededuzida resolvendo-se a equação de Schwinger-Dyson para a auto-energia do elétron. Expressões tanto para a massa dinamicamente gerada para o elétron, em termos da função de onda dos pares, quanto para a dependência da constante de acoplamento com o parâmetro de massa (ponto de renormalização) foram apresentadas. Nossos cálculos, entretanto, nos levaram a concluir que, pelo menos dentro de nossa abordagem, não é possível a existência de tal vácuo composto da Eletrodinâmica Quântica. / The variational method was used to study the possibility of existence of a composed vacuum of the Quantum Electrodynamics. An ansatz containing a condensate of electron-positron pairs was investigated and an optimization equation for the condensate wave function was encountered. The renormalization prescription used broke the scale symmetry initially present in the Lagrangian. Once more the optimization equation was derived. This time this was done by the resolution of Schwinger-Dyson equation to the electron self energy. An expression to the dynamically generated mass of the electron, in terms of the condensate wave function, was presented, as well as the mass parameter dependence of the coupling constant. Our calculations, however, lead us to conclude that the existence of such composed vacuum of the Quantum Electrodynamics is not possible, at least within our approach.