This thesis explores the figure of the trickster in the works of Elizabeth Bowen, Elizabeth Taylor, Iris Murdoch and Muriel Spark. By looking at these writers’ treatment of elusive, illusive and allusive characters, the thesis argues that they each incorporated what can be read as “trickster” figures in their fiction as a means of addressing anxieties about art, society and the self. The trickster is a character-type found in narratives from a multitude of cultures and eras, and is typically characterised by his subversive presence, his boundary-crossing and his role as a healer of predicament. While the trickster is often perceived as a universal phenomenon arising from a collective unconscious, this thesis instead focusses on writers’ intentional inclusion of trickster characters in literature as a way of thinking through specific problems. Bowen, it will be shown, interpolated tricksy characters drawn from myth and fairy-tale into her fiction in order to expose a perceived rift between art and academia; Taylor used the trickster to think about the construction of identity in post-war Britain; Murdoch took models from Shakespeare to create tricksters that helped her explore the ethics of writing fiction; and Spark’s tricksters allowed her to conceptualise truth and lies, and good and evil. Concentrating on four mid-century writers whose works have been seen to vary in genre and style, this thesis demonstrates that a trickster paradigm emerged in mid-twentieth-century British fiction – a period not previously associated with the trickster. Influenced by converging strands of trickery and allusion in art through the early decades of the twentieth century, notable mid-century British writers used outsider characters to probe social and artistic shifts in a landscape fractured by war and to reach for a sense of healing. By identifying such characters as trickster figures, this thesis sheds new light on patterns of subversion, healing and character in mid-century fiction. It explores the particular affinity the trickster had with women’s writing, and illustrates how the trickster was important to twentieth-century concerns surrounding metafiction and the role of the reader.

Talking Story about Art and Life: Narratives of Contemporary Oceanic Artists and Their Work takes a narrative, biographical approach to examine the lives and selected works of five contemporary Oceanic artists living and working in Aotearoa New Zealand – Ioane Ioane, Ema Tavola, Brett Graham, Robin White, and Siliga David Setoga. The narrative methodology, inspired by the Hawaiian notion of “talking story,” utilises informal conversations as sites of knowledge production. This approach allowed more personal and varied information to emerge, which speaks to the pluralities of identity. Instead of focusing primarily on visually analysing the creative output of the artists, their artworks and practices are incorporated as aspects of their voices that contribute to the narratives of their lives. The participants told stories that engage with the complexities intrinsic to their lives, revealing areas to research for the purpose of supporting their narratives. The supporting research investigates the notion of vā, Oceanic curatorial practices, trickster discourse, insider/outsider discourse, and fa‘a Sāmoa. In carrying out this investigation, this thesis illustrates choices artists are making to express their voices on their own terms. Bringing to light these choices also reminds viewers/readers that we can actively shape our own narratives. By privileging the artists’ stories told in their own words, this thesis honours Oceanic oral traditions and moves forward our understanding of these contemporary Oceanic artists and their artistic practices.

A literatura é campo fértil para refletirmos sobre os mais variados aspectos da sociedade e a obra de Antonio Candido certamente é uma referência dessa perspectiva de leitura. Nesse sentido, analisamos comparativamente contos do escritor brasileiro Lima Barreto e do goês José da Silva Coelho, com foco nos comportamentos de seus protagonistas. Partindo da observação de semelhanças e diferenças nas formas de contornar as dificuldades, ou de conquistar uma melhor posição social, em espaços organizados a partir do colonialismo português, procuramos demonstrar que as atitudes imorais das personagens não eram apenas um recurso narrativo cômico, mas eram fruto de uma reflexão crítica dos autores sobre essas duas sociedades marcadas pela colonização ibérica. Tais comportamentos são representados por figuras repletas de espertezas, astúcias e malandragens, que nem sempre logram êxito nos seus golpes. Desse modo, discutimos a representação literária do caráter nacional brasileiro por personagens de Lima Barreto e a representação de traços semelhantes por personagens de Silva Coelho. Essas análises culminam na discussão sobre a possibilidade de que as semelhanças apontadas possam ser fruto da longa dominação portuguesa, tendo-se consolidado com a implementação das Repúblicas brasileira e portuguesa. / Literature is fertile ground to reflect on various aspects of society and the work of Antonio Candido is certainly a reference in this perspective of literature studies. In this sense, we compare short stories by the Brazilian writer Lima Barreto and by the Goan, José da Silva Coelho, focusing on the behavior of their protagonists. Starting from the observation of similarities and differences in ways to overcome the difficulties, or to gain a better social position in spaces organized from Portuguese colonialism, we sought to demonstrate that the immoral attitudes of their characters were not just a comic narrative feature but were the result of a critical reflection by those authors, about these two societies marked by Iberian colonization. Such behaviors are represented by figures full of cleverness, cunning and foibles, who manage not always successful in his punches. Thus, we discuss the literary representation of the \"Brazilian national identity\" by Lima Barretos characters and the representation of similar traits by characters of Silva Coelhos short stories. These analyzes culminate in the discussion on the possibility that the identified similarities can be the result of the long Portuguese rule, that has been consolidated with the implementation of the Brazilian and Portuguese Republics.

L’oeuvre de Wieslaw Mysliwski, auteur connu et primé de la littérature contemporaine polonaise, tire ses racines de la culture paysanne traditionnelle. La clef anthropologique d’analyse de cette oeuvre semble être la plus efficace pour présenter les contenus et la mécanique de cette culture. Même si elle est encore proche dans le temps cette culture n’en est pas moins éloignée des enjeux de la modernité d’un Polonais du XXIème siècle.La mémoire collective du monde paysan suscite un vrai questionnement quant à ses voies, son exercice et ses contenus. Elle se niche dans trois couches de l’activité humaine : biologique, sociale et culturelle. L’analyse éthologique montre que la mémoire du monde paysan se révèle dans le rapport de l’homme aux animaux et dans le conditionnement de l’homme par ses gènes - lien indestructible entre les humains. L’approche sociologique révèle la stéréotypie des comportements humains dans l’interaction sociale, ce qui contribue au caractère universel des écrits de Wieslaw Mysliwski. Le monde paysan traditionnel y est magnifié par la façon dont est présenté l’imaginaire de la campagne polonaise. La pensée mythique donne structure et dynamique à sa configuration. L’oeuvre de Wieslaw Mysliwski illustre le passage de la société traditionnelle communautaire vers la société moderne individualiste. Son originalité consiste en la découverte d’un processus : les personnages de Wieslaw Mysliwski, après être passés par la société moderne, retournent à leur source paysanne pour s’y reconstituer en tant qu’individus qui arrivent à synthétiser en eux les valeurs traditionnelles et modernes. L’oeuvre de Wieslaw Mysliwski est un monument de mémoire de la campagne polonaise, dans le sens où elle est une proposition féconde des moyens de préservation et de fonctionnement de cette culture par sa dynamique créatrice propre. / Literary art of Wieslaw Mysliwski, a famous prize-winning contemporary Polish author, is deepely rooted inthe Polish peasant culture and its ancient traditions. Taking that fact into account, an anthropological approachof textual analysis is probably the one which can present the contents of this culture and explain its functioningmost clearly. Though close in time, for it's nearly our contemporary, peasant culture is, at the same time, faraway because of the gap between its values and those modern Polish men and women look up to. The moststriking element of the peasant culture is its collective memory, a puzzling phenomenon as to its ways, itscontents and its workings, operating in three layers, each delving deeper into human nature: the cultural stratus,the social one and, finally, the organic core which is the deepest of them all. The ethological approach revealsthe fact that the collective memory is linked to the way men treat animals and the way genetic heritage, thatlink one cannot destroy, frames their behaviour. As for the sociological approach, the latter deals with theexamples of stock behaviour in social interaction. That gives a universal dimension to Wieslaw Mysliwski'swriting. His craftsmanship consists in magnifying the traditional rural world by the way he depicts its capacityof generating transcendence. Mythical thinking gives structure and dynamics to its layout. WieslawMysliwski's writing deals with the transition from the traditional society, defined by the tight group links, tothe modern individualistic one. His originality resides in discovering that in order to become a person in hisown right, an individual needs both modernity and tradition. Thus, the characters Mysliwski portraits alwaysreturn to the peasant traditions to resource themselves. Wieslaw Mysliwski's literary art can be regarded as atribute to the Polish peasant culture as it reveals its capacity of constant rebirth. It is a sanctuary dedicated tothe memory of the Polish rural world.

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La forme humaine de la racine de la mandragore est sans doute à l’origine de la fascination que cette plante exerce depuis des millénaires. On lui attribue des qualités surnaturelles : entre autres, elle rendrait son propriétaire infiniment riche. Les détails lugubres se rapportant au mythe de la mandragore font d’elle un thème de prédilection pour la littérature fantastique. Le but de ce travail est d’analyser la légende de la mandragore dans trois œuvres de la littérature fantastique allemande (Isabelle d’Égypte (1812) d’Achim von Arnim, Petit Zacharie surnommé Cinabre (1819) d’E.T.A. Hoffmann et Mandragore (1911) de Hanns Heinz Ewers), dans lesquelles ce motif est combiné avec un thème aussi très prisé du genre fantastique : l’homme artificiel. Dans une perspective intertextuelle, j’analyserai comment chaque auteur s’approprie le mythe de la mandragore et représente le personnage-mandragore. Je me concentrerai ensuite sur les nouvelles qualités créées par son statut de créature artificielle et sur la relation de cette dernière avec son créateur. Puis, j’examinerai le rôle du personnage-mandragore dans chacune des œuvres dans son contexte historique. Ainsi, je montrerai que les personnages-mandragores possèdent bel et bien des caractéristiques qui se réfèrent à la légende de la mandragore, mais que leur nature de créature artificielle leur fait endosser dans leur récit un rôle d’antagoniste qui s’apparente à celui du trickster. Finalement, j’expliquerai comment les auteurs utilisent le motif de la mandragore et la littérature fantastique pour dénoncer la corruption, critiquer les partisans des Lumières et créer une atmosphère de décadence qui justifie l’utilisation du thème de la femme fatale. / The fascination with the mandrake for thousands of years originates, without a doubt, from the human form of the plant root. Many supernatural qualities are linked to the mandrake. It is believed, among other things, to be able to make its owner rich. The gloomy details surrounding the mandrake myth make it a theme of predilection for fantastic literature. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the legend of the mandrake in three works of German fantastic literature — Achim von Arnim’s Isabella of Egypt (1812), E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Little Zaches, Surnamed Zinnober (1819) and Hanns Heinz Ewers’ Alraune (1911). These authors also combine the mandrake motif with another theme, much appreciated by the fantastic genre: the artificial man. In an intertextual perspective, I will examine how each author adapts the mandrake myth and represents his mandrake character. Then, I will analyze the new qualities created by their artificial creature status and the relationship of the character with its creator. Finally, I will bring to light the role of the mandrake character in each work in regards to the historical context. It will be proven that the mandrake characters do own qualities that refer to the mandrake mythos, but that their nature as artificial creatures puts them, in their story, in the antagonist role that is similar to the trickster’s one. In the end, I will explain how the authors use the mandrake motif and the fantastic literature to respectively denounce corruption, criticize the Enlightenment advocates and create a decadent atmosphere that justifies the use of the femme fatale theme. / Die menschliche Form der Alraunenwurzel verursachte eine seit Jahrtausenden von dieser Pflanze ausgehende Faszination. Übernatürliche Eigenschaften werden mit ihr verbunden: Sie würde unter anderem ihren Besitzer sehr reich machen. Die unheimlichen Einzelheiten, die mit der Alraune assoziiert werden, machen es zu einem beliebten Thema der phantastischen Literatur. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist, die Alraunensage in drei Werken der deutschen phantastischen Literatur zu analysieren: Isabella von Ägypten (1812) von Achim von Arnim, Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober (1819) von E.T.A. Hoffmann und Alraune (1911) von Hanns Heinz Ewers, die dieses Motiv mit einem anderen sehr beliebten Thema des Phantastischen in Zusammenhang bringen: dem künstlichen Menschen. In einer intertextuellen Hinsicht analysiere ich, wie sich jeder Autor den Alraunenmythos zu eigen macht und seine Alraunenfigur darstellt. Ich untersuche außerdem die neuen Vorzüge, die ihre Natur künstlichen Menschen schaffen, und das Verhältnis der Alraunenfigur zu ihrem Schöpfer. Schließlich konzentriere ich mich auf ihre Rolle im geschichtlichen Kontext. Es wird dann gezeigt, dass die Alraunenfiguren tatsächlich Eigenschaften haben, die sich auf die Alraunensage beziehen. Zudem stellen sie wegen ihrer Erscheinung als künstliches Geschöpf einen Antagonisten, der dem Trickster ähnlich ist, in der Erzählung dar. Schließlich erkläre ich, wie die Autoren das Alraunenmotiv durch die phantastische Literatur verwenden, um die Korruption anzuprangern, die aufgeklärten Menschen zu kritisieren und eine dekadente Stimmung zu kreieren, die die Verwendung des Themas der femme fatale rechtfertigt.

This thesis explores the trickster character through the lens of his role as a cultural hero. The two characters that I chose to examine are from North American myth, specifically Winnebago Hare and Brer Rabbit. These two characters represent the duality of the trickster while simultaneously embodying the lauded abilities of the hero. Through their actions these two characters shape culture through the very action of disrupting societal norms.

The core of House M.D. is its assertion that current Western civilization lives in a perpetual state of dissonance: we desire to have the rawness of emotion but we can only handle this rawness when we combine it with intellect, even if that intellect lies to us. This is the ontological paradox that the televisual text grapples with. Through the use of archetypal analysis and allegorical interpretation, this thesis reveals that dissonance and its relationship to contemporary Western society. Through House M.D. we realize that there are structures to the paradoxes that we live and there are paradoxes in our structures. Dr. House is a trickster in an allegory of American capitalist culture. The trickster metaphorically pulls away from society the rules protecting cultural values. Dr. House and House M.D. participate in revealing the cultural disruption of the current moment of Western society. While playing on the genres of detective fiction and hospital dramas, House M.D. is an existential allegory exposing the paradox that we can never be free while still seeking our own self-interest.

John 21 tells of the “miraculous draught of fishes.” The disciples fish all night and catch nothing. In the morning, they fail to recognize Jesus on the shore, instructing them to cast their net again. After an amazing catch and subsequent breakfast, Jesus thrice questions Peter’s love and commissions him to “feed my sheep.” Using Narrative Criticism, this study examines this recognition scene, specifically in light of recognition scenes in Genesis. Previous work used primarily Greco-Roman texts to analyze Johannine recognition. This study adds the Hebraic perspective, asking, “How would a reader, well acquainted with Genesis, understand recognition in John 21?” This study labels characters who withhold recognition from others as “manipulators,” and argues that biblical recognition can be understood within a context of “manipulation.” It proposes a taxonomy of manipulation with six narrative kernels. This yields four patterns gleaned from Genesis: 1) Manipulation narratives are focused around chosen leaders—manipulators—undergoing a character development process; 2) These manipulators disempower others while empowering themselves for gain; 3) Genesis manipulation stories often contain evocative déjà vu motifs: repetitive words and themes connecting the units, reinforcing the story, and sometimes haunting manipulators; 4) Manipulators are often “counter-manipulated” in a reciprocal manner ironically similar to their own previous behavior. This may correct and transform the manipulator. The taxonomy and patterns are applied to John 21:1-19 as a lens for a new reading. The study also examines Greek diminutives in John 21, which enhances the reading. This reading characterizes Peter’s earlier behavior in John 18 as manipulative, when he withheld his identity three times. When the disciples go aimlessly fishing in John 21, Jesus actively withholds his identity in ironic counter-manipulation, mirroring Peter’s earlier denials. The disciples’ lack of recognition underscores their dullness, especially Peter’s. Jesus’ three questions to Peter continue the ironic counter-manipulation, paralleling Peter’s earlier three denials. Finally, Jesus predicts Peter will glorify God in his death, indicating his future turn toward ideal discipleship. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)

Magical realist fiction is marked by a striking abundance of animals. Analysing magical realist novels from Australia and Canada, as well as exploring the influence of two seminal Latin American magical realist narratives, this thesis focuses on representations of animals and animality. Examining human-animal relationships in the postcolonial context reveals that magical realism embodies and represents an idea of feral animality that critically engages with an inherently imperialist and Cartesian humanism, and that, moreover, accounts for magical realism's elusiveness within systems of genre categorisation and labelling. It is this embodiment and presence of animal agency that animates magical realism and injects it with life and vibrancy. The magical realist writers discussed in this dissertation make use of animal practices inextricably intertwined with imperialism, such as pastoral farming, natural historical collections, the circus, the rodeo, the Wild West show, and the zoo, as well as alternative animal practices inherently incompatible with European ideologies, such as the Aboriginal Dreaming, Native North American animist beliefs, and subsistence hunting, as different ways of positioning themselves in relation to the Cartesian human subject. The circus is a particular influence on the form and style of many magical realist texts, whereby oxymoronically structured circensian spaces form the basis of the narratives‟ realities, and hierarchical imperial structures and hegemonic discourses that are portrayed as natural through Cartesian science and Linnaean taxonomies are revealed as deceptive illusions that perpetuate the self-interests of the powerful.