Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, l939.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, l939.

No description available.

This thesis puts forward the case for a political reading of Thomas Hardy's Wessex Novels. Although the political aspects of these novels cannot be seen as his main preoccupation, it is argued that an awareness of the political motivation of Hardy is necessary for a proper and responsible reading. Through biographical and textual material, and through a comparison of Hardy with Boris Pasternak, it can be shown that a consistent political theme runs through the Wessex novels from the beginning to the end. The main reason why this political theme has not been generally appreciated is attributed to a misconception about Hardy's role as a novelist. For too long Hardy has been popularly described as a defender of the peasant or rustic. In fact, Hardy's interest was with those people who were just above the lowest class. Since he was himself from this slightly higher class, he was naturally sensitive to their difficulties in social improvement. Hardy therefore attacked the systems in society that protected the wealth and power for the middle and upper classes at the expense of the poorer people. The first chapter follows Hardy's early career both as an architect in London, where he developed strong political views that tended towards socialism, and as an aspiring novelist in a market which would not accept expression of those political views. The early novels show evidence of his suppressed political anger as Hardy lapses into outbursts of bitter social satire. The satire disappears after The Hand of Ethelberta when the novels complete a gradual movement towards tragedy. This meant that the discord between the early novels' general optimism and his political anger was eliminated. As a harmonious part of the later novels, Hardy's political attitudes are not so easily discerned. For this reason a special critical approach is needed. The second chapter compares Hardy's novels and political views with those of Boris Pasternak. Pasternak's poetic political novel provides a model for analysing the later more poetic Wessex Novels. Utilising the genre of the "lyrical novel," it is shown how the poet-novelist often pays less attention to narrative development and concentrates on shaping his central concerns within a symbolic structure. The third chapter makes a political reading of Tess of the D'Urbervilles based on the political attitudes established in the first chapter, and on the techniques of the lyrical novel defined in the second. The consistency of Hardy's political views in the Wessex Novels becomes apparent as the same concerns of the early novels are found through an analysis of the novel's symbolic structure. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

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A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar as interações entre os reis e as elites anglo-saxãs dos reinos da Mércia e Wessex, entre os séculos VIII e IX, sob a perspectiva da governança. Para tanto, foram perscrutados os diplomas promulgados pelos reis em favor das elites em diferentes reinados entre 716, ano de ascensão do Etelbaldo da Mércia, e 899, ano de morte do rei Alfredo, o Grande. A partir da análise dos diplomas, foi possível perceber que os reis utilizaram desses documentos como meio para obter o consenso e a aquiescência das elites de maneira a viabilizar seus reinados. Foi concluído que uma maior promulgação de diplomas não se configura uma crise de governabilidade, pelo contrário, o número de diplomas concentrados em reinados considerados fortes foi justamente o que possibilitou aos reis evitar conflitos e dissenções em seus reinos. / The aims of this research was analyze the interactions among Anglo-Saxons kings and elites in the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex in the 8th-9th centuries, from the perspective of governance. For that, the royal diplomas promulgated in favor of elites on the different reings between the years of 716, year of ascension of king Ethelbald of Mércia, and 899, year of death of king Alfred the Great was scrutinized. Through the analysis of the diplomas, it was possible to observe that the kings used these documents to build up consensus and compliance of the elites to enable their reigns. It was concluded that greater enactment of diplomas does not constitute a crisis of governability; on the contrary, the number of diplomas concentrated in reigns considered strong is precisely what enabled the kings to avoid conflicts and dissentions in their kingdoms.

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar as interações entre os reis e as elites anglo-saxãs dos reinos da Mércia e Wessex, entre os séculos VIII e IX, sob a perspectiva da governança. Para tanto, foram perscrutados os diplomas promulgados pelos reis em favor das elites em diferentes reinados entre 716, ano de ascensão do Etelbaldo da Mércia, e 899, ano de morte do rei Alfredo, o Grande. A partir da análise dos diplomas, foi possível perceber que os reis utilizaram desses documentos como meio para obter o consenso e a aquiescência das elites de maneira a viabilizar seus reinados. Foi concluído que uma maior promulgação de diplomas não se configura uma crise de governabilidade, pelo contrário, o número de diplomas concentrados em reinados considerados fortes foi justamente o que possibilitou aos reis evitar conflitos e dissenções em seus reinos. / The aims of this research was analyze the interactions among Anglo-Saxons kings and elites in the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex in the 8th-9th centuries, from the perspective of governance. For that, the royal diplomas promulgated in favor of elites on the different reings between the years of 716, year of ascension of king Ethelbald of Mércia, and 899, year of death of king Alfred the Great was scrutinized. Through the analysis of the diplomas, it was possible to observe that the kings used these documents to build up consensus and compliance of the elites to enable their reigns. It was concluded that greater enactment of diplomas does not constitute a crisis of governability; on the contrary, the number of diplomas concentrated in reigns considered strong is precisely what enabled the kings to avoid conflicts and dissentions in their kingdoms.

This thesis examines the physical legacy left by the unification of the Kingdom of England during the tenth century, and seeks to redress the way in which the Kingdom of Mercia is often overlooked or discounted in the traditional historical narrative. It principally examines the means by which Æthelflæd of Mercia extended political and military control over the West Midlands, both in terms of physical infrastructure and through ‘soft’ power in terms of economic control and material culture. It uses landscape archaeology, artefactual and textual evidence to compare Mercia with its ally, Wessex, and assess the different means by which Æthelflæd of Mercia and her brother Edward the Elder were able to consolidate and expand their territory, the physical infrastructure they established in order to defend it, and the ways in which these sites developed in response to the changing political, military and economic climates of the later tenth century. It will assess why some defensive sites developed into proto-urban settlements while others disappeared, and the extent to which this was a conscious or planned process. This thesis seeks to overturn the idea that burhs constructed in Mercia were insignificant or unplanned ‘emergency’ sites and instead were part of a sophisticated network of landscapes of defence, reflecting a significant level of manpower and logistical investment on the part of the Mercian state. It will furthermore seek to explore the ways in which the Mercian state supported such a network, how sites were chosen, constructed, maintained and garrisoned, and the impact these sites had both on the local population, in terms of patterns of settlement and material culture, and on the wider political scale.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Zürich, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-151).

Inaug.-Diss.--Greifswald. / Lebenslauf. "Bibliographie": p. [7]-10.