There is evidence in Steinbeck's works of anti-intellectualism which is expressed by a somewhat maudlin handling of human emotions,and by a doggedly persistent attack on various intellectual types. This attitude is further revealed in Steinbeck's personal life by his abstention from any literary coteries or universities and his adamant refusal to discuss his life and works or offer his considerable talent to any institution of higher learning.
This thesis presents a comparison of the ideas of two philosopher-psychologists, James and Bergson, and studies the theory and techniques in the three works of fiction that comprise "The Aviary Trio."
Shakespeare's Cleopatra is a character of magnificent aspect, a puzzling paradox of magnetic intensity, an intensified diversity unmatched by any other Cleopatra in literary history. Although she was not his invention, Shakespeare made of her a living woman, believable in spite of her incredulous behavior.
This thesis explores the topic of leadership through the war novels of: Styron and Uris, Jones, Mailer and Shaw, Cozzens, Hersey and Heller and finally, Wouk and Michener.
This study proposes to demonstrate that the Platonic doctrine of the ennobling power of love is of paramount importance in a number of Shakespeare's plays. This study has been limited to the three love tragedies because in them the ennobling power of love is a major theme, affecting both the characters and the plot structure. The plays to be studied are Romeo and Juliet, Troilus and Cressida, and Antony and Cleopatra.
The Return of the Native, and, to a lesser degree, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, served as the "darkling plain" upon which Hardy tried to pose and to solve his theories of the universe, its meanings and its duties toward man. The "darkling plain" in Hardy's works is represented by Egdon Heath and the country surrounding this heath.
The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of a dream, a desire, or an idea transpiring in the thoughts of an individual, growing in importance to the individual, and finally becoming an idée fixe, or irresistible idea, which cannot be suppressed by the individual. The investigation will be concerned with the two of Dostoevsky's heroes who best exemplify the phenomenon.
This thesis will attempt to show that the three major works of Conrad's middle period -- Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under Western Eyes -- are essentially literary epics.
One can compare Guthrie's fiction with a sampling of the primary source material, to determine in general his degree of historical accuracy. Then one can compare Guthrie's interpretation with the interpretations of some widely read historiographers, to determine points of agreement or divergence. Finally, Guthrie's interpretation of history can be studied in relation to the themes he develops in his fiction.
For the purpose of this study, Poe's tales were read and considered carefully in chronological order, the idea being to discover growth and development. Poe's literary career was relatively brief (1832-1849), and there are no dramatic or definite breaks or periods. Though his production shows growth in sophistication and artistry, it has been deemed more instructive to group Poets first-person narrators according to the part they play in the story, that is, (1) main actor or protagonist, (2) minor character, (3) observers and (4) combinations of the foregoing three. An attempt will be made to note both variation and pattern, and hence artistic skill, in Poe Is handling of each particular type of narrator.
The purpose of this paper is to establish that Francis Thompson, the English poet who lived from 1859 until 1907, is a myth-maker. In doing this, it will be necessary to define the term "myth-maker." The theme will then be developed by considering it in relation to the following topics: a brief resume of the events of his life having a direct bearing upon his mythic system, difficulties the student of his work must face, proof that he is a myth-maker of noteworthy significance, a consideration of the nature of his myth, a discussion of his most notable mythic values, and a special look at his mythic development of "The Hound of Heaven."
What basic similarities are found in all the fugitives? First of all, they are fugitives in the sense that they are wanderers. While not necessarily running to or from some specific thing, the fugitives nonetheless are men who travel; they are men who only face their conflicts directly when they attempt to stop traveling either by changing themselves so that they will fit in (Val in Orpheus Descending and Chance), by changing their environment so that it will accept them (Val in Battle of Angels and Shannon), or by searching for something that is permanently lost (Kilroy).
The objective of this paper is not to be right about Homer's understanding and use of the gods in some absolute sense, but to enter the spiraling Homeric conversation as a lesser voice--to be right, given the paper's presuppositions and limitations.
This thesis will attempt to scrutinize Günter Grass's message to his people and show his concern for the spiritual health of his country. Each of his three novels bears directly upon political, religious, and moral issues vital to Germany and to the world. The examination is based upon the assumption that Grass as an author is more concerned that Germans see themselves as they are and as they have been than he is concerned with the image of Germany which his novels present to the world. It is, paradoxically, this very special and sincere concern which gives his work universal appeal.
This thesis argues that Katherine Anne Porter's novel, Ship of Fools, "is not a departure from the body of Porter's work which precedes it, but a culmination in theme and technical achievement."
The purpose of this thesis is to determine the nature of Charles Lamb as revealed in his Elia essays. To this end, these essays form the major portion of the text. The general procedure for ascertaining what these excerpts indicate is as follows: first, the characteristics of Charles Lamb are determined from a study of the Elia essays; second, these characteristics are considered in relation to information derived from biographies. Careful attention is given to significant discrepancies between the essays and other sources.
In parallel passages from Old and Middle English and in noun cognates from Modern English, Old English, and Modern German, the most discernible elements of language drift are gender loss and word meaning change, respectively. They can be observed, discussed, and calculated to show a definite progression toward the development of Modern English.
Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, and Women in Love present sequentially in fictional version Lawrence's own personal journey into self-discovery in the form of a creation myth of sensual love which repeats the archetypal patterns of some of the great mythologies. It is the purpose of the following pages to show how these three novels reveal the major archetypal patterns of mythology as suggested by Joseph Campbell in his study, The Hero with A Thousand Faces.
It is the purpose of this thesis to examine the relevance of Jane Austen's moral and social judgments for the twentieth century, in terms of insight into human nature and human relationships and of a realistic and penetrating treatment of the moral and social problems most vital to moiety in the 1960's.
The drama of Jean-Paul Sartre is primarily an investigation into the meaning of the human condition. The question of primary concern is: What does it mean to be a human being? Through his drama, Sartre reveals the nature of the existential situation. This thesis looks at five plays of Sartre and discusses the philosophical ideas in each.
Millay and Dickinson, born more than sixty years apart, were subject to vastly different influences and environments, although their homes were in the same geographic area. Their poetry reflects the difference of their times and their own temperament, but both wrote from a great depth and understanding of feeling and experience about subjects common to all mankind - death, love, anguish, the significance of nature.
This thesis examines the degree of primitivism in the fiction of George Sessions Perry and Fred Gipson for the purpose of determining their respective attitudes toward the effect of modern technology on rural Central Texas.
This study concerns itself primarily with James Baldwin's treatment of the attitudes he thinks most white people hold. He desires to make the white man conscious of his attitude towards Negroes and to analyze the reasons for them, and incorporates his ideas into setting, characterization, and plot.
John Marshall Clemens was a failure, as a man, as a husband, and as a father. It is his lack of emotion, his inability to express or receive love, with which this thesis is mainly concerned, for it is his emotional vacuum that so greatly affected his fourth son, Samuel Clemens.
This thesis examines the relationship between Samuel Clemens and his mother, Jane Lampton Clemens. It is apparent that Samuel was strongly influenced by his mother in his personality, appearance, and beliefs; but of greater importance is the influence she exerted on the literary creations of Mark Twain.
The celebration of reality in Richard Wilbur's poetry has significant implications for contemporary literature and for contemporary man. In literature, his celebration of reality points to the way out of the mood of despair which has influenced much of literary thought in the twentieth century. For the individual, the celebration of reality encourages man to turn from self to an appreciation for reality which makes life worthwhile. This thesis will discuss the celebration of reality that is present in Wilbur's poetry.
This study attempts to categorize the major women characters of Faulkner, and with a brief description of each, cast light upon the relationship of that character to Faulkner's other women and to the author's ultimate view of womankind.
The purpose of this paper is to point out the parallels of the ideas of Nietzsche and Swinburne with the objective of exonerating Swinburne's poetry from the charge of "intellectual thinness."
A thorough study of the progressive development of the description of Richard in the sources of Shakespeare's play and a comparison of the results of such a study with Shakespeare's portrait may make possible a deeper and clearer understanding of the character of the man as well as some further insight into the methods of Shakespeare's art.
The purpose of this study is to define what melancholy meant during the English Renaissance, to throw some light on the origins and types of melancholy which became dominant in the thought and literary expression of the period, and to examine the various melancholy types among Shakespeare's characters.
The province of this paper, therefore, is to reveal Emily Dickinson's concept of God which resulted from her personal confinement and subsequent delving as a "solitary dissenter."
D. H. Lawrence made the final break through the mask of Victorian prudery to gain a full conception of man and his role in the universe. His principal emphasis is on the restoration of man's conception of himself as animal, an animal capable of conceptualizing, but essentially animal all the same. In attempting to restore man to the mindless state of irrational animism, Lawrence did away with the conventional idea of man as the perfection of God's created universe. Lawrence did not conceive of man as being controller of the natural universe; he thought of man as being, like Mellors in Lady Chatterly's Lover, a warden who lives within natural order. He attacks vain intellectual sophistry of the scientific, industrial society and finds man to be a brute spirit caged by the conventions of his puny reason and his self-imposed social customs. Philosophically, he changes the emphasis from being to becoming.
Don Juan was Byron's effort to come to terms with the reality of his own environment, and he demanded the liberty to try to understand life and to present his conclusions without editorial or social oppression. It is an examination of the problem of appearance and reality; as a satire, the poem attacks appearances maintained by hypocrisy by placing them against the background of reality which is apparent to Byron.
In his minor poems, Coleridge applies symbolic techniques to embellish the poetry and satisfy his spiritual needs. His symbolism allows for a release of pent-up emotions and transmits philosophical ideas in "capsule forms" rather than in historical prose, making them relate to the poetic appeal.
"This thesis is a critical analysis of Tolkien's Elvish. This critical analysis is motivated in the same way as critiques of other aspects of literary art, such as plot, characterization, and structure. The latter are subject to critical evaluation precisely because they are a part of the writer's creative art. Elvish is also the product of the artist's creativity. The fact that Tolkien is a trained philologist and distinguished language scholar and has obviously lavished much time and effort on Elvish make this created language a valid area for analysis and criticism...in view of the extent of the available data, all that can be attempted here is a description of Elvish morphology and syntax in light of both the evidence and Tolkien's comments about it."--leaves 1-5
Capote's themes of the innocent character who is confronted with evil and the evil character - a product of society - who tries to initiate the innocent, are brought together in In Cold Blood.
This paper will examine Chekhov's attitudes toward love and marriage as revealed in his short stories. An attempt will be made to find certain themes which recur frequently and to discover the reasons for their recurrence.
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