For years, Shakespeare’s most debated tragedy, Titus Andronicus has been bashed or dismissed by critics. “No detail of physical horror is spared; from beginning to end the stage reeks with blood, and the characters vie with one another in barbarity.” However, the questions arise: Can such a violent play be performed today? And how has it been staged in the past? There is no doubt that staging the play has its difficulties. The theatricality of Titus can pose a number of problems. Although the play is very theatrical, the violence has been interpreted several ways throughout the years. Today it seems that, to an extent, we as an audience expect deeds of violence from a tragedy. The word “tragedy” ignites images of violence and despair. Jonathan Bate’s assertion that, Titus Andronicus is “in fact complicated and sophisticated – and that it ought to be widely read and more frequently performed” may be correct.
Franz Kafka’s works have been studied by literary scholars and students since the
posthumous publication of his literature. Often noted for their absurd and fantastical elements, Kafka’s short stories and novels present protagonists who undergo extreme experiences of suffering and death. Through a Marxist reading of his works, suffering is revealed as a product of a capitalist society and its alienation of individuals. In addition, through analyzing Kafka’s religious symbolism and motifs, his protagonists act as foils to Jesus Christ, whose passion and death is perhaps the most widely recognized and celebrated story of suffering. Finally, Kafka’s characters often exhibit the ideals of existentialism, the rejection of organized systems such as government and religion in favor of an introspective existence and an acceptance of suffering and death. Through these perspectives, Kafka explores the different
meanings that can be derived from suffering.
Daphne du Maurier lived an unconventional life in which she rebelled against the standards society had set in place for a woman of her time. Du Maurier’s inferiority complex, along with her incestuous feelings and bisexuality, set the stage for the characters and events in her most famous novel, Rebecca. Throughout this paper, I will conduct character studies of the unnamed narrator and Rebecca de Winter, in order to emphasize the inspiration du Maurier drew from her own life to create the characters and events of this novel.
Harry Potter has become one of the largest literary phenomena in history. In addition to books, the Potter phenomenon has branched out into many other areas of media. While they were written for a younger audience, people of all ages can enjoy these books. J.K. Rowling has brought people from televisions, phones, radios, and iPods, back to one of the most basic forms of entertainment and enlightenment: reading. Everyone can relate to the characters and storyline of Harry Potter in some form. in this work, I establish how the Harry Potter series is a Modern Epic and how Harry is an archetypal epic hero. In order to do so, I show how Rowling's work fits into many different genres, but belongs most to the Epic form, albeit a modern version. Therefore, I show how Rowling's influences mold the novels, as well as the archetypal hero into a modern epic form.
The relationship between personal liberty and social order affects every human being. Censorship is used as a mediator between personal thought and the greater social apparatus. “Where Ignorance is Bliss, tis Folly to be Wise” is a comprehensive look at Aldous Huxley’s classic novel, Brave New World, being challenged in various school systems in America since 1980. The paper aims to evaluate whether these challenges were consistent with court precedents involving First Amendment rights. Specifically, the paper attempts evaluate the legality of the challenges, and unbiasedly determine whether the challenges had any merit. The challenges that are looked at are Miller, Missouri in 1980; Corona-Norco, California in 1993; Folly, Alabama in 2000; and Seattle, Washington in 2010.
It is the purpose of this thesis to explore the "Truths" that exist in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth Legendarium. The first chapter will examine the creation myth of Middle-earth, in which Tolkien's understanding of God and other spiritual matters is most clearly revealed. The second chapter will examine the heroes and villains of Middle-earth, through which Tolkien illustrates his view of good and evil. The third chapter will examine the concept of death in Tolkien's stories, in order to identify Tolkien's beliefs about death and the afterlife. Ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to illuminate how the myths of Tolkien's fantasy world can lead us to understand the most essential Truths of our own world.
This thesis contemplates the sustainability if the United States' heavy economic dependence on oil, which procures its global hegemony, through analyzing Abdul Rahman Munif's "Cities of Salt" and Omar El Akkad's "American War" sequentially. Sustainability is used to assess U.S. militance as well as the environmental and economic consequences of American oil dependence. Munif's "Cities of Salt' accounts the conflation of capitalism and militance in petrostates through the introduction of American oil companies in Saudi Arabia during the twentieth century. The oil-based partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia solidified American presence in the Middle East and enabled the U.S. to assert its oil agenda. Analyzing Omar El Akkad's "American War" as an inversion of the current world order permits the censure of American oil policy and alludes to the decline of American hegemony amid the rise of alternative energy.
Within the Gothic novels The Castle of Otranto, Dracula, The Turn of the Screw, and Rebecca, women's level of independence and morality had no connection to the social class they belonged to. However, the views of identity and sexuality are direct reflections of the social class to which each woman belonged.
This thesis takes up the issue of the traditional English curriculum in high school English classes and emphasizes the importance of incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy into English classes.
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series focuses on the adventures of its titular character, Percy Jackson, as he tries to navigate the world of ancient Greek gods he has been thrust into and the impending war that looms over the horizon for the entire series. It has become a best-selling series that has launched multiple spin-off series, movies, and a TV show. While this series is aimed at children and young adults, it still tackles serious issues that existed
within the ancient Greek world as well as the modern-day America it takes place in, making it relatable to all ages. Although this series follows some of the traditional tropes and conventions of literature, Riordan manages to subvert these traditional conventions. This thesis will begin with a look into the origins of the Percy Jackson series, developing the background for those unfamiliar with both the series and the author. The next chapter will focus on how Rick Riordan
subverts the tropes and conventions surrounding the role of women within both Greek mythology and classical literature, making his audience rethink the merit behind them. Following this, the thesis will look at how Riordan alters the image of Greek mythological gods, subverting the traditional views surrounding them. Finally, the last chapter will focus on how Riordan uses the character of Luke Castellan to serve as a foil for Percy Jackson, subverting the usual protagonist/hero and antagonist/villain archetypes.