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Points of Perception: Possible Readings of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go
Vinduška, Josef ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee) ; Chalupský, Petr (advisor)
The thesis presents four perceptions of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2006) using (and synthesizing) the critical approaches of New Criticism, Reader-Response Criticism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Structuralism and Deconstruction. The novel is read respectively as a (dis)continuation of the author's previous themes, a science-fictional dystopia, a comedy, and a metaphor for human condition. The main aim is to discuss aspects of each reading and to determine whether the meaning of the novel changes with different perceptions, or whether the meaning is independent of the critic's methods and perspectives.
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Absence of Nuclear Family and its Consequences in the Work of John Irving
Částková, Tereza ; Grmela, Josef (referee) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor)
This thesis deals with one aspect of the literary work of the American writer John Irving, that is the frequent absence of nuclear family in his novels and its consequences. Irving's heroes grow up very often without either one or both parents and this thesis analyses how the deprivation has influenced them in their lives, especially in their adulthood. The beginning of the thesis presents at first theoretically the consequences of the absence of nuclear family in a human life and its basis is in psychological literature, then it introduces John Irving and his work. The core of the thesis is the analysis of the selected novels where the theme is the most prominent.
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Reflection of old-Germanic Legends and Myths in the Works of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (With the Focus on The Silmarillion and Edda)
Milanovová, Kateřina ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Červinková Poesová, Kristýna (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the reflection of the old-Germanic myths and legends in the work of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, focusing mainly on The Simarillion and the Icelandic saga Poetic and Prose Edda. It does not aspire to be a complete listing and description of all the oldGermanic myths and legends Tolkien was inspired by and used them in his works. It should provide an outline of the most significant and striking similarities and parallels in these books. For this purpose I have cited many extracts from the texts. In the beginning of this thesis I have also attempted to draw an outline of Tolkien's life and his sources of inspiration. For a better insight into the issue I have included a chapter on some of the most important myths of non-Germanic origin.
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Journey of a Hero: The Treatment of Mythology in the Work of William Butler Yeats
Vošahlíková, Martina ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Grmela, Josef (referee)
The thesis deals primarily with the influence of mythology in the work of William Butler Yeats and particularly focuses on his depiction of the ancient Celtic warrior Cuchulainn. The work briefly introduces the background of Irish mythology and its recordings; however the main interest lies in the interpretation of the myth by the Irish literary movement represented by W.B. Yeats and its contribution to the constitution of Ireland's national identity. The literary portrayal is contrasted with the way the hero Cuchualinn was recalled by the political leaders of the Irish revolution to illustrate the process of national symbols' formation. The challenge of the resulting establishment exemplified by the work of Mary T. Condren in the final part of the thesis points out to the opportunity of intentional selection of such symbols and opens the discussion of art's authority and influence.
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Family tragedy in William Styron's Lie Down in Darkness
Houdková, Veronika ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Grmela, Josef (referee)
This thesis deals with complicated family relationships of the main characters in William Styron's first novel Lie Down in Darkness. The Loftises only seemingly make a happy, perfect family. The main characters are Milton and Helen Loftis and their daughter, Peyton. The aim of the thesis to delve into the complicated family relationships and analyze the characters in order to discover the reasons behind this family's tragedy, namely Peyton's suicide. The thesis also introduces William Styron and his first novel that has unfortunately been virtually ignored in the Czech Republic.
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Major Topics in the Works of Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossett
Doležalová, Martina ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee) ; Grmelová, Anna (advisor)
The thesis focuses on the most significant topics in the works of Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Rossetti, members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, formed in the Victorian era, who were influenced by the aesthetics of the movement and also by the subsiding Romanticism. This study discusses such characteristically Pre-Raphaelite topics in the poems of both authors as unfulfilled love related to the death of a young beautiful woman, or the anticipation of death and doom. Some more modern and provocative themes, such as prostitution, women rivalry and the role of woman in Victorian society are also examined. The thesis claims that the oeuvres of both authors were, to some extent, affected by their lives and their distinctive attitudes, often diametrically diverse, which is mostly palpable in their contradictory perception of religion, faith and redemption as shown in the collections The House of Life and Monna Innominata. The thesis also offers a comparison of Gabriel's well-known artistic production with his less renowned literary output, highly valued by himself and closely connected with his paintings. One of the ambitions of this study is also an attempt to present Gabriel's poetry from an angle which would show that it is as engaging as his artistic creation, but - unlike his sister's - has not yet...
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Encounters with Otherness in E. M. Forster's A Room With a View and D. H. Lawrence's The Lost Girl
Skopečková, Eva ; Grmelová, Anna (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
In my dissertation, I examine encounters with otherness in E. M. Förster's A Room With a View and D. H. Lawrence's The Lost Girl. Primarily, I focus on the development of the main protagonists, which is influenced by such a sudden encounter. I also discuss the particular views of the two writers concerning this issue. In both books, Forster and Lawrence dramatize their belief in the great potential of southern emotionality and suggest a sort of solution to the dehumanized and stiff life of the English middle classes, which the writers severely criticised. In both novels, Forster as well as Lawrence choose Italy as the representation of the great potential of the Southern nations and they place it against the criticised stiffness and sterility of the English middle classes. The portrayal of this southern element, however, differs in several aspects in the respective books. What is more, the conception of otherness appears in various forms in both works, reflecting their author's approaches. The depiction of the development of Forster's and Lawrence's heroines actually demonstrates their author's beliefs in a possible way for a young middle class woman oppressed by social conventions and values towards her inmost feelings and passions on the grounds of an encounter with otherness. Moreover, there is another...
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Differences and Similarieties in the Oz and Harry Potter Series
Florianová, Petra ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Vosková, Monika (referee)
V této práci jsem se pokusila z několika aspektů srovnat dvě série knih pro děti. Těmito aspekty jsou motivace autorů napsání mnohodílných sérií, postavy, časoprostor, možné problematické oblasti při hodnocení knih a nakonec možné důvody, proč byly obě série tolik úspěšné. Motivace obou autorů, která je vedla napsání dalších pokračování první velmi úspěšné knihy, byla velice odlišná. Zatímco Baum měl v plánu napsat pouze jednu knihu o Zemi Oz, J. K. Rowling měla již od prvního okamžiku, kdy si vytvořila postavu Harry Pottera, v mysli několik dalších pokračování jeho příběhu. Rozhodnutí napsat další pokračování příběhů o Zemi Oz vnukly Baumovi děti, které mu psaly mnoho dopisů, ve kterých ho prosily o další a další knížky s jejich oblíbenými hrdiny. Z důvodu, že Baum nechtěl původně psát další pokračování knihy Čaroděj ze Země Oz, nacházíme mnoho nesrovnalostí v průběhu sérií. Tyto nesrovnalosti nejsou ale na překážku, neboť knihy na sebe striktně nenavazují a je možno je číst i v jiné posloupnosti, než ve které byly napsány. V případě, že by se nějaké veliké nesrovnalosti vyskytovaly v knihách J. K. Rowling, knihy by přestaly být konzistentní a celý syžet, na kterém jsou založeny by pozbyl smyslu.
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Roald Dahl - the reflectoin of his life experience in his short stories
Vladyková, Dagmar ; Higgins, Bernadette (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
The main goal of this thesis is to point out the many similar features of Roald Dahl's work and life. The short stories, in the thesis briefly characterised, are put into chronological order according to Roald Dahl's life periods. The analysis of the short stories suggests to which extent they are autobiographical. The author's autobiographies, Boy- Tales of Childhood, Going Solo and the biography Roald Dahl by Jeremy Treglown, are used as the basis of this parallelism. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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