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The Concepts of Decadence and Health in Nietzsche's Late Philosophy
Vodička, Marek ; Novák, Aleš (advisor) ; Chavalka, Jakub (referee)
The Concepts of Decadence and Health in Nietzsche's Late Philosophy The thesis deals with the concepts of decadence and health, which feature prominently in Nietzsche's late thinking. The core sources of the thesis are Nietzsche's works from 1888, namely The Case of Wagner, Twilight of the Idols, The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo and Nietzsche contra Wagner, although earlier works are occasionally cited as well. The thesis aims to explore what the motives decadence and health mean in the context of late Nietzsche's thinking, what role they play in his grand philosophical project of the revaluation of all values, and how they interplay with each other. A consistent motive is applied throughout the thesis, that of decadence and health being opposites in terms of "amount" or "direction" of will to power manifesting itself through them - decadence, or bodily decay, is taken to represent a descending line of life characterized by a lack of will to power, and suffering from "a lack of life", while health is taken to represent an ascending line of life which is characterized as overflowing with life and suffering from it as well. The concepts of decadence and health are thus interpreted as physiological manifestations of these two directions, or, roughly said, "vectors" of will to power. The first chapter of the thesis...
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Czech Literary Anarchism in the Context of Socialism and the Women's Movement (1890-1914)
Hylmar, Radek ; Heczková, Libuše (advisor) ; Wiendl, Jan (referee) ; Merhautová, Lucie (referee)
Czech Literary Anarchism in the Context of Socialism and the Women's Movement (1890-1914) Abstract The thesis focuses on Czech pre-WWI anarchism. It analyses it as a modernist movement comprising various activities spanning political propaganda, proposals of social organisation and thinking about moral values as well views on the arts and literary production. The aim is to present literary texts written by anarchists against a backdrop of other types of expression. At the same time, the thesis assesses anarchism in the historical context of other political, social, artistic and philosophical movements. We study the interweaving of ideological and aesthetic schemes of Czech anarchism, especially with socialism and feminism, but also concerning decadence, Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy and writings of the German Friedrichshagen poets' and anarchists' circle. The thesis focuses on how anarchism understands human beings and their relationship to the world and society. Given the anarchists' focus on the free individual, we present strategies of emancipation from traditional conventions and institutions such as marriage, family and the state. We also concentrate on reforms concerning morals and similarities with the feminist turn to one's own bodily and psychical experiences as starting points for setting...
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Arthur Breisky and Oscar Wilde: Criticism, Mask, Mystification
Bláhová, Šárka ; Doležalová, Lucie (advisor) ; Alt, Jaroslav (referee)
The thesis is devoted to the following two representatives of literal decadence, Oscar Wilde, British dramatist, prose writer, poet and essayist, and Arthur Breisky, Czech prose writer, literary critic and translator. The thesis opens with providing a basic insight into the life and work of both authors. They were both influenced by decadence, which was not only an artistic trend, but also a specific spirit of the time that was reflected in the psychological and social roots and opinions of both authors. The thesis works with the basic assumption that the Czech decadent Breisky was significantly influenced by Wilde in his opinions and activities. The thesis sets up three areas to explore that mingle and influence each other: criticism, masque and mystification. The main similarities between Wilde and Breisky are analyzed in the thesis. Based on the comparison of individual motives, it is possible to trace how Breisky builds on Wilde's ideas and what, on the other hand, he invents newly or differently. Apart from the comparison of both authors, the thesis also provides a comprehensive overview of Breisky's opinions on literature and art at the theoretical level. Key words: Arthur Breisky, Oscar Wilde, decadence, critique, art, masque, mystification, dandysm
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The myth of Orpheus in the poetry of the 19th and 20th century
Jupová, Andrea ; Jamek, Václav (advisor) ; Voldřichová - Beránková, Eva (referee)
This bachelor thesis The myth of Orpheus in the french poetry of 19th and 20th century deals with the mythological references left in the work of significant authors of the modern French poetry. In the first part of the thesis, the Pre-literary and literary versions of the ancient myth of Orpheus are mentioned. We are focusing on the writings of Ovid and Virgil which are analysed. In the following chapters of the second part, constituent motifs are looked up in works of chosen authors from the period of romanticism to the forties of 20th century in connection with particular literary context. The specifical usage of the myth and his changes are observed and described. In the third part; all authors' adaptations are compared also with indication the importance of ancient mythology in the modern literature.
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Huysmans's À rebours as A Parody of The « Experimental Novel » ?
Krausová, Eliška ; Voldřichová - Beránková, Eva (advisor) ; Pohorský, Aleš (referee)
The aim of the bachelor thesis Huysman's Naruby, as a parody of Experimentalního románu, is an attempt to consult Huyman's novel Naruby not only as a source of decadent symbols but also as a critical and parodying work with which its author tries completing his separation from "the father of Naturalism", Emil Zola. Particularly from Zola's notion of naturalism described in a literary critical work Experimentální román. At first the work is concerned with Experimentální román and tries to delimit the basic principles of naturalism which are defined there. Moreover, there is also a short introduction of Joris Karl Huysmans, especially from a creative development point of view, as well as an outline of the relationship between him and Emile Zola. The next chapter is dealing with an analysis of the novel Naruby itself and with searching for potential parodying aspects, namely from the perspective of smaller units, such as a conception of the space and time or perception of reality. In the end, the work points to mutual contradiction in terms by both authors, especially Zola's tendency to decadent aesthetics in the late works.
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Allegory of fashion (Luisa Zikova's Case)
Chochrunová, Ivana ; Heczková, Libuše (advisor) ; Merhaut, Luboš (referee)
This bachelor thesis concentrates on the issue of the relationship of fashion and literature in the period of fin de siècle. The allegory of fashion, as it was brought to life by Charles Baudelaire in "The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays" and subsequently developed by Oscar Wilde, is one of the results of Luisa Zikova's analysis, the prematurely deceased writer of the 90s of the 19st century. This thesis follows the overall change in the literary methods based on the analyses of her short stories, both published and from estate, in the relation to categories of transiency and permanency, outside and inside, consciousness and unconsciousness. It will stem from the theoretical and historical principles of the Czech modernism of Petr Málek, Michal Topor, Robert Pynset and others.
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Imaginary Orientalism of Gustave Moreau in the Context of 19th Century Orientalism and Symbolism
Domincová, Eliška ; Prahl, Roman (advisor) ; Wittlich, Petr (referee)
The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to analyze the orientalist artwork of French painter Gustave Moreau in a context of orientalism and symbolism in the second half of the 19th century. The thesis focuses on comparing the representation of Orient in Moreau's art and its representation in painting in general, in particular in academic orientalism. Stylistic and thematic differences between traditional academic orientalism and the innovative approach of Gustave Moreau to the similar oriental subjects are examined. It also explores the position of Moreau's art in symbolist movement and his influence hereon. The core research method used in the thesis is studying the works of art mentioned in it and their analysis from iconographic, iconological and semiotic points of view. The author also examines primary textual sources (mainly artist's own thinking about art) and secondary literature concerning the life and art of Gustave Moreau, orientalism and its political context, and works on symbolism. The thesis consists of two parts. Part 1 deals with Moreau's orientalist art work within the frame of French orientalism of the second half of the 19th century, and it points out differences between Moreau's imaginary orientalism and the traditional academic orientalism. Chapter 1.1 describes the social and...
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Myth of Narcissus in French literature at the turn of the 20th Century
Kučerová, Magdalena ; Pohorský, Aleš (advisor) ; Pechar, Jiří (referee) ; Jamek, Václav (referee)
Mgr. Magdalena Kučerová Dissertation work: Myth of Narcissus in French literature at the turn of the 20th century ABSTRACT: This dissertation thesis based on knowledge of French myth criticism deals with the issue of myths in literature, which is a specific manifestation of human symbolic imagination. In its most general level the work studies the definition of a myth and its social function as well as the matter of opposite notions regarding to the mythos and logos, which have gradually more and more differentiated along with the development of European thinking. The myth of Narcissus has probably been one of the oldest myths in European culture. In its most renowned and most comprehensive form, the myth first appeared in the third book of Metamorphoses by Ovid, which has served as an inspiration for remakes by many later authors. The story of a young man who fell in love with his own reflection on the surface of the water contains a great variety of semantically strong structures (mainly the motifs of a mirror, narcissistic love, passively superior character of a hero, or the final metamorphoses into a flower), which are analysed in this study. The author of this study outlines the interpretational evolution of the myth of Narcissus in French literary history...
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Emanuel Hauner's conversion and reconversion at the fin de siècle
Semsch, Alžběta ; Vojtěch, Daniel (advisor) ; Merhaut, Luboš (referee)
The goal of the final thesis Emanuel Hauner's conversion and reconversion at the fin de siècle is to introduce and to interpret Emanuel Hauner's major poetic works, which have been so far neglected by the Czech literary history. My goal was to analyze the reasons of refusal of his works by both readers and critics. To make this analysis precise, it was necessary to take a close look at two phenomena appearing in Hauner's work: stylization and epigonism. The second major goal of this thesis was to answer the question of how Hauner's relation to occultism and Catholicism influenced his works. I was looking for other European authors that, similarly to Hauner, converted to Catholicism and in some parts of their lives had affinity for occultism. I have thus put Hauner's work both in the context of work of authors in whose work the conversion to Catholicism played a major role, and in the context of the artistic criteria of his time. Keywords: Catholicism, Czech literature, decadence, Emanuel Hauner, epigonism, fin de siècle, martinism, occultism, Rudolf Steiner, stylization, Sursum, theosophy
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