|
|
Neo-Pagan Features in Boyden's "Three Day Road"
Bohal, Vít ; Kolinská, Klára (advisor) ; Jindra, Miroslav (referee)
In the thesis for my upcoming bachelor's paper I aim to analyze the topic of religion in Joseph Boyden's novel Three Day Road (2005). More specifically, I aim to defend the hypothesis that within the spectrum of religious dialogue present within the novel, there is an overwhelming undertone of neo-pagan ideals. These ideals are presented as being positive, in the sense that they are life-supporting, rather than life-hindering. The main contention that I will draw will deal with the aspect of taboo, and how it is adressed throughout the novel. Contrary to Sigmund Freud's ideas (Freud's book Totem and Taboo will serve as the basis for my arguments) of taboo being a life-hindering, neurotic framework of belief, the views expressed by the two main narrators of the novel are in favor of taboo, and the narration itself draws a tragic end for the character who consistently defies these taboos. There is a moral aspect to the story expressed within the relationship of the two main characters, Xavier Bird and Elijah Whiskeyjack, and is based on this very adherence, or lack thereof, to taboos. The main taboo consistently appears to be that of cannibalism associated with the infamous Algonquin mythological figure of the windigo, which is the most frequent metaphor used within the narrtaive and is the most productive...
|
|
|
The language of Spanish insults
Hroudová, Šárka ; Čermák, Petr (advisor) ; Zavadil, Bohumil (referee)
v anglickém jazyce "The language of Spanish Insults" The objective of the present paper was to explore, as the title indicates, the rich variety of the Spanish insults. We centered mainly on the comparison of the Spanish insults to the Czech insults and observed the diferences and specific characteristics of Spanish insults. We began the first part with the definition of formal and informal language and its sociolects, because we believe that it helps to understand the properties of the insults, since they have many common characteristics with the sociolects. Afterwards, we tried to describe the historical and cultural backgrounds, because due to different evolutions in each country, the habits to use insults and curses are different, especially concerning the curses, which are still very common in Spain. In Czech Republic the curses fell into oblivion during the last century, while the people were becoming more atheistic. The role of taboo is also very important, because in each society, taboo is what's influencing the usage and the importance of every insult. Neverthless, the insults don't serve only for attacking somebody or to show disappointment, but they also have other functions, such as identifying with the members of the group or to address someone in a friendly way. In the practical part,...
|
|
|
Explicit Depictions in Contemporary Japanese Literature
Šedivá, Lucie ; Tirala, Martin (advisor) ; Weber, Michael (referee)
In thesis "Explicit depictions of contemporary Japanese literature" I deal with contemporary prose literature describing problems of nowadays Japanese society. In the first part I define taboo and chose suitable novels for the need of this work. I focus on different types of characters - freeters, foreigners, social outsiders and victims. Next I take Murakami Ry's literature as an example of explicit depictions and show different ways of processing and various topics chosen by the author. Then I compare and contrast his work with selected prose of younger writer Kanehara Hitomi, who represents the literature of female authors in contemporary Japan. In conclusion I discuss the aesthetic function of literature of explicit depictions and its position in the field of art. By comparing and contrasting the various novels I reach my own characteristic of contemporary Japanese literature of explicit depictions.
|
|
|
The Spanish Insults
Hroudová, Šárka ; Čermák, Petr (advisor) ; Zavadil, Bohumil (referee)
"The Spanish Insults" The objective of the present paper was to explore, as the title indicates, the rich variety of the Spanish insults. We centered mainly on the comparison of the Spanish insults to the Czech insults and observed the diferences and specific characteristics of Spanish insults. We began the first part with the definition of formal and informal language and its sociolects, because we believe that it helps to understand the properties of the insults, since they have many common characteristics with the sociolects. Afterwards, we tried to describe the historical and cultural backgrounds, because due to different evolutions in each country, the habits to use insults and curses are different, especially concerning the curses, which are still very common in Spain. In Czech Republic the curses fell into oblivion during the last century, while the people were becoming more atheistic. The role of taboo is also very important, because in each society, taboo is what's influencing the usage and the importance of every insult. Neverthless, the insults don't serve only for attacking somebody or to show disappointment, but they also have other functions, such as identifying with the members of the group or to address someone in a friendly way. In the practical part, we first described the...
|
|
|
Ritual Purity and Impurity among the Gypsies
Krčková, Anna ; Řezáčová, Vendula (advisor) ; Martinová, Marta (referee)
In this thesis author deals with theme of the ritual purity and impurity among the Gypsies. Concept of ritual purity and impurity brought to anthropology Mary Douglas. Her approach became important tool to research Gypsy groups. Ritual impurity represents specific irrational quality, which influences social status of the individual or group and social relationships. It creates fundamental border between Gypsies and non-Gypsies and inter-communal hierarchy. Ritual im/purity these borders define clearly, but Gypsies cross and shift them. Within the families, this concept maintains inequality between men and women. Following chapter shows examples that go against mainstream interpretation of im/purity. Ritual purity is being kept by three instruments - Gypsy court, social control and fear of dead souls. Finally author compares Douglas's theory with concrete concept of purity and impurity among Gypsies.
|
|
|
Taboo and noa in communication. Realization of linguistic taboos in the print media
Junková, Anna ; Chejnová, Pavla (advisor) ; Janovec, Ladislav (referee)
Taboo and noa in communication. Realization of linguistic taboos in the print media. This thesis deals with issues of the taboo and noa in language and communication. The core of this thesis is to identify the essential tabooed themes in contemporary society and ways of their linguistic realization in the print media. In the theoretical part of this thesis is the first explained substance of the terms such as taboo, noa, communication and linguistic taboos with regard to the interrelations between these terms. In the empirical part are then defined tabooed themes occurring in the concrete texts of the diary Mladá fronta DNES and Blesk and of the periodical Rytmus života and ways of their linguistic grasping. The thesis focuses above all on the manifestations of speech restrictions in the lexical plan of the language.
|
|
|
Phenomenon of death: research of burial rituals
Hříbalová, Marta ; Kandert, Josef (advisor) ; Kotík, Michal (referee)
The thesis concerns on the phenomenon of death and it's tabooisation in the modern Czech society. Attitude, whether the death is taboo or not, divides not only the society but also the scientists of sociological field. In the first part it sets up basic arguments of both opposing groups by analyzing relevant scientific and general fiction literature. The other part of the thesis concerns on author's own research, with an aim to find out, what attitude to death and burial rituals is adopted by informants belonging to younger-middle aged generation living in the Czech Republic, primarily in Prague. The research uses qualitative methods, method of concerned and unconcerned observation on funeral ceremonies and semi-structured interviews with a group of informants. It focuses on recognition, whether the informants speak about death, go to cemeteries and practice rituals in relation to departed. Based on synthesis of gathered knowledge, the work sets up a new attitude to death-taboo as two different phenomena differing by relation to departed person.
|
|
|
Conventions and going beyond them, taboo subjects, art and perversion
Mikulášek, Marek ; FRANZ, Vladimír (advisor) ; SÍLOVÁ, Zuzana (referee)
In 1934, the film It Happened One Night caused great commotion, for the heroine tries to attract a lift by revealing her ankle. Today, approximately eighty years later, renowned actors have sex on the screen in films such as Nymphomaniac and The Story of Richard O., and their naked bodies are revealed in close-up. Narratives in theatre and on film have (not only in the realm of the erotic but also in terms of violence and political incorrectness) moved, in less than a century, towards shocking openness, crudeness, often even to vulgarity. In this thesis, I examine the causes of these trends and the new demands such extreme scenes make on actors. Moreover, I attempt to place shock into the historical context and point out that it is not new - a number of great plays caused a scandal in their time. Today we live in an era which knows almost no taboos. We have seen almost everything in art. After listing the most controversial scenes in theatre, film and happening, I reflect on the question whether the current audience is at all interested in more shocking experiments. Which further direction will the current performance art take?
|
|
|
Annahof
Matoušek, Jaroslav ; Hradecká, Irena (referee) ; Ponešová, Barbora (advisor)
Anenský dvůr used to be a farm surrounded by fields just a few dozen meters from the Austrian border. It worked even during the fifties before the creation of the Iron Curtain. Agricultural activity slowly subsided, people disappeared. Nature began quietly but ceaselessly, in small portions, getting on its side after the interval division. Buildings and their surroundings started to change. Nature has changed in fifty years place unrecognizable. Clearly defined boundaries are erased, flash greenery spread to the surrounding area and has created a specific single entity defining the surrounding chaos. Such a situation is the basis for the layout of the new cemetery. Current enhanced peripheral borders are strengthened by planting oaks, while the interior is modified. Most of invasive acacia and other shrubs are removed. The original character of the place, floodplain meadow is reinforced by planting new trees, such as birch or cherry. The new cemetery consists of two main areas - internal groomed lawn under clearly defined square walls, which leads to deposition of ash and vice versa in the outer belt informal grown meadows are individual pavilions cemetery.
|
|
| |
guest ::
