|
|
Modernity and the Changing American South: Alienation in a Selection of Fiction by Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty
Halášková, Lucie ; Roraback, Erik Sherman (advisor) ; Ulmanová, Hana (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to explore the theme of alienation in selected fiction by Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor, taking into consideration the geographic as well as ideological positions from which the two authors write, contextualizing their work in its portrayal as well as critique of the South. Firstly, the insular nature of the South is examined vis-à-vis ethnic and racial othering. The exclusionary social politics of Southern communities are satirized and subverted, as the two authors pit the xenophobic and racist tendencies of their provincial characters against a cultural landscape that fails to accommodate their narrow- minded world view. The gap between the Southern ideology and its contemporaneous reality can be partially accounted for due to the rise of consumer culture, which is discussed in its impact on race relations and social mobility as well as religion. The following chapter, entitled "Commodity Culture and the Americanization of the South," explores the conflation of religious and consumerist ideologies, negotiating the proclaimed adherence to Protestantism in the South with the rise of consumer behaviour as supplanting spirituality. The impact of a ritualistic adherence to capitalist structures is analyzed as promoting a culture of hyper-individualism, narcissism and alienation,...
|
|
|
Modernity and the Changing American South: Alienation in a Selection of Fiction by Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty
Halášková, Lucie ; Roraback, Erik Sherman (advisor) ; Ulmanová, Hana (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to explore the theme of alienation in selected fiction by Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor, taking into consideration the geographic as well as ideological positions from which the two authors write, contextualizing their work in its portrayal as well as critique of the South. Firstly, the insular nature of the South is examined vis-à-vis ethnic and racial othering. The exclusionary social politics of Southern communities are satirized and subverted, as the two authors pit the xenophobic and racist tendencies of their provincial characters against a cultural landscape that fails to accommodate their narrow- minded world view. The gap between the Southern ideology and its contemporaneous reality can be partially accounted for due to the rise of consumer culture, which is discussed in its impact on race relations and social mobility as well as religion. The following chapter, entitled "Commodity Culture and the Americanization of the South," explores the conflation of religious and consumerist ideologies, negotiating the proclaimed adherence to Protestantism in the South with the rise of consumer behaviour as supplanting spirituality. The impact of a ritualistic adherence to capitalist structures is analyzed as promoting a culture of hyper-individualism, narcissism and alienation,...
|
|
|
Fragmentation and Disjointedness in Samuel Beckett's Plays
Halášková, Lucie ; Pilný, Ondřej (advisor) ; Armand, Louis (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to explore different levels of fragmentation and disjointedness in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, Krapp's Last Tape, Happy Days, and Play. Firstly, certain concepts are exposed as being fragmentary. The concepts which are examined in relation to fragmentation and disjointedness are language, time, identity, and reality. The motivation behind this part of the research was to expose the subjectivity and multiplicity of these concepts, and to examine how they function in the four treated plays. Furthermore, this thesis seeks to examine Beckett's use of fragmentation and disjointedness in correlation with incompleteness, examining the importance of what is present but also what is absent in the treated plays. In chapter 2, the relationship between the form and function of language is examined, exploring the different factors that affect one's perception towards language. Language is examined within a subjective, contextual, and social framework. The characters of the treated plays prove that language is a delicate method of expression, often resulting in rifts in communication. The third chapter deals with the fragmentation and subjectivity of time, identity, and reality. Time is examined in relation to the characters, delving into the problem of the characters' perception of the...
|
guest ::
RSS feed.