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Linguistic Estrangement in Selected Science Fiction
Lebedeva, Tatiana ; Veselá, Pavla (advisor) ; Clark, Colin Steele (referee)
This work is a discussion of the connections between language in science fiction, the formalist concept of estrangement, and gender studies. The thesis suggests that the language of science fiction features linguistic estrangement that manifests itself in the form of a device and an effect which is produced as a result of certain modification of language used in a science fiction narrative. As the device of linguistic estrangement can be aimed at highlighting various processes, this thesis focuses on a narrow category of the representation of the sexes in the English language and the transformation of gender-biased language and the unequal representation of sexes via the aforementioned device. The introduction to this work gives an overview of the current debate on the topic in order to introduce the reader to the relevance of the discussion. The first chapter explores the definition of science fiction through the theory of cognitive estrangement by Darko Suvin and explains the choice of this medium for the study of language and gender. Then, it gives a definition of the device of literary estrangement as well as explains the nature and the usage of linguistic estrangement in science fiction. The second and the third chapters exemplify this phenomenon in selected works, Woman on the Edge of Time by...
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Theme of Memory in Julian Barnes' Later Works
Chaloupecká, Aneta ; Beran, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Clark, Colin Steele (referee)
(in English): This thesis explores the theme of memory as seen in later works of Julian Barnes, namely Arthur & George (2005), Nothing to be Frightened of (2008) and The Sense of an Ending (2011). Barnes is part of the postwar generation of writers who have been highly influenced by the postmodern thought, specifically the problematisation of history. According to the postmodernists, there is no possible way to objectively learn about the historical reality, as all there is to give evidence are the unreliable testimonies of eye-witnesses and biased historical accounts. Historiographies are considered to be unreliable sources of information about the past since they employ the same narrative strategies as fictional texts do and they are often written from the position of power. Memory is a key concept in this discussion since apart from historical documents, it is the only way of knowing about the past. To Barnes, memory represents a complex mechanism which enables to recall the past, but also defines our entire understanding of the everyday reality. In the three books that this thesis discusses have chosen a different strategy to approach the problem of memory - Nothing to be Frightened of is a memoir which provides for the theoretical background of this thesis, as it presents Barnes understanding...
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The Doubles That Lost Their Faces: The Role of Physiognomy in the Literature of Doubles in the 19th Century
Farniková, Hana ; Beran, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Clark, Colin Steele (referee)
The BA thesis is concerned with the topic of doubles and doppelgängers in anglophone literature of the 19th century in relation to physiognomy, i.e. science that examines the effects of human character on their appearance. The thesis focuses on the notion of "losing one's face" in both literal and figurative meaning, and the relationship between the faces of the doubles and the originals. To make this analysis possible, it was necessary to establish guidelines of what functions should a literary face fulfil. Hence, the BA thesis works with Gilles Deleuze's roles of the face: individuating, socializing, relational. These roles ensure uniqueness of one's face, one's social role and one's ability to lead a dialogue - not only an external, but also an internal one (and as such, it ensures that individuals parts of character and appearance are in accordance with each other.) The objective of the thesis is to answer the question of what happens to the face and the identity of an individual if he must share them with a double. To answer this question, the thesis analyzes three fundamental works dealing with duality: James Hogg's Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. All three novels...
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'The Origin of J.R.R. Tolkien's Character; Gandalf'
Mudrová, Kateřina ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Znojemská, Helena (referee)
This thesis aims to analyse the origin, development and possible interpretations of J.R.R. Tolkien's character of Gandalf the wizard, focusing primarily on the influence of three major sources of inspiration, suggested both by the author himself and intertextual elements recognisable in his fiction; The Bible, Norse and Finnish mythology (represented by The Poetic and The Prose Edda, Saga of the Volsungs and Kalevala) and the literary tradition centred around the legendary figure of Merlin, as well as the later works of fiction which it has inspired. The aim of the thesis is to illustrate to what extent is Tolkien's Gandalf only a continuation or adaptation of the historical literary tradition represented by the sources named above or on the contrary, an original and independent character. This discussion is aimed to demonstrate how J.R.R Tolkien's portrayal of wizard figures has not only helped to popularize the generic characterisation of wizards in fantasy fiction but helped to pioneer a new type of wizard figure. Tolkien's influence on the fantasy genre was not necessarily inventive but rather transformative. The fundamental elements of Tolkien's fiction were not introduced by the author, but have already been a part of the developing genre. Before Tolkien, the authors of fantasy have strongly...
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The relationship of religion and fantasy: The influence of Christianity on the fictional religion in the fantasy genre
Vrbatová, Marcela ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to identify and analyse the relationship between religion, specifically Christianity, and the genre of fantasy, through an in-depth discursive analysis of these themes on a sample of selected works of post WWII fantasy. It primarily focuses on a contrastive comparison of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. The consecutive chapters analyse these works firstly in terms of content, meaning the utilization of the structure of biblical theology in the fictional religions, or specific manifestations of Christian values, beliefs and dogmas in the texts. Secondly, in terms of form of the narrative, specifically the presence or absence of worship, and utilization of Christianity in the language of worship. The thesis identifies the template of a fantasy work created with Christian values in mind provided by Tolkien and the different approaches of Martin and Donaldson, who derivate from this template to some degree. Special attention is payed to the concepts of Good and Evil in The Lord of the Rings and the subsequent character traits and aspiration attributed with it in relation to Christianity, the similarities of Faith of Seven and Christianity in A Song of Ice and Fire, and the roles...
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"And the Land Lay Still"- Worldmaking, Topography and the Modern Scots Novel
Zdraveska, Marija ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
The purpose of this study is to analyse the manner in which contemporary Scottish literature imagines Scotland, especially in the light of the recent political changes in the country, as well as the changes in the perception of its national identity in global terms. The focus will be on the literary representations of the Scottish landscape, following Cairns Craig argument that locality is crucial to Scottish literature and its national imagination. While the fictional rendering of both the rural and urban Scottish landscape might have acted as a 'paradigm of national consciousness' in the past, in contemporary Scottish literature it can now be seen as a form of speculative worldmaking that reflects, satirizes and debates the social and political dispensation of the nation, and aims towards the subversion of the representation of a single Scottish national identity. The texts under consideration all deploy the Scottish social and topographical panorama in a unique manner which results in a literary representation of multiple versions of Scotland that often coexist together. This thesis traces the development of this thematic concern in the contemporary Scots novel from the 1980s to the present through the analysis of the works of three major Scottish contemporary writers: Alasdair Gray, Janice...
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Anarchy and Anarchism in the works of James Kelman
Balvín, Tomáš ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
This BA thesis handles the ways in which anarchism manifests in the works of James Kelman, and the merit of Kelman"s claim to the title "anarchist" is investigated. One of the main concerns of anarchism as a political ideology has been individual liberty free of oppression from authorities and hierarchical relationships; for this reason the starting point of the thesis is to discover the basis of the concept of freedom Kelman operates with: what are its sources, why the concept is so crucial to him and what role plays authority (and authorities) in it. The topics of freedom, political representation and direct action in Kelman are investigated and their relevance is sought after in author"s fiction. Representation in literature and his stance on hierarchies is investigated. Strictly politically dogmatic point of view is not always taken to reproduce the anarchist position concerning author"s fiction. To make this possible, first, the political essays and other texts from Kelman are investigated from which a base of his standpoint on the anarchist concepts mentioned is constructed; similarity to various anarchist ideas is considered. These are later translated into his approach to fiction and artistic vision in general, and the way the notion of freedom and fight against hierarchy express in its content and...
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Science Fiction as Social Fiction: British Sci-fi and its Antecedents
Boháčková, Kristýna ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Veselá, Pavla (referee)
The goal of this thesis is to trace the roots of British science fiction literature and examine the evolution of the genre, noting the recurring themes, tropes and overall legacy of the canonical works of British sci-fi in contemporary literature. It also contains an analysis of the specifically British nature, pessimistic and featuring passive characters, especially in comparison to the natural counterpart that is American SF, which shows more optimistic tone, empowered human characters. Defining science fiction literature is complicated on its own, and it is therefore one of main issues tackled in this thesis. It is presented in the first chapter, focusing particularly on definitions proposed by Robert A. Heinlein, Darko Suvin, Brian Aldiss and Robert Scholes. These multiple, more or less conflicting definitions are argued to demonstrate the diversity of the subgenres of science fiction, thus exploring the genre's boundaries as they apply today. The second chapter considers works arguably identified as the first exemplary novels of the genre. The authors from pre-Victorian period mentioned include Lucian of Samosa, Jonathan Swift and Francis Godwin and their theological and satirical works are analysed in science fiction context. The second part of this chapter explores the shift that came with...
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"After the Future Went Away"- The Dystopianism and Current Trends in Modern Speculative British Fiction
Šedivá, Barbora ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Veselá, Pavla (referee)
The objective of the present study is to identify and analyse the common themes of dystopian fiction in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and to trace the transformation of these themes, as well as the development of new thematic realizations, in contemporary British speculative fiction. The analysis involves prominent recent authors including Iain Banks, Ken MacLeod, Adam Roberts, Charles Stross, and Chris Beckett; and through the selected works of these authors it aims to explore the recent trends in science fiction and its utopian subgenres. Besides these goals, the study aims to provide the reader with a thorough definition of dystopianism and a concise overview of the historical development of this genre and its manifestations in the works of the above-mentioned authors. As the most prominent and recurring themes in dystopian literature, both traditional and contemporary, the thesis recognizes concepts such as the manipulation through language and media, the loss of individual freedom and privacy, and the abuse of power by elites, all of which are of special importance for the present-day social thinking and politics. Structurally, the study is divided into three chapters, the first of them assuming the role of theoretical introduction, whereas the...
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Representation of Scotland on screen: Symbols of Scottish identity in the cinematography of the 21st century
Matejová, Adéla ; Clark, Colin Steele (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
The aim of my bachelor thesis is to analyse what is the portrayal of Scottish identity and culture in the contemporary film production. The thesis is concerned with the employment of recurring motifs and thematic links in Scottish film from the year 2000 until 2016 and will analyse how film-makers render Scottish culture in their productions and the relative effects this has on contemporary culture. Existing research into the representation of Scottish culture on screen analyses mainly historic trends of remythologizing the Scottish past1 and using traditional stereotyping symbols still present in modern cinematography. Many authors, however, point to the establishment of new Scottish representation by leaving those symbols behind and focusing on contemporary Scotland with its political debates and social relationships. This thesis contends that contemporary directors are no longer retrospective and are concerned primarily with the contemporary political and social dispensation of modern Scotland. The historical lexicon of Scottish film history is still present but no longer central and has been problematised by its now typically ironic employment. The new grammar of Scottish film is predicated on a new referential mode which is connected with independence (both the formal concept and the...
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