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Development of the concept of liminality in selected works of Salman Rushdie
Švejdík, Jan ; Chalupský, Petr (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
The core of this thesis is capturing the concept of liminality in the past works of Salman Rushdie, specifically in novels The Satanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. Selected characters and motifs of these novels reflect autobiographical elements, thus the aim of the thesis is to describe the transformation of the concept of liminality in chronological progression, where these novels represent three periods in which the author's perception of home and migration differ substantially from one another. The phenomenon of liminality is described within the frame of postcolonial literary theory and attention is therefore paid to the notion of "other" in relation to home and its cultural specificities, as well as in relation to the migrant's new homeland. The analysis of these works and their abstraction into three representative periods form a frame of reference for comparison with possible future works of the author.
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Comparison of the Characters of Samson and Dalila in John Milton's Samson Agonistes and King James Bible
Stašová, Michaela ; Chalupský, Petr (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to explore John Milton's poetic work Samson Agonistes through a thorough comparison between the characters of Samson and Dalila, while also contrasting them with the original, biblical, Samson and Delilah, in the Old Testament, the Book of Judges, chapters 13-16. The thesis does not explore only differences but also similarities of these seemingly contrasting characters. The main tools used to conduct this analysis are juxtaposition and close reading of John Milton!s Samson Agonistes and biblical texts, using the Authorized King James Bible. The first part of this thesis is discussing the heroic character of Samson possessing divine powers as depicted in the Bible and John Milton's Samson who is blind, distraught and held captive by the Philistines. Milton is reflecting his own innermost feelings in Samson Agonistes making this poetic work autobiographical. The next part focuses on the deceitful biblical Delilah and John Milton's Dalila who seems to contradict herself in her manner of speaking. The last part of the thesis examines Samson and Dalila's similarities. KEYWORDS Samson Agonistes, John Milton, Character comparison, King James Bible, Dalila
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The portrayal of the Indigenous community in Sherman Alexie's The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Skála, David ; Topolovská, Tereza (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
This thesis aims to analyse the portrayal of Native American people in a semi-autobiographic novel The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie and to compare and contrast it with the current living conditions inside reservations designated for the Native American inhabitants. The practical part analyses the story of a young Native American named Arnold Spirit, often referred to as Junior, who lives in The Spokane Indian Reservation and encounters racism, poverty, ostracism and other troubles associated with ethnic minorities. The character's story is analysed from the perspective of various types of segregation, established in the theoretical part, he and his people routinely experience. The subsequent comparison of the novel and the reality is closely connected to the research from the theoretical part which dealt with the information from academic articles as well as authentic resources, such as community websites of the Indigenous community. The practical part essentially attempts to interpret the novel from the perspective of the research presented in the preceding part if the work. KEYWORDS Sherman Alexie, Native Americans, Indian reservation, adolescence, segregation
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The ambiguity of the narrative structure in Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon
Jelen, Vojtěch ; Higgins, Bernadette (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
This thesis aims to discuss the key narrative features in the short story and novel Flowers for Algernon through the lens of two different narrative frameworks. The first will focus on the traditionally established three-act structure widely recognised as standard in Western fiction. The second will analyse the work from the angle of kishotenketsu, the four-act structure of Oriental literature. The theoretical part will contain a brief description of both narrative structures, noting their main properties. In the practical part, the story will be analysed using both of the described frameworks to highlight the ambiguous nature of its plot progression. KEYWORDS Science fiction, Flowers for Algernon, 20th century, narrative structure, literary analysis, Daniel Keyes
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Interwar Berlin in Isherwood's Berlin Stories
Kristek, Ondřej ; Topolovská, Tereza (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
This thesis aims to entangle and analyse the social, cultural and political problematics concerning two major works of Christopher Isherwood - Goodbye to Berlin and Mr Norris Changes Trains, in other words Berlin Stories. Both of these are set in interwar Germany thus this thesis approaches the topic both from the perspective of scrutinizing the Weimar Republic and its domestic affairs and also interpreting the novels from the perspective of social and cultural analysis based on the findings from the theoretical part. The main question is whether Christopher Isherwood really is unbiased and purely factual author as he is often interpreted as far as his literary contribution is concerned. Furthermore, this thesis aims to scrutinize Isherwood's point of view embedded in his works and to answer the question to what extent are his works autobiographical.
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The Concept of Jewishness in Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question
Votýpková, Barbora ; Chalupský, Petr (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
This thesis focuses on the contemporary Anglo-Jewish Literature and its recent revival. Its main aim is to explain the concept of Jewishness as it is described by Howard Jacobson in his novel The Finkler Question. It consists of two parts, theoretical and practical. The first part provides background information on the history of the Jewish minority in Britain and its current position within the British society, it also describes the two basic Jewish literary types which occurs in the works of non-Jewish authors and compares Jewish literatures in Britain and America. The second part analyses the text itself. It focuses on the perspective which the author uses to show his view on the question of Jewish identity, compares the point of view of the Jewish and the non-Jewish characters. It also describes how Jacobson works with stereotypes, what role Judaism plays in the novel and what anti-Semitic issues are mentioned in the book.
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Stereotypical Portrayals of Native Americans in Lynne Reid Banks's The Indian in the Cupboard
Morozová, Kateřina ; Farrell, Mark Robert (advisor) ; Ženíšek, Jakub (referee)
This bachelor's thesis, titled Stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans in Lynne Reid Banks's The Indian in the Cupboard, focuses on the phenomenon of stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans in Lynne Reid Banks's book The Indian in the Cupboard. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the topics of stereotype and ethnocentrism with a focus on Native Americans. It also includes a brief outline of the historical development of literary works concerning Native Americans and discusses the importance of accuracy in children's literature. The practical part focuses on an analysis of particular stereotypes present in the book and criticism concerning the book. Keywords The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks, Native Americans, Indians, Western (genre), Racism, Stereotyping, Children's literature, Accuracy
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