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Imagination and Reality in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien and Neil Gaiman
ŠIMMEROVÁ, Alena
The bachelor thesis aims to explore selected works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Neil Gaiman as representative examples of the fantasy genre. The narratives of Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of The Rings and Gaiman's Coraline and The Graveyard Book will be contrasted and analysed on the theoretical background of the rites of passage. Thus, its fundamental concepts will be introduced in order to establish a solid basis for subsequent analysis. The concept of liminality will be given extra importance because it represents a state in which the dramatic changes in one's character occur. The focus will be placed on the fantastic adventure as a liminal phase of the storyline in comparison with the preliminary and post-liminal ones, which are more or less associated with realistic elements. The proper analysis will concentrate especially on the disparity between the fantastic plot, which is aligned to a trial/journey motif, and the framework established by the opening and the end of the story. Moreover, a part of the thesis will be devoted to a definition of the fantasy genre and the biography of both authors. Finally, the thesis will be concluded with the topic of death in terms of liminality as meeting point of imagination and reality.
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Escapes and Returns in Neil Gaiman´s Fantasy Stories
ŠEDIVÁ, Barbora
The diploma thesis deals with the interpretation of Neil Gaiman's work, in particular, the children's stories Coraline (2002), The Graveyard Book (2008) a Fortunately, the Milk (2013). The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the continuity of the discussed works with the tradition of adventure literature and the Gothic novel. The theoretical parts also covers the theme of British children literature and Neil Gaiman and his main works. This part also concentrates on the structure of the rites of passage (Gennep) and on the theme of the test/crisis as an inevitable part of the protagonist's search for his own identity. The practical part of the diploma thesis analyses the stories of Gaiman's protagonists as examples of the initiation that takes place in three main phases: the preliminal, the liminal and the postliminal phase. The specific function of the time-space relations (the motifs of the old house and the cemetery as a border/limit) is described in the same way. The conclusion considers the meaning of escape to another world as an important experience and a part of the journey to adulthood, which helps the protagonists to accept the real world, to find their own place in it and to appreciate the value of real interpersonal relationships.
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The social role of the so-called Jugendweihe in the former GDR and after its demise
Němcová, Michaela ; Kunštát, Miroslav (advisor) ; Šmidrkal, Václav (referee)
The thesis focuses on a rite of passage called Jugendweihe, its origin, meaning and form in the former GDR and after its demise. Jugendweihe is placed in the context of confessional rites of passage and connected to the idea of humanism. Afterwards, history of this tradition and its development over the years will be presented. In order to understand the initial situation in the GDR, a chapter dealing with confessional politics of the SED is included. In the main part of the thesis, focus is on the political and social role of Jugendweihe in the GDR, as well as its form and development of popularity. This is followed by a chapter about the development of the ceremony after the revolution in 1989, where the same and different elements are described. Prerequisites for maintaining the continuity of the ceremony after the fall of the GDR are also outlined. Special emphasis is given on the transformation of the social role and form of Jugendweihe over the years in relation to the political situation and to the various reasons motivating participation in the ritual. The theoretical knowledge from the academic literature is supplemented with four interviews with participants of the Jugendweihe during the era of the communist regime that can be found in the attachment. In the interviews, emphasis was on...
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Backpack, hiking boots and mascara: Analysis of women independent travelling from the perspective of anthropology of tourism
Kučerová, Petra ; Ezzeddine, Petra (advisor) ; Halbich, Marek (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of the gender aspects of women travelling and experience of women travellers, who set out to the non-Europe destinations on their own. The thesis is based on in-depth interviews with women travellers and analyze how these journeys are important to them. The thesis tries to point out that women's solo travelling directly effects their biography as well as career and status of these female travellers. Women independent travelling is introduced as the dynamic process, by means of which they acquire or verify the gender power and abilities, applicable to their personal life and work. Using the concepts of feminist theories implemented on women's travelling, I try to show that this type of travelling is affected by history and prefers male travelling, which displaces the individual women's travelling on the edge of the social and scientific interest. This thesis is based on the anthropology of tourism, particularly on the study of backpacking and set the experience of the woman traveller in the frame of the rites of passage. Moreover the thesis contains the analysis of the public and media discourse, focused on the real case of two young women kidnapped in Pakistan. Keywords: anthropology of tourism, women independent travellers, solo travelling, backpacking,...
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Ayahuasca neo-shamanic habitus in Czech Republic or what one has to do for becoming an ayahuasca neo-shaman
Herrmann, Natanael ; Kuřík, Bohuslav (advisor) ; Horák, Miroslav (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with what one must do in order to become an ayahuasca neo-shaman, or what specific ayahuasca neo-shaman habitus one must acquire in order to be considered a neo-shaman and to be able to perform ayahuasca rituals. For this the author used methods of carnal ethnography and autoetnography. Ayahuasca rituals are embedded in a broader anthropological theory of rites of passage and are examined in the framework of carnal ethnography by the method of observed participation, while semi-structured interviews with neo-shamans are used also. As part of the autoetnography, the author experienced a neo-shaman habitus on himself, which allowed him to easily look into the otherwise non-transferable structure of the neo-shaman habitus. This research has shown that there are three key parts for the ayahuasca neo-shaman habitus, ie the "ecstatic", "didactic" and "material", but their forms are different for each neo-shaman, due to their specific life trajectories. The resulting ritual is then the product of the specific bricolage of each neo-shaman and mixes elements and techniques of different traditions and cultures. Keywords shaman, shamanism, neo-shaman, neo-shamanism, ayahuasca, habitus, carnal ethnography, autoetnography, ritual, rites of passage
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Sacrifice and initiation in the myths of Ódinn
Kozák, Jan ; Chlup, Radek (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee) ; Starý, Jiří (referee)
This dissertation deals with the interpretation of four myths from early medieval Scandinavia, in which the main role is played by the god Óðinn. All four myths narrate how he achieved a state of permanent increase of his numinous knowledge. Based on the fact that the outcome of all of the narratives is the acquisition of the Mead of Poetry (or its equivalent), they can be percieved as "four reports on the same event". The analysis of myths itself has been executed in two steps: firstly the separate inquiry of the two more central myths and introduction of the other two followed by thorough analysis of the four together. All four myths demonstrate to a certain degree a presence of motifs and structures associated with the religious phenomena of sacrifice and initiation. By the means of said analysis the study reviews the systematic relations of the sacrificial and initiatory structures and postulates a common core which is subsequently named "monomyth".
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Sexually liminal periods in the lives of women in Ancient Egypt
Svobodová, Markéta ; Vymazalová, Hana (advisor) ; Pehal, Martin (referee)
The thesis seeks to explain the sexual passages of women related to fertility, such as menstruation, pregnancy and birth, in the ancient Egyptian world. The passages related to fertility have strong connotations with death in the Egyptian mythological context. The aim of the thesis is to understand this relationship, often metaphorically conveyed in iconography or in the netherworld literature. The thesis collects material from various sources, archeological, textual, iconographical, not only Egyptian, but also Greek and Roman. The methods used vary from cognitive linguistics and semiotic analysis to religious anthropology. Menstruation, pregnancy and birth in ancient Egypt are explained not only on the level of the understanding of the body of the Egyptians, but also in terms of what role they play in iconography and mythology. Furthermore, the relationship between birth and death is made with regards to fertility. The basic findings of this thesis consist of illustrating a dichotomy between the feminine nurturing principle of and masculine creative principle which appear in different contexts related to birth and death: in iconography, on the level of bodily fluids, or in mythological creation.
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The Rites of Passage at the courts of last Rosenbergs
Šmilauer, Jakub ; Holý, Martin (advisor) ; Šedivá Koldinská, Marie (referee)
Abstract. This work provides a view of the most important rites of passage at the courts of the last male members of Rosenberg family. Special attention is given to their rituals of the marriages, baptisms and funerals. These rituals and festivities associated with it were the major events of the social, spiritual, economic and political life. For baptisms and funerals their spiritual dimension is emphasized, in case of marriages their social and economic aspects seem more important. The work brings closer insight into many areas of the life of the highest Czech aristocracy at that time. Records of transition rituals and related festivities are therefore important source of historical knowledge. Keywords: The Rosenbergs, rituals, marriages, baptisms, funerals
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