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The Picture of the Divided Self in the Work of R.L. Stevenson and Bram Stoker
KACEROVSKÁ, Lucie
The thesis focuses on the theme of split personality in the works of Bram Stoker and Robert Louis Stevenson. The aim of this thesis is a comparative analysis of the novels Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R. L. Stevenson and Dracula by Bram Stoker, with regard to the key theme of split personality. The introductory theoretical part discusses the significance of this theme in Anglo-American gothic prose, drawing mainly on Botting's study Gothic. The following chapters are devoted to a comparative interpretation of selected motifs, such as mystery, love, pursuit, desire for power, fear, violence, science and education, friendship, and love. The thesis also focuses on the function of space and the depiction of crime, guilt, and conscience in both novels. Last but not least, it addresses the significance of contrasts and symbolic images in creating psychological tension in the works of both authors. This thesis offers a psychological perspective on two famous gothic novels and their shared theme.
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Shakespearean Themes in the Works of Oscar Wilde
Řehounková, Andrea ; Charypar, Michal (advisor) ; Kudlová, Klára (referee)
In my master thesis, I will concentrate on Oscar Wilde's usage of William Shakespeare's work and its influence on some of his chosen texts. Special attention will be paid to The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Portrait of Mr. W. H., and the essay The Truth of Masks, one of Wilde's earliest known works. My thesis will methodologically make use of intertextuality, especially based on the concept of artistic influence written by Harold Bloom in The Western Canon and possibly other publications, too. Bloom describes William Shakespeare as the core of the Western canon to whom younger authors, including Wilde other Victorians, and also Joyce, refer to either polemically or in agreement. If needed, comparations might be used in my thesis as well. Oscar Wilde vastly references the plays and poetry of William Shakespeare in his work. Simultaneously, Shakespeare influenced Wilde in his personal life - for example in his defence during his trails or when he partook in the opening of Shakespeare's memorial. The goal of my thesis is to map Oscar Wilde's understanding of the character of William Shakespeare and the difference in his approach to Shakespeare in the comparation of the traditional Victorian perspective. I wish to examine how did Oscar Wilde agree and disagree with the traditional Victorian idea through...
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The End of Splendid Isolation: The Foreign Policy of the Late Victorian Britain
Malý, Ondřej ; Skřivan, Aleš (advisor) ; Valkoun, Jaroslav (referee)
This thesis is dealing with the development of the Great Britan foreign policy in the last two decades of the 19th century. The period of time covered her is marked by the era berween the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882 and the sign of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902. Primarily, the thesis concentrates on the Foreign Office working and the top-british politicians. The fundamental objective is assessment of the process of change British policy and the definitive rejection of Splendid Isolation in 1902. Therefore it will especially watch the rivalry of powers in peripheries in Africa, Balkans and the Far East. The thesis is devided into eight chapters. The final part resumes the data arising from the research of creation the foreign policy. Key Words: Foreign policy, Great Britain, foreign policy, Victorian era, splendid isolation, Anglo-Japanese Alliance, 19th century
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Polarities in the Works of Oscar Wilde
Burianová, Petra ; Wallace, Clare (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
Reading through the works of Oscar Wilde, one soon notices the many instances of polarity: the recurring themes of the body versus soul, good versus evil, city versus nature, artificial versus natural and many more. It is to be found in his plays as well as in his prose and fairy- tales. Yet these polarities do not necessarily have to oppose each other: the Wildean dialectic allows contraries to coexist, and thus we have the Star-Child who, through repentance, turns from evil to good; however this turn of character does not ensure a happy-ending, and makes us question whether "good really is good". A great number of Wilde's characters either live a double-life, have two distinct sides to their personality, or even several personalities, and in the case of Dorian Gray the split is literal. What led the author to constantly toy with this motif is a question worth examining. In Wilde's case, the artist's life cannot be entirely separated from his works since so much of what he was and what formed him is reflected in the texts he wrote. His statement that "what people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities" (Ransome, 162) shows that for Wilde, truth was not the opposite of "lie", but there may have been several different versions of truth. His aesthetic views,...
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Marriage and the position of women in Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
Dlouhá, Michaela ; Higgins, Bernadette (advisor) ; Topolovská, Tereza (referee)
TITLE: Marriage and the Position of Women in Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre AUTHOR: Michaela Dlouhá DEPARTMENT: Department of the English Language and Literature SUPERVISOR: Bernadette Higgins, M.A. ABSTRACT: The thesis aims to explore the position of women in the Victorian era, particularly with regard to marriage, and to see how this is reflected in these two novels - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. The theoretical part explores the legal and social situation of women in the early nineteenth century and the practical part firstly analyses the novels separately to see how both authors reflect the realities facing women of the era. The last section of the practical part offers the overall comparison of the two chosen novels and examines differences and similarities in the central messages and in the final achievement of independence, equality and justice. KEY WORDS: Brontë sisters, marriage, Angel in the House, education, feminism, legal form, Victorian era, the church
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