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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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Specifications of creating of child's relationship to a transitional object
TŘÍSKOVÁ, Kristina
The bachelor thesis focuses on specifications of creating a child's relationship to a transitional object. The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze how the relationship to a transitional object develops. The theoretical part describes problematics of transitional phenomena and object with emphasis on attachment, which is created towards this object by the child. It focuses also on the source of primary bond and attachment as important factors that form this bond. The research part is based on a qualitative design, and to obtain data are used in-depth interviews with nursery teachers and parents of children.
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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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The Elements of a Detective and a Gothic Genres in Christopher Pike´s Series Remember Me
HOMZOVÁ, Markéta
The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of particular detective and Gothic elements in Christopher Pike's adventurous series Remember Me. The main aim of the thesis is to analyse themes and motifs of Pike's work with respect to the Gothic tradition and the development of detective prose. The thesis is formally divided into theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical chapter is devoted to the genre of the detective and Gothic literature, as well as metaphysical detective story. The theoretical part is followed by the practical analysis of selected Pike's works. The practical analysis involves the characteristics of the main protagonists and the influence of horror and metaphysical detective elements on the search of individual identity.
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The Image of a Forsaken Child in Neil Gaiman´s Children´s Stories
KULHÁNKOVÁ, Nikola
The aim of this diploma thesis is a comparative analysis of the image of a forsaken child in the stories written by a popular English writer Neil Gaiman. The survey of a forsaken child in the Gothic, Romantic and Victorian literature (Walpole, Radcliffe, Blake, Dickens, the Brontë sisters) precedes the interpretation. In addition, this diploma thesis considers the separation of the young hero from his family and friends in traditional fairy tales. In this respect, the thesis discusses the role of transitional rituals and their links to the theme of the test in adventurous literature (Gennep, Bachtin). The first, theoretical chapters point out the fact that the transition to a new existence (adulthood) is often accompanied by horror elements or the nearness of death in the adventurous stories. The novel Coraline is a basis for the literary analysis. The psychological characteristic of the main heroine and her family is linked to the function of home and the role of "the other mother" as a source of the Gothic atmosphere and danger. The following chapters analyse other Gaiman's works ("M is for Magic", The Graveyard Book, Odd and the Frost Giants, Fortunately, the Milk, The Ocean at the End of the Zone) in order to study the relations between the reality and dreams, violence and interpersonal relationships, and to describe the heroes' search for the individual identity.
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From monasteries to men. The significance of monastic architecture and its art in the New Spain of 16th century
Brenišínová, Monika ; Křížová, Markéta (advisor) ; Štěpánek, Pavel (referee) ; Marek, Pavel (referee)
In my dissertation, I inquire into the phenomenon of monastic architecture and its plastic decoration in 16th century New Spain. The aim of this work is to present Mexican monasteries and their artistic significance. In my analysis, I build on the interpretation of monastic architecture from the perspective of early colonial society, I also reflect on the individual level, assessing its impact on the conquest and colonization of America. The methodology of this research project combines analysis of historical (e.g. study of historical sources) and art historical processes (iconological analysis of E. Panofsky) with analysis of anthropological concepts (e.g. rituals of transition of A. van Gennep, thick description of Cl. Geertz, concepts of liminality, structure and communitas of V. Turner). During my PhD studies, I conducted a field trip in Central Mexico (2013), supported by a grant from the Government of Mexico. I visited and documented one hundred and sixteen monasteries and the photographic documentation is the main empirical source of my analysis which further draws from the study of historical sources and academic literature. My research primarily focuses on three aspects: 1. the monastic architecture and art; 2. the role of the monastery in the process of European conquest and colonization...
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