Browsing by Author "Beatty, Michael"

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    Dickens's comic art: a study of the comic element in Dombey and .son, little Dorrit, and great expectations
    (1981) Ian, Nicholas McBride; Beatty, Michael
    The new Clarendon Dickens Edition (General Editors: John Butt and Kathleen Tillotson), was not available at the time' of writing for all of the novels which are studied in this thesis. Considerations of consistency and availability, therefore, dictated my use of the New Oxford Illustrated Edition of Dickens's novels. Details of the three main works referred to in this thesis are as follows: Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son (1848; rpt. Oxford: O.U.P., 1950) Little Dorrit (1857; rpt. Oxford: O.U.P., 1953) Great Expectations (1861; rpt. Oxford: O.U.P., 1953) All other quotations and references to Dickens's. works also refer to the New Oxford Illustrated Edition, unless otherwise noted. I have consulted the Clarendon Dickens (Variorum) Edition where applicable, and the few pertinent textual variations have been duly footnoted. All word-divisions at line endings are sanctioned by the Collins Ge~ Dictionary of Spelling and Word Division, compiled by S.8. Marshall (London: Collins, 1968).
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    Dickens's comic art: a study of the comic element in Dombey and Son, Little Dorrit, and Great Expectations
    (1981) McBride, Ian Nicholas; Beatty, Michael
    It is my contention in this thesis that the comic nature of Dickens's mature fiction has not received the degree of attention that its importance warrants. In particular, the questions left unanswered, or to my mind not satisfactorily answered, by modern critics of Dickens are: why does Dickens consistently adopt modes of comedy in his mature works; what are the modes that he adopts; and what are the implications of these modes in terms of his later achievement? Finally, in what way can his vision be judged to be a comic vision?
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    Some elements of modern poetic technique
    (1995) Meyer, Sandra Joy; Beatty, Michael
    This thesis sets out to discover what techniques are available to the contemporary poet and in what way they are unique to the poetic tradition. The standpoint taken is that of a poet situated in the Western cultural and poetic tradition and a poetics is endorsed that holds that poems may be the site of evaluation, specifically in terms of technique. The thesis excludes detailed consideration of historical and political contexts. The method of research used is analysis of actual works by modern poets, within the context of poetics and primary documentation by poets themselves on their technique. The thesis is divided into three sections. The section on rhyme discusses whether the modern poet should use rhyme and describes methods used to develop the technique. The section on diction describes traditional modes of rhetoric, including levels of style and figures, and investigates contemporary rhetorical and alternative strategies. The final section researches the use of imagery, symbols and tropes, with particular reference to metaphor. The study draws conclusions about the complex possibilities in rhyme, the relevance of rhetoric and the role of the imagination in transforming the image.