Browsing by Subject "English Studies"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    The poetry of Ruth Miller : the Word and her words
    (2002) Salkinder, Mia Anna
    This dissertation analyses a selection of Ruth Miller's poetry collected in Floating Island (1965), Selected Poems (1968) and previously uncollected poems included in the posthumous collection, Ruth Miller: Poems, Prose, Plays (1990) edited by Lionel Abrahams. It extends and argues against the most recent readings of Ruth Miller proposed by Joan Metelerkamp (1991 and 1992). Metelerkamp suggests that previous criticisms of Miller, focusing exclusively on her modernist intent, ignore Miller's role as a woman living in a society dominated by patriarchal authority; an authority that is informed by the Judeo-Christian tradition. This dissertation extends Metelerkamp's observation, showing how the existential crisis that is made manifest in Miller's poetry is generated by both her compliance with and denial of this patriarchal Judeo-Christian meaning-making system. It also registers a changing development in Miller 's poetic trajectory from her earlier to her later poems. Metelerkamp's criticism of Miller's poetry has not recorded this development, allowing for the overall pronouncement that her poetry registers only loss and shows no conscious signs of negotiating the patriarchal system in which she is entrapped. In contrast, the conclusion of this dissertation points to elements in Miller's later poetry that suggest the development of Miller's voice as well as indicating Miller's recognition of her own compliance and desire to break with patriarchal authority.
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    Revisiting the queer : theory, literature and gay male studies
    (2002) Damm, Peter; Hambidge, Joan
    The main inspiration for a revisit to the topic of homosexuality is not only its noticeable absence from the UCT English curricula, but also the publication of the first Fundamentalist Christian text with a South African slant: The Pink Agenda: Sexool revolution in South Africa (McCafferty and Hammond 2001). Forms of opposing this homophobic view were needed for the gay community. This required an investigation into the academic debates aoout homosexuality: mainly the social constructionist versus the essentialist debate.
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    Socialisation and subversion : the development of the Victorian children's literary fairy tale
    (2004) Rogers, Jane
    In this dissertation, a socio-historical approach is taken towards the development of the English literary fairy tale as a genre during the 19th Century, particularly in the realm of Children's Literature. For the purposes of examination, the fairy tale of the 19th Century is divided into two sections, fairy tales of the early Victorian period and those of the middle and late Victorian period. It is argued that the fairy tales present in England during the first time period were mostly imported translations from other European countries while the fairy tales of the second time period were the original products of British writers. The tales examined under the first division are those by German brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, (as well as later retellings of their tales) and translations of the tales written by Dutch writer, Hans Christian Andersen. The tales examined under the second division are those written by John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, George MacDonald, Mary de Morgan, Juliana Ewing, Evelyn Sharp and Edith Nesbit. Through the analysis of selected fairy tales, the thesis sets out to show how the development of the English literary fairy tale, during its transition from the one defined period (early Victorian) to the next (middle and late Victorian), reflects the developments that took place within Victorian society at that time. Of particular interest is the changing perception of appropriate gender roles, especially that of the ideal Victorian female. Other contextual and societal elements that are dealt with include developments in the world of science and technology, the changing approach towards the family and the domestic sphere, and Victorian attitudes towards children and children's literature. Critical approaches include feminist readings, sociological approaches (Jack Zipes) and various accounts of Victorian Society.