411 research outputs found
Polyphony and the anxiety of influence in the fiction of Henry James
Get PDFJames's fiction, especially in the Middle Phase, centres
on the figure of the artist and is characterized by, the two
interrelated aspects which previous criticism has largely
overlooked: the Bakhtinian 'polyphonic' -creation of
'author-thinkers'; and the conflict between ephebes and
precursors, for which Harold-Bloom's concept of 'the-anxiety of
influence' is the most illuminating model. Polyphony is the
narrative mode, and influence is the intra-artistic, theme.
These, as the Introduction to the thesis makes clear, are
rehearsed in James's inaugural novel, Roderick Hudson. Rowland
Mallet is an author-thinker, and his failure is caused by
authorial limitations. His monologism -is impaired by his
mistaking empathy for the authorial sympathy. Likewise,
Hudson's failure does not arise from a mercurial temperament,
but from a polyphonic shortcoming: not possessing the power of
fiction to contain the fiction of power in, his mentor. And the
relationships among the three artists - Gloriani, Hudson and
Singleton - perfectly exemplify the Bloomian-theme. It is these
two concepts, polyphony and influence, which are the major
preoccupation in the Middle Phase; as, the works chosen
demonstrate. These are a novella, a novel, and a number of
short stories all of which have been unjustifiably neglected.
Chapter One, on The Aspern Papers, argues that Tina Bordereau,
far from being, the artless victim seen by many critics,
actually challenges and defeats the narrator by the very form
of her narrative. Her 'realist' discourse undermines his
language of 'romance', and shows up its internal unstability.
Chapter Two is an extensive study of the critical reception of
The Tragic Muse. The most common areas of critical attention
have been its contemporary topicality, its relation to previous
novels on similar themes, and the possible genealogy of Gabriel
Nash. Those have all missed the core of the work. - Chapter Three
demonstrates how polyphony and the anxiety of influence make
the novel what it really is. Influence arises from the
juxtaposition of, and the wrestling between, artistic ephebes
and their precursors (Nick and Nash,, Miriam and Madame Carre).
The dialogic quality defined by Bakhtin is crucial to the
proper, and even-handed, characterization of all, the conflicts
in the novel. And since most of James's tales in the eighties
and nineties -are about 'masters - and acolytes, the anxiety of
influence remains central. Chapter Four is a study of 'The
Author of Beltraffiol' and 'The Lesson of the Master'. Again the
characters' manipulations are a crucial focus in a way that
G6rard Genette's terminology helps to illuminate. The fact that
the ephebe is the author-thinker emphasizes the inextricability
of the Bakhtinian and the Bloomian in James. Just as
polyphony offers a different focus for explicating the poetics
of James's fiction; so the ephebal conflict provides the basis
for a fresh perception of James's own artistic struggle
Assessing young people’s learning needs related to sexuality and relationships on the Maltese Islands
No full textThis research explored young people’s learning needs related to sexuality and relationships withinthe current rapidly changing social, cultural and religious context of the Maltese Islands. It alsoexplored the challenges, opportunities and alternative means by which these needs can be met. Adefinitional matrix for needs assessment that adopts a sociological perspective to people’s needs,which is widely used in health promotion, was employed. This thesis was framed around theunderlying principles of youth involvement, participation and empowerment, and thus emphasisedyoung people’s own perspective of their learning needs.The mixed-methodology approach was adopted in this research. The first stage of investigationsought to achieve an overview of sexual behaviour and knowledge among young Maltese peopleaged 14 - 16 attending secondary schools. A stratified random sample of 1310 pupils (68% responserate) provided a first-ever snapshot of young people’s sexual behaviour in Malta. The second stagesought to explore young people’s felt and expressed learning needs within and outside the schoolsetting by way of sixteen focus groups involving another 166 pupils.Findings suggest a relatively low rate of pupils who would have practiced sexual intercourse byschool-leaving age in Malta (12.3%). Mean age at first intercourse seems similar to that of otherEuropean countries (14 years) for both genders. Only a fifth used condoms every time they had sex.Knowledge of STIs was scant. The pupils were more informed about HIV. Girls were moreknowledgeable. Boys had sex with more sexual partners. No gender differences were noted insubstance abuse with sex. Discussions among pupils revealed a high degree of perceived unmetlearning need. Participants valued highly learning about sexuality but thought it received much lessattention than their other academic learning needs. Disparities between schools were evidenced.Learning was sporadic and uncoordinated with conflicting messages from different teachers. Oftensessions started timely to pupils’ needs, but ended prematurely. Learning from parents was scantyand associated with the overall relationship and bonding between parents and the child. Gaps werenoted between perceived ideal sources (teachers, parents and visiting speakers) and actual /preferred sources (friends and the media). Needs were perceived in relation to the content andtiming of learning, sources of knowledge, learning styles and resources. Maltese pupils had diversevalues and called for a variety of approaches.Recommendations were made for a national sexuality education policy to standardize theframework of sexuality education among Maltese schools; more initial teacher training and inservicetraining in sexuality education to meet the needs of a diverse group of adolescents throughvarious approaches; more collaboration among teachers within schools; parenting skills and lifelonglearning opportunities for parents; more active involvement of adolescents and a widerconsultation with schools and families in the evaluation of sexuality education
Three Women/Three Margins: Political Engagement and the Art of Claude Cahun, Jeanne Mammen, and Paraskeva Clark
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Arthur William Upfield: a biography
Get PDFThis dissertation is an exhaustive account of the life and work of Arthur William Upfield (1890-1964). It is presented as a critical biography and narrates the life of the writer, in his socio-cultural milieu, from birth. It also positions Upfield as a writer who dealt with issues of Aboriginality at a time when this was a singularly polemical subject. My work is informed by the theory of Zygmunt Bauman and others and is posited in the context of late-modern biography theory.
English-born, Upfield arrived in Australia in 1911 and took work in the bush, serving overseas with the Australian army at the outbreak of World War I and marrying an Australian army nurse in Egypt. Returning with his wife and son to Australia in 1921 he intermittently carried his swag until he was employed patrolling the Western Australian number 1 rabbit-proof fence for three years to 1931. By that time he had published four novels, including two crime novels featuring his fictional creation, the part-Aboriginal, part-European, Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte ('Bony'), arguably the first fully-developed character in Australian popular fiction.
Leaving the fence, Upfield settled with his family in Perth and wrote full-time until joining the Melbourne Herald in 1933. Retrenched, he resumed career writing to be further interrupted by a war-time intelligence posting in 1939. In 1943 the first Bony mysteries were published in America, where Upfield's critical success was maintained until his death. In 1945 he left his wife for Jessica Uren, to whom he remained devoted.
Upfield's in all twenty-nine Bony novels, many of which have been translated across eleven languages, afforded him notable success both at home and abroad, in good part due to his descriptive gifts and the uniqueness of his fictional character, the part-Aboriginal Bony
Made in America? The New World, the Old, and the Industrial Revolution
Get PDFFor two decades, the consensus explanation of the British Industrial Revolution has placed technological change and the supply side at center stage, affording little or no role for demand or overseas trade. Recently, alternative explanations have placed an emphasis on the importance of trade with New World colonies, and the expanded supply of raw cotton it provided. We test both hypotheses using calibrated general equilibrium models of the British economy and the rest of the world for 1760 and 1850. Neither claim is supported. Trade was vital for the progress of the industrial revolution; but it was trade with the rest of the world, not the American colonies, that allowed Britain to export its rapidly expanding textile output and achieve growth through extreme specialization in response to shifting comparative advantage.
Made in America? The New World, the Old, and the Industrial Revolution
Get PDFFor two decades, the consensus explanation of the British Industrial Revolution has placed technological change and the supply side at center stage, affording little or no role for demand or overseas trade. Recently, alternative explanations have placed an emphasis on the importance of trade with New World colonies, and the expanded supply of raw cotton it provided. We test both hypotheses using calibrated general equilibrium models of the British economy and the rest of the world for 1760 and 1850. Neither claim is supported. Trade was vital for the progress of the industrial revolution; but it was trade with the rest of the world, not the American colonies, that allowed Britain to export its rapidly expanding textile output and achieve growth through extreme specialization in response to shifting comparative advantage.
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