/library/oar/handle/123456789/82112 2026-05-28T15:52:59Z 2026-05-28T15:52:59Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/143468 2026-02-05T09:43:08Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Transmedia storytelling in the detective genre : analysing reader and viewer experience Abstract: The history of storytelling is a history of change and transformation across time and space. Henry Jenkins’ theory of digital platform storytelling, and Manuel Castells’ theory of Real Virtuality show how readers and viewers experience detective genre stories through transmedia. Case studies from the storyworld of Sherlock Holmes including canonical works, as well as fan-made material, help to contextualise the argument. This is important because fan contributions shed more light on how transmedia platforms influence their experiences through fanfiction writing. Stories cross from the imaginative and virtual storyworlds to the reality of readers and viewers through transmedia platforms. A look into Marie-Laure Ryan’s discussion of how modification, expansion, and transposition transform a story allows for a better understanding of reader and viewer experience. The role of these methods is also discussed, through the way Christy Dena links secondary authors to the original storyworld. This dissertation also looks at the possibility of having a unified theory of narrative. As opposed to one model, a discussion of the way different theories of narrative work together towards reader and viewer experience features in this work. The way Wolf Schmid looks at the text as the only thing that can be observed leading to the semiotic model is crucial. Comparing Schmid’s theory to that of other scholars contextualises the argument that different narrative theories come together to enrich the storytelling experience. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/121814 2024-05-10T05:59:32Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Exploring the epistolary form through the framing and embedded narrative in walking simulators and Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy Abstract: The development in technology has expanded the creative possibilities for storytelling in different mediums. Because of this constant development, research and theories become outdated since they cannot account for future mediums that would not have been used at the time. In this study, past theories centred around framing and embedded narratives and the epistolary genre are applied to the Fullbright games Tacoma and Gone Home. Gary Saul Morson’s and Mikhail Bakhtin’s theories on the polyphonic novel will be re-evaluated to fit the framing and embedded narrative technique used in the aforementioned games. The epistolary genre will also be examined in a similar fashion. The argument brought by Laurent Versini that the epistolary novel is flawed will be applied to the Fullbright games to provide a better solution for the epistolary genre through the newer medium of walking simulators. All the theories discussed will be applied to Tacoma and Gone Home using close reference in the form of in-game screenshots. The pinnacle of this study will be in connecting the findings of the videogame case studies to Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. The novel acts as a unique example for creative ways of using techniques in framing and embedded narratives and the epistolary genre in novels. Therefore, it is not the aim of this study to show that the videogame medium is better at using these techniques than the novel. Instead, Tristram Shandy is studied to show how these techniques are applied when used in different mediums which are both worthy of holding their own merit Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/121813 2024-05-10T05:57:30Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Orpheus in literature : different interpretations and adaptations of the myth in literature from the mid-19th century to contemporary times Abstract: The myth of Orpheus has been influencing artists ever since it was conceived. Despite how old the myth is, it still survives and exists in various forms of literature. Myths survive through their ability to change according to the times, yet the myth of Orpheus holds a particular place among these myths as having become a symbol of many things. It has come to symbolise pain, love, muse, art, and even as a form of validation for the feminist movement. In this dissertation I will be looking at this myth, and trying to understand the different interpretations some of the modern works of literature have given this myth, and why. This dissertation will by no means be an exhaustive view into this world of literary adaptations, as there are simply too many. However, it will give a small view into this intricate and challenging world that is Orpheus in literature. This dissertation will look at some literatures that have adapted the myth of Orpheus for some purpose or other, be it as a tool to push a narrative forward, or used for its symbolic value to further emphasise the narrative’s message. It will attempt to delve into the meanings behind the literature, and determine what the author is trying to do or say by adapting the myth of Orpheus. The first chapter will serve as the introduction, in which I will explain why I chose to write this dissertation, as well as provide a background on what an adaptation is. I will also be discussing the elements of the myth of Orpheus that might make it so attractive to authors, such as Orpheus being the perfect image of a man whose art holds tremendous power and influence. In the second chapter, I will be giving a brief explanation as to the figure of Orpheus as a myth, the philosophy of the movement which the ancient Greeks believed he started and is known as Orphism, and the cult that followed the teachings of Orpheus. It will also offer some basic background regarding how the myth of Orpheus has been interpreted. In the third chapter I will give a short description about written prose, and discuss why it is important. I will then look at the way the myth was adapted for three novels and two short narratives. In the fourth chapter I will provide a brief explanation of theatre and drama, as well as discuss the importance of this form of literature. I will also attempt to discuss three plays and determine why they adapted the myth of Orpheus. I will analyse how the myth was adapted and applied in these three plays, and what message these plays could be trying to convey. The fifth chapter will serve to give some background information on poetry, but it will also serve to give a glimpse at how some modern poetry treats the myth of Orpheus. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/107542 2023-03-21T15:04:19Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: From goddess to cyborg : considerations on the fate of beauty in posthumanism Abstract: The concluding words of Donna J. Haraway’s essay, ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, first published in 1985, read, ‘I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess’. My thesis aims to determine the extent to which that declaration implicates the question of beauty — specifically the fate of beauty in posthumanism. Building on existing work that examines Haraway’s Manifesto in relation to questions of cybernetics, the nature/culture binarism as well as gender, my thesis ponders on the possibility of assigning an identity to the goddess that Haraway chooses the cyborg over — specifically Venus, the mythological goddess of love and beauty. My thesis contains three parts, which are further divided into chapters, as well as an introduction and a conclusion. Part I tackles various definitions of both the cyborg and the goddess, alongside discourses concerning technology, ontology and materialisms, in order to investigate the possibility of a materialised goddess. In Part II, the collaborative exchange between Haraway and Lynn Randolph is examined, especially with regard to their treatment of the figure of Venus. Venus is further read as a recurring figure in the history of Western art and culture, in the context of a philosophy of aesthetics that controls and contains the female body in representation. Part III focuses on Pygmalion’s ivory girl, indicating that, as a type of unruly cybergoddess, she finds her beauty fetishised and exploited by the posthuman(ist) gaze. On this basis, my thesis finally suggests that the fate of beauty in posthumanism is one that sees the female body fragmented and, eventually, erased. The conclusion calls for a reconsideration of the origins of our histories and understanding of beauty. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z