Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Eco, Umberto – Criticism and interpretation'

Orientador: Marcio Orlando Seligmann-Silva
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
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Resumo: Esta tese trabalha com a teoria da cooperação interpretativa e a teoria dos limites da interpretação na obra teórico-crítica de Umberto Eco. Dividida em quatro capítulos, a tese procura recobrir a extensão dos escritos de Eco, abordando, ao mesmo tempo, a sua teoria dos códigos (da década de 1960 e 1970) e a sua teoria da produção dos signos, esboçada majoritariamente nos livros Tratado geral de semiótica (1975) e Kant e o ornitorrinco (1997). Objetivamos estudar, em primeiro lugar, o conflito existente entre a ideia da indeterminação dos sentidos afirmada nas obras pré-semióticas (sobretudo o livro Obra aberta, de 1962) e a concepção posterior de que a interpretação do texto literário depara-se com limites instituídos pelo código e pelo que Eco chama de "unidade fundamental dos comportamentos". Em segundo lugar, tentamos mostrar qual é o lugar ocupado por Eco no quadro mais geral das reflexões sobre a interpretação literária; destacam-se, neste momento da tese, as comparações com os teóricos da desconstrução. Em seguida, em meio a essa comparação, percebe-se que Eco volta-se para a teoria da produção dos signos com o intuito de fortalecer suas teses a respeito dos limites da interpretação. Nos dois capítulos finais, portanto, dedicamo-nos, por um lado, a apresentar as ideias de Eco relativas à percepção, à conceitualização do mundo e à intersubjetividade e, por outro lado, problematizamos, do ponto de vista da reflexão estética, o alcance de suas teses, no que diz respeito à interpretação do texto literário. Analisamos, também, a noção de abdução, destacando o papel que ela desempenha na aproximação das duas abordagens semióticas desenvolvidas por Eco em sua obra teórica - a saber, a semiótica como teoria da cultura e a semiótica como produção de signos - e, sobretudo, a importância que ela tem na formulação da teoria dos limites da interpretação de Eco. Em meio às análises, concluímos que a teoria da cooperação interpretativa e dos limites da interpretação de Eco compromete, em grande medida, o aspecto estético da interpretação do texto literário
Abstract: The thesis deals with the theory of interpretative co-operation and the theory of the limits of interpretation within Umberto Eco's theoretical works. Inside its four chapters the thesis aims to cover Eco's writings, by means of the approach of his theory of the codes (from the 1960's and the 1970's) and his theory of sign production, delineated in the books entitled A Theory of semiotics (1975) and Kant and the platypus (1997). First of all, our purpose is to study the conflict between the idea of the indeterminacy of the interpretation affirmed earlier in Eco's pre-semiotic works and the idea according with the interpretation of the literary text stumble upon specific limits imposed by the code and by what Eco calls "behavior fundamental unity". Secondly, we try to show what is the place Eco occupies within the debate about the limits of interpretation, in the realm of the Theory of Literature; at this point, we give special attention to the comparison between Eco's thoughts and the ideas of the thinkers linked to deconstruction trend. After the comparison, we note that Eco turns himself to the theory of sign production in order to make his own beliefs stronger. Therefore, in the last two chapters, we dedicate ourselves, on one hand, to present Eco's reflections on the perception and the conceptualization of the world and the intersubjectivity, and then, on the other hand, we try to render problematic, from the point of view of aesthetics, the range of Eco's ideas on what concerns the literary interpretation. Hence, we analyze the concept of abduction, stressing the role it plays in the merging of both of Eco's semiotic approaches - semiotics as theory of the culture and semiotics as sign production - and, above all, the weight it has in Eco's writings when it comes to the formulation of the thesis according to which there are limits for the literary interpretation. We finish the thesis asserting that Eco's theory of the interpretative co-operation and theory of the limits of the interpretation put in jeopardy the aesthetic features of literary communication
Doutorado
Teoria e Critica Literaria
Doutor em Teoria e História Literária

L‟obiettivo del presente lavoro è riflettere sul concetto di fedeltà in traduzione, seguendo l‟evoluzione di questa nozione nel corso dei secoli fino alla prospettiva critica del XXI secolo, con i suoi progressi tecnologici e il cambio di paradigmi teorico-pratici. Per condurre la riflessione proposta, inserita nell‟area della Letteratura Comparata e degli Studi di Traduzione, è stata realizzata l‟analisi delle traduzioni verso il portoghese brasiliano di tre romanzi italiani scritti da Umberto Eco. I romanzi scelti sono Il Pendolo di Foucault, pubblicato nel 1988 in Italia e tradotto in Brasile da Ivo Barroso nel 1989, con il titolo O Pêndulo de Foucault, L‟Isola del Giorno Prima, del 1994, arrivato in Brasile con la traduzione di Marco Lucchesi nel 1995 e intitolato A Ilha do Dia Anterior, e La Misteriosa Fiamma della Regina Loana, pubblicato in Italia nel 2004 e in Brasile nel 2005 con la traduzione di Eliana Aguiar intitolata A Misteriosa Chama da Rainha Loana. Per svolgere la ricerca e presentare i risultati ottenuti, è stato esaminato un corpus conciso, ma accurato, composto da un capitolo rappresentativo di ogni romanzo, a partir dal quale sono stati identificati i pilastri dell‟analisi: metafore vive, liste e forestierismi. Questi elementi, che abbondano nelle opere di finzione di Umberto Eco e caratterizzano il suo stile erudito, sono stati estratti dai testi originali, inseriti in tabelle e allineati con i loro equivalenti brasiliani. Metafore vive, liste e forestierismi meritano un‟attenzione speciale dal punto di vista sia linguistico che culturale, ragion per cui lo studio delle scelte realizzate dai tre traduttori è particolarmente rilevante per gli obiettivi che questa ricerca si propone. Il corpus creato a partire dai capitoli selezionati dei romanzi include 95 metafore vive, 29 liste e 60 forestierismi. Il lavoro mira ad analizzare gli esempi più significativi di questi campioni, ossia le loro traduzioni e i vari modi in cui si manifesta la fedeltà. Nell‟indagine realizzata in questo studio, la fedeltà è concepita in termini di compromesso, negoziazione, lealtà e rispetto. In questo rinnovato dibattito si discute, altresì, della relazione che esiste tra autore e traduttore, dando voce, attraverso un questionario, ai tre traduttori dei romanzi analizzati, un‟ulteriore e fondamentale tappa per riflettere sul compito impegnativo e ricco di sfide che rappresenta la traduzione.
O objetivo do presente estudo é de refletir sobre o conceito de fidelidade em tradução, destacando a evolução desse entendimento ao longo dos séculos até a perspectiva crítica do século XXI, com seus avanços tecnológicos e a mudança de paradigmas teórico-práticos. Para conduzir a reflexão proposta, inserida na área da Literatura Comparada e dos Estudos de Tradução, realiza-se a análise das traduções, para o português brasileiro, de três romances italianos escritos por Umberto Eco. Os romances escolhidos são Il Pendolo di Foucault, publicado em 1988 na Itália e traduzido no Brasil por Ivo Barroso em 1989, com o título O Pêndulo de Foucault; L‟Isola del Giorno Prima, de 1994, lançado no Brasil com tradução de Marco Lucchesi em 1995, intitulado A Ilha do Dia Anterior, e La Misteriosa Fiamma della Regina Loana, publicado na Itália em 2004 e no Brasil em 2005, tradução de Eliana Aguiar intitulada A Misteriosa Chama da Rainha Loana. Para desenvolver a pesquisa e ilustrar os resultados obtidos, examinou-se um corpus conciso, mas acurado, composto por um capítulo representativo de cada romance e, a partir desse, identificaram-se os focos principais de análise: as metáforas vivas, as listas e os estrangeirismos. Esses elementos, que são abundantes nas obras ficcionais de Umberto Eco e caracterizam seu estilo erudito, foram extraídos dos textos originais, colocados em tabelas e alinhados aos seus equivalentes brasileiros. Metáforas vivas, listas e estrangeirismos merecem uma atenção especial do ponto de vista tanto linguístico quanto cultural, razão pela qual o estudo das escolhas realizadas pelos três tradutores é particularmente relevante para os objetivos que esta pesquisa se propõe. O corpus criado a partir dos capítulos selecionados dos romances inclui 95 metáforas vivas, 29 listas e 60 estrangeirismos. O trabalho visa a analisar os exemplos mais significativos dessas amostras no que diz respeito às suas traduções e às várias manifestações da fidelidade. As investigações realizadas apontam para um horizonte em que a fidelidade está concebida em termos de compromisso, negociação, lealdade e respeito. Nesse renovado debate discute-se também a relação existente entre autor e tradutor, dando voz, por meio de questionário, aos três tradutores dos romances analisados, ulterior e fundamental etapa para refletir sobre a tarefa desafiadora e exigente da tradução.
The aim of this study is to reflect upon the concept of faithfulness in translation, emphasizing its evolution over time until the critical viewpoint of the 21st century, characterized by technological progress and by the shift in theoretical and practical paradigms. In this investigation, carried out in the framework of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, the translations into Brazilian Portuguese of three Italian novels written by Umberto Eco were analyzed. The novels chosen for this research are Il Pendolo di Foucault, published in Italy in 1988, and translated in Brazil by Ivo Barroso in 1989, with the title O Pêndulo de Foucault, L‟Isola del Giorno Prima, published in Italy in 1994 and in Brazil in 1995 in the translation by Marco Lucchesi as A Ilha do Dia Anterior, and La Misteriosa Fiamma della Regina Loana, published in Italy in 2004 e in Brazil in 2005, translated with the title A Misteriosa Chama da Rainha Loana by Eliana Aguiar. In order to carry out this study and present the results obtained, a concise but accurate corpus, composed of a representative chapter from each novel, was analyzed and the main foci of the research were identified: live metaphors, lists and foreign words. These elements, which are abundant in Umberto Eco‟s fiction works and characterize his erudite style, were extracted from the original texts, organized into tables and aligned with their Brazilian equivalents. Live metaphors, lists and foreign words deserve special attention from a linguistic and a cultural viewpoint, which is the reason why the study of the choices made by the three translators is particularly relevant for the goals of this research. The corpus, originated from the selected chapters of the novels, includes 95 live metaphors, 29 lists and 60 foreign words. This work aims at analyzing the most significant examples as far as their translations are concerned, and how faithfulness arises from them. In the research conducted in this study, faithfulness is perceived in terms of compromise, negotiation, loyalty and respect. In this renewed framework, the relationship between author and translator is also discussed. Furthermore, the voice was given to the three translators of the analyzed novels, all of whom were asked to fill a questionnaire, thus significantly contributing to the reflection upon the challenging and demanding task of translation.

Notre thèse de doctorat se propose de montrer, selon une perspective historique et analytique, que toute l’œuvre théorique et romanesque d’Umberto Eco peut être lue, de manière originalement organique et problématique, à travers le thème de la dialectique interprétative entre texte et lecteur. Présent dans tous ses différents écrits, dans lesquels il nous amène à instaurer entre eux un dialogue intertextuel et intratextuel, fécond et critique, ce thème nous permet ainsi de soutenir qu’il est possible, voire significatif, d’envisager les divers aspects de l’œuvre échienne de façon cohérente et complémentaire. À ce propos, notre conviction est que, si les livres de sémiotique d’Eco s’interrogent surtout sur les règles et les modalités fondamentales pour une fructueuse coopération interprétative entre lecteur et texte, en vue de la définition d’un sens partageable de ce dernier, ses romans, loin d’être entendus comme une simple illustration didactique de ses conceptualisations théoriques, doivent plutôt être vus comme des formes de leur enrichissement successif. En effet, en y représentant allégoriquement les conséquences dramatiques des dérives herméneutiques liées au rapport interprétatif entre texte et lecteur, Eco se sert de la fiction narrative pour justement critiquer l’emploi de la sémiotique à des fins d’abstraction intellectuelle et pour l’ancrer, à l’inverse, dans le terrain concret de l’histoire, en mettant ainsi en valeur sa fonction critique, sociale et culturelle
Our doctoral thesis intends to show, from a historical and analytical perspective, that all the theoretical and novelistic works by Umberto Eco can be read, in an originally organic and problematic way, through the theme of the interpretative dialectic between the text and the reader. The theme is present in all his different books. It leads us to establish a rich, critical, intertextual and intratextual dialogue and allows us to argue that it is possible, even significant, to consider the various aspects of his work in a coherent and complementary manner. In fact, our conviction is that, even though Eco’s semiotic books mainly focus on the fundamental rules and modalities of a fruitful interpretative cooperation between the reader and the text – in order to define a shared meaning of the latter –, his novels, far from being understood as a simple didactic illustration of his theoretical conceptualizations, should rather be regarded as forms of their successive enrichment. Indeed, through the allegorical representation of the dramatic consequences of hermeneutic practises pushed to the extreme – related to the interpretative relationship between the text and the reader –, Eco precisely uses narrative fiction to criticize the use of semiotics for the purposes of intellectual abstraction and to anchor it, on the contrary, in the concrete realm of history, thus highlighting its critical, social and cultural role

Esse estudo trabalha com as formulações de Umberto Eco sobre a abertura poética e os limites da interpretação, as quais caracterizam um modelo de teorização sobre a plurissignificação/ambiguidade das obras artísticas e o entendimento de que as estratégias semióticas que essas obras veiculam não permitem toda sorte de interpretação, sendo necessário percorrer a intenção da obra e transformar o leitor empírico em estratégia textual (a noção de leitor-modelo). Além disso, o estudo defende que o pensamento econiano, ao privilegiar a atividade de interpretação como sendo uma negociação entre a intenção da obra e a intenção do leitor(-modelo), possa oferecer um tipo de aparato crítico-teórico que contribua, em sentido amplo, para as reflexões acerca do entendimento da figura do leitor em formação projetada em contextos de ensino de literatura. De modo a percorrer esses intentos, dividimos nossa pesquisa em quatro capítulos: o primeiro deles volta-se para a formulação principal sobre o modelo teórico-crítico econiano; o segundo, contém exemplos de experiências interpretativas que almejem uma aplicação do modelo em questão; o terceiro, foca-se na função do leitor no domínio desse modelo, segundo o qual o leitor passa a ser uma estratégia interpretativa; e o quarto capítulo delineia uma noção de autonomia do leitor que caiba nesse mesmo contexto. Outra parte importante do nosso estudo é a das “Considerações iniciais”, em que comentamos sobre as escolhas que orientaram a pesquisa em tela e também sobre as principais limitações filosóficas e teóricas do pensamento econiano visitado.
This study works with the notions of openness and the limits of interpretation formulated by Umberto Eco. These notions characterize a model of theorization of plurisignification/ambiguity of artistic works and also the understanding that the semiotic strategies which these works present do not allow for every kind of interpretation, being it necessary to percuss the intention of the text, and to transform the empirical reader in a textual strategy (the notion of model reader). In addition this study proposes that Eco’s critical/theoretical model, since it gives special attention to the activity of interpretation as a negotiation between the intention of the text and the intention of the (model)reader, might contribute in a broad sense to the understanding about the reader as beginner which is placed in literary teaching contexts. In order to undergo these attempts, we divided our research in four chapters. The first one targets the main formulation about Eco's critical/theoretical model. The second contains examples of interpretative experiences that aim at applying the theoretical model in question. The third focuses on the role of the reader in this model’s scope, in which the reader becomes an interpretative strategy. The fourth chapter delineates a notion of the reader’s autonomy that fits the same context. Another important part of our study is the “Initial considerations” in which we comment both on the choices that guided the research on screen and on the main philosophical and theoretical limitations of the Eco's thoughts.
Este estudio trabaja con las formulaciones de Umberto Eco sobre la abertura poética y los límites de la interpretación, las cuales caracterizan un modelo de teorización sobre la plurisignificación/ambigüedad de las obras artísticas y el entendimiento de que las estrategias semióticas que esas obras conducen no permiten toda la suerte de interpretación, siendo necesario recorrer la intención de la obra y transformar al lector empírico en estrategia textual (la noción de lector modelo). Además, el estudio sostiene que el pensamiento econiano, cuando favorece la actividad de la interpretación como una negociación entre la intención de la obra y la intención del lector(-modelo), puede ofrecer una especie de aparato crítico-teórico que contribuya, en sentido amplio, con la reflexión sobre la comprensión de la figura del lector en formación diseñada en los contextos de enseñanza de la literatura. Con el propósito de recorrer dichos intentos, dividimos nuestra investigación en cuatro capítulos: el primero de ellos se dirige para la formulación principal sobre el modelo crítico-teórico econiano; el segundo contiene ejemplos de experiencias interpretativas que pretenden una aplicación del modelo en cuestión; el tercero se centra en la función del lector en el dominio de dicho modelo, en el cual el lector pasa a ser una estrategia interpretativa; y el cuarto capítulo delinea una noción de autonomía del lector que corresponde a ese mismo contexto. Otra parte importante de nuestro estudio es el de las “Consideraciones iniciales”, en que comentamos sobre las elecciones que orientaron la presente investigación y también sobre las principales limitaciones filosóficas y teóricas del modelo econiano analizado.

Articulée en trois chapitres, cette thèse qui vise à endiguer la toute-puissance de la traductologie porte, d’abord, sur l’analyse d’un extrait de Simenon inséré dans La belle Hortense, puis sur l’examen des erreurs relevées dans 40 versions d’étudiants de l’université de Venise confrontés avec un passage d’Agnès Desarthe et, enfin, sur la traduction du « Maladroit » de Raymond Queneau par Umberto Eco. Comme le titre l’indique, cette thèse revendique l’importance de la pratique. Ce n’est pas à force d’étudier des grammaires qu’un jour on se réveille écrivain, une plume ou un clavier à la main. De même, c’est une évidence, on ne devient pas traducteur sans traduire, bien que l’exercice ne puisse garantir l’excellence du résultat. C’est un truisme, une lapalissade dont il n’est pas inutile de rappeler la vérité, à un moment où la traductologie devient de plus en plus envahissante. Comme toute théorie, elle tend à l’abstraction et à la généralisation, tandis que la pratique, elle, se confronte au hic et nunc. C’est pour cela même qu’elle risque de se révéler non seulement inadéquate, mais aussi dangereuse. Car la littérature, loin d’être l’application de la norme, est le lieu de l’écart. Or, il est difficile de résister à l’autorité d’un dictionnaire, d’un traductologue ou d’un critique, plus difficile encore s’ils sont auréolés de prestige. Toute traduction comporte deux phases. La première est axée sur une analyse stylistique du texte-source et implique une excellente maîtrise de la langue et de la culture de son monde d’origine. C’est le moment de l’esclavage où le traducteur est complètement au service de l’auteur, où il cherche à comprendre sans juger, où – tel un amoureux – il écoute sa voix pour pouvoir l’interpréter. Mais le moment de l’esclavage qui enchaîne au texte originel est aussi le moment de l’apprentissage, le moment où le traducteur peut pénétrer les secrets d’une écriture d’auteur. Sans cette phase préalable, on ne devrait même pas parler de traduction. Si on ne lit pas attentivement – à la loupe – l’œuvre qu’on doit transplanter ou si on ne connaît pas assez la matière dont elle est faite, on finit par se fier aux dictionnaires, par appliquer des recettes toutes faites. C’est une autre voix que celle de l’auteur que l’on entendra, alors, au-delà des frontières. C’est dans cette phase que des préjugés ou des brouillages théoriques assez enracinés ou assez puissants sont intervenus, d’après mon analyse, dans les extraits examinés. Ils ont entraîné la banalisation de Simenon (mais non de Roubaud qui emprunte ses mots) aussi bien que la plupart des incorrections des étudiants (souvent induites paradoxalement par l’usage du dictionnaire). Ils ont poussé également Umberto Eco à remanier radicalement un texte de Raymond Queneau qu’il avait considéré comme l’un des moins réussis, alors qu’il est sans aucun doute l’un des plus importants – et peut-être le plus important - des Exercices de style. Dans la deuxième phase, le traducteur qui accepte d’écrire sous contrainte – sous les contraintes que lui impose le texte-source – connaît aussi la joie de la liberté. Car la contrainte le libérera et le poussera à exploiter toutes les potentialités insoupçonnées, toutes les ressources de la langue et de la culture d’arrivée pour rendre le plus fidèlement la voix de l’auteur, auquel l’analyse et la compréhension l’ont enchaîné. C’est un effort de Sisyphe, mais qui peut rendre heureux. Car c’est aussi en traduisant qu’on devient écriveron
Set out in three chapters, this thesis which has the aim of investigating the omniscience of translation, starts out by analyzing an extract from Simenon in La Belle Hortense then moves to a study of the mistakes made in 40 translations by students at the University of Venice from a text by Agnès Desarthe and, finally, looks at the translation by Umberto Eco of Raymond Queneau's "Maladroit".As its title suggests, this thesis underlines the importance of practice. One does not suddenly wake up a writer one morning, a pen at the ready simply because one has studied grammar.At the same time one obviously does not become a translator without translating, although practice in itself does not guarantee the excellence of the outcome. This is a truism worth remembering at a moment when translation studies are becoming more and more invasive. Like every theory it tends towards abstraction and generalization while practice concerns itself with the here and now. But it is exactly for this that it risks revealing itself not only as inadequate but also dangerous. For literature, far from being the application of the norm, is where the gap exists. However it is difficult to resist the authority of a dictionary, of a translation expert or of a critic, even more so if they are surrounded by a halo of prestige.Every translation consists of two phases. The first is based on a stylistic analysis of the source text and implies an excellent mastery of the language and of the culture from where it originates. This is the moment of enslavement when the translator is at the complete service of the author, where he tries to understand without judging, like a lover, he listens to his voice so that he can interpret it. But the stage of enslavement which chains one to the original text is also the moment of apprenticeship, the moment when the translator can enter into the secrets of an author's writing. Without this initial phase, one should not even speak of translation. If one does not read carefully, as under a magnifying glass, the work that one must transplant and where one does not know sufficiently what makes it up, one ends up by relying too much on dictionaries, to apply ready-made solutions. There is another voice apart from the author's that one must hear, beyond the normal boundaries.It is in this phase that well-rooted and strong prejudices or theoretical garble, according to my analysis, have intervened in the extracts examined. They have caused a banalisation of Simenon (but not of Roubaud who borrowed his words) as well as most of the errors of the students (and often brought about, paradoxically, the use of dictionaries). In the same way they pushed Umberto Eco to meddle radically with a text of Raymond Queneau that he considered one of the latter's less successful ones, even though it is one of the most important, and perhaps the most important, in Exercices de style.In the second phase, the translator who accepts to write under constraint, under the constraints imposed by the source text, also knows the joy of liberty. Because the constraint will free him and push him to take full advantage of unexpected potentiality, of all the resources of the language and culture and to render the voice of the author in the most faithful way, and to whom the analysis and comprehension chained him. It is the work of Sisyphus but which can create contentment. Because it is also by translating that one becomes a writer

The study examines cognitive rationality as to()l for problemsolving within the context of a movement from determinism and monolithic universal Reason towards indeterminism and plurality. It is contended that theories of literature do not provide an adequate conceptual framework, and therefore, extensive use is made of pluralist fallibilism (Popper, Helmut Spinner) and chaos theory. The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche is viewed as a decisive influence in the shift towards plurality and scepticism. In chapter 2, Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, a novel by Agatha Christie and Gaston Leroux's Le mystere de Ia chambre jaune are discussed as examples of optimistic rationalism. Chapter 3 indicates that Eco's II nome della rosa emphasizes the conjectural nature of truth and objective knowledge, underpinned by a 'soft' rationalism which amounts to monopolistic pluralism. Chapter 4 analyses the defeat of cognitive rationality by the complex interaction of a multiplicity of independent causal series. The detectives' relationship with the feminine exemplifies the interpenetration of rationality and the instinctual, while the mystery of the feminine is a metaphor for impenetrable complexity. Chapter 5 shows that hypotheses concerning random complex systems remain inconclusive. However, as the trajectory of a complex system can be regulated, so reason can be viewed as the underlying regulative pattern (strange attractorl for an infinite proliferation of hypotheses. Thus, despite .shifting conceptions of rationality and order, all the detectives in the study accept objective truth as regulative principle and are involved in a search for objective knowledge
Afrikaans & Theory of Literature
D.Litt. et Phil. (Theory of literature)

Diploma thesis Intertextual use of myth in the film Lana Del Rey Tropico pays attention to the radical layering of myths in this film. Follows the relationship between intertextuality and the postmodern myth situation following the structuralist analysis of myth by Claude Lévi-Strauss and Roland Barthes. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The thesis Intentions of art photography. Possibilities and limits of Eco's reception aesthetics on the example of the exhibition "Thus Spoke LaChapelle" is dedicated to photographs of a significant advertising and art photographer David LaChapelle, a theory of reception of Umberto Eco. LaChapelle's photographs serve as a means in which will be analyzed the limits and possibilities of Eco's reception aesthetics. Also there will be used three different interpretations of selected photos (the photo Deluge and the photographic series Museum).

The subject of this thesis are interpretations and overinterpretatios of Lewis Carroll's work Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. That includes interpretations based on autor's life and the historical period which he lived in, psychoanalytic, feministic and psychedelic interpretations and those which perceive Alice's story as a game. In this thesis there are also mentioned adaptations based on motives of both novels. We use a theory of interpretation of Umberto Eco to distinguish between these interpretations. This theory is used in our own analysis in which we focus on crucial aspects. That means the behaviour of the main character and vice versa, identity of Alice, context, genre and the model reader of the naration. We also focus on these aspects in the selected interpretations. The emphasis is put on the proces of dialectics between the text and its reader which these interpretations and overinterpretations come from. We also try to see it from the point of view of the aproach to the text. That is why this case study reveals a problem of remake and adaptation.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Engiish.
This dissertation grapples With the activity of critical production. It answers not to an interpretation which would constitute the writer within the institutionalised category of effect and object of knowledge, but rather to an explosion, a proliferation of critical paths at the limit of the doxa: a veritable labyrinth. The terms of my title open up a methodological field within which I enact the play of associations, contiguities, relations among four texts: The Name of the Rose, lost. in the Funhouse, The Naked Lunch and 'The library of Babel'. The terms themselves disseminate across the text argument in citations, references, echoes. The labyrinth is used throughout as a trope which deconstructs its own performance within the text. Legends are myths, inscriptions on maps, legenda or "things for reading" (through an etymological supplement), "lesser libraries." Barthes cites the biblical words of the man possessed by demons: "My name is Legion for we are many" and demonstrates how the demonlacal plural brings with it fundamental changes in reading strategies. The notion of the demoniacal plural is used to problernatlse the debates around subjectivity. The belief in unitary, rational selfhood is debunked and the subject is Seen to be plural, irreducible, heterogenous. Subjectivity is further problernatlsed by demonstrating the slippage among the labyrinthine multiplicity of discursive positions occupied by readers: the monoloqlcal models of meaning developed from each reading position constantly shift. The discursive position recuperated and sanctioned by the Law or the institution is impossible to maintain as Subjects are seduced by language into confrontation with other positions through their continuous renarnings of each other. Subjectivity and discursive positioning form .their own labyrinthine intentionality. The argument then moves towards an exploration of the current calculation of the subject for the writer. (Distinctions between author and critic begin to collapse here since meaning is shown to be governed by neither). The reading\writing subject strolls in a vast labyrinth of text - a postmodern flaneur who frustrates the work of exegesis by enacting the play of the signifier. The line traced by this hypothetical traveller does not engender a definitive theoretical or discursive map of the domain but rather a contingent and highly provisional, backward turning path. The demoniacal plural is also used to problematise notions of an original and innovative critical voice which "speaks" the dissertation. The logic regulating the argument is the already-written, The dissertation plavs with each text (both critical texts and fictions) looking for a practice which reproduces them but in another place. My imagined (ideal?) reader wmtreat the argument as that Which. lt was not simply meant to be,will. follow.the argument and be seduced by it: an echoing. structure with dead ends, wrong turns, false entrances fictitious exits; misleading threads and deceptive lines,
AC 2018

The thrust of this thesis proceeds from two main presuppositions. The first is that the Old Testament wisdom books are generally ignored or not given enough attention in the studies about water and water-related phenomena. The second is that the romantic perspective on elements of the natural world is dominant in eco-theological studies. To highlight this twofold problem, a sample survey into the works of the scholarly biblical dictionaries, encyclopedias, books and articles as well as ecotheological studies is offered in the second chapter of this thesis. In an attempt to (partly) address this problem, this study argues that, firstly, despite a scarcity of scholarly interest in water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books, this body of literature contains a rich variety of references to water and water-related phenomena. Secondly, it is shown in this study that an overly-romantic view of nature does not do justice to the richness, complexity, and variety of portrayals of elements of nature in the texts themselves. In this sense, this study aims at retrieving ecological wisdom from particular texts that give voice to both the life-giving and life-threatening potential of water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books. The exploration is facilitated by elements of the historical-critical and literary approaches through an ecological framework informed by four of the six eco-justice principles of the Earth Bible Project. The thesis suggests that scholars who attempt ecological readings of the Bible will gain more if they also take less favoured texts into consideration. The exploration of water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books, therefore, goes beyond what studies on water or water-related phenomena have hitherto done. Furthermore, a study on both aspects of water as a life-giving and life-threatening entity demonstrates that an eco-friendly view of nature does not do justice to the biblical texts themselves. This will be seen through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters.
Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
D. Th. (Old Testament)

This diploma thesis explores the phenomenon of kitsch. One of the aims of the thesis is to address significant theories (H. Broch, M. Kundera, P. Rezek and T. Kulka) and to analyze them further in relation to the central concept of Umberto Eco, which defines kitsch as a communication. According to Eco, kitsch is not to be defined solely by the structural qualities of the work, but also by the intention that the author creates and by the means that the work is later perceived by the audience. The focus of this thesis is to be pointed not on the kitsch as a definition of a certain type of object and its aesthetic evaluation, but rather on the attitudes and interpretations that transform objects and thoughts into kitsch. Another aim of the thesis is to mark a possible shift in conception of kitsch in context of the changes brought by the age of new media - the changes that radically change the ways of communication, and the organization of society, too. Such change proposes the use of kitsch both as an emotional and simplifying approach. Kitsch, in its wider conception, becomes a pervasive and actual phenomenon. In addition to the characteristics of new media, the thesis uses the concept of Cyberculture by Pierre Lévy and the Liquid Times theory of Zygmunt Bauman. In its conclusion, the thesis attempts to...

This study attempts to offer an ecological interpretation of Genesis 1: 1-2:4a in view of the question as to what extent this passage bears footprints of anthropocentrism, on the one hand, and/or ecological wisdom, on the other hand. Extant ecological readings of this text tend to either recover its ecofriendliness, or they criticise the text on the basis of its dominion and subdual language in Genesis 1:26-28 which seems to go against the grain of ecological sensibilities. In resonance with revisionist readings, this study shows that the only way to mollify the dominion language of Genesis I :26-28 is to read this section as part of the whole Priestly creation account. Elements of the exilic context and many literary features of Genesis I: l-2:4a present humans as a member of a world of interdependences. Hence, accusing Genesis I: l-2:4a of lying at the root of modern indifference towards nature, is not the whole story.
Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies
M. A. (Biblical Studies)

Trees, as threshold beings, effectively blur the line between the real world and fantastical alternate worlds, and destabilise traditional binary classification systems that distinguish humanity, and Culture, from Nature. Though the presence of trees is often peripheral to the main narrative action, their representation is necessary within the fantasy trope. Their consistent inclusion within fantasy texts of the twentieth century demonstrates an enduring arboreal legacy that cannot be disregarded in its contemporary relevance, whether they are represented individually or in collective forests. The purpose of my dissertation is to conduct a study of various prominent fantasy texts of the twentieth century, including the fantasy works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robert Holdstock, Diana Wynne Jones, Natalie Babbitt, and J.K. Rowling. In scrutinising these texts, and drawing on insights offered by liminal, ecocritical, ecofeminist, mythological and psychological theorists, I identify the primary function of trees within fantasy narratives as liminal: what Victor Turner identifies as a ‘betwixt and between’ state (1991:95) where binaries are suspended in favour of embracing potentiality. This liminality is constituted by three central dimensions: the ecological, the mythological, and the psychological. Each dimension informs the relationship between the arboreal as grounded in reality, and represented in fantasy. Trees, as literary and cinematic arboreal totems are positioned within fantasy narratives in such a way as to emphasise an underlying call to bio-conservatorship, to enable a connection to a larger scope of cultural expectation, and to act as a means through which human self-awareness is developed.
English Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

Abstract This thesis illustrates the social engagement in the literary writings of Pier Vittorio Tondelli, an Italian gay author whose works have been described by many Catholic, Materialists, and gay critics as frivolous and disengaged. The dissertation summarizes the mutation of the Italian literary concept of impegno from Neorealism to Postmodernism, through a selection of the texts of Elio Vittorini, Italo Calvino, Franco Fortini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Leonardo Sciascia, and Umberto Eco. It shows how Tondelli’s interpretation of the role of the writer falls within the definitions given by Calvino and Eco. Moreover, the thesis demonstrates that Altri libertini and Pao Pao satisfy the characteristics of littérature mineure established by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, though Tondelli’s oeuvre is socially engaged instead of being politically engaged because of his lack of a political ideology. The dissertation highlights the core of Tondelli’s social commitment in his passionate defense of the outcasts in: Altri libertini where drug addicts, homosexuals, transsexuals, and bums are the protagonists; Pao Pao where a group of gay soldiers is described in its grotesque and camp attempt to “homosexualize” their barrack; Rimini where the Riviera Adriatica is portrayed as a place where everyone passes by and no one belongs; Camere separate through the love story of a gay couple in which one partner has to survive his lover’s death, due to an illness that is demonstrated in this thesis to be AIDS, while fighting against the homophobia of their families, institutions, society, and religion. Most of Tondelli’s socially excluded characters are introduced to the reader through an internal homodiegetic point of view. Another important component of Tondelli’s impegno is his open defense of both pop-culture and counter-cultures: gay, hippies, rockers, experimental theatre, street artists and alternative radio, which are central in all his writings.