R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "Nelson, Deborah"

Browsing by Author "Nelson, Deborah"

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Bernard of Clairvaux and the structure of love in Dante's Commedia
(1984) Morris, Anne C.; Chance, Jane; Huston, J. Dennis; Nelson, Deborah
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is not only Dante's final guide in the Commedia. but the saint's mystical theology has also provided the poet with the means to that end of the beatific vision, the process of love. Bernard’s De Diligendo Deo explains that there are four degrees of love, ranging from the carnal to the ecstatic. These four levels correspond to major divisions in the Commedia and to the characters found in each. Primary, yet sometimes puzzling figures such as Francesca, Cato, Beatrice, and Mary can be understood within the terms of Bernard's concept of love. Furthermore, the traveler Dante himself assents to the Bernardian explanation of Christian love in Canto XXVI of the Paradiso, during the second part of St. John's examination on love. The entire Commedia climaxes in Dante's mystical vision, achieved with the guidance of the character of St. Bernard and fraught with characteristics of Bernard's thought, including his Marian devotion and his emphasis upon grace.
Die Funktion der Hauptzofen in Yvain, Iwein und Tristan
(1982) Tar, Anne-Marie Milena; Clark, Susan; Weissenbenger, Klaus H. M.; Nelson, Deborah
The introduction first recapitulates the different perspectives in which the courtly epics since Chretien de Troyes have been studied. Going from studies which mention the role of the "Ladies-in-waiting" only "in passim" one comes to those which concentrate on their role and its meaning in the three epics mentioned in the title. Mythological and Christian Symbolism, medieval allegory and alchemistic symbolism and Freudian interpretation are the four main streams that have been studied. The first chapter analyses what the "Ladies-in-waiting" do; think, reason and convince. The first part shows their triumphs, and the second treats their defeat and the tests they undergo to recover their former Situation. The third part shows that their abilities culminate in their mastering of speech, which permits them to manipulate their surroundings. The second chapter analyses what they are: first, the names they are given and their gestures, then their physical appearance, and finally their significance as Symbols and archetypes. The conclusion gathers the facts and tries to show that it is possible to overcome the disparities found in the studies mentioned in the introduction.
L'element latin dans la poesie des troubadours : une source de la tradition courtoise? [French text]
(1991) Kaplan, Marijn Scholten; Nelson, Deborah
La tradition courtoise commence par les troubadours. Malgre la grande originalite de leur poesie et de la fin' amors qu'ils y decrivent, des traces d'une influence latine sont presentes. Les premiers troubadours venaient du Limousin et du Poitou ou ils ont ete eduques dans des centres religieux comme Saint-Martial. De leur education religieuse, ils ont repris la musique de la liturgie pour leurs chansons (le latin medieval liturgique). La lecture des auteurs classiques et surtout d'Ovide a ajoute autres elements a la poesie troubadouresque comme des motifs de l'amour et l'amour comme un art qu'on peut apprendre (le latin classique). Des genres deja presents dans la poesie latine medievale ont ete imites par les troubadours et ils se sont servis aussi de la rhetorique medievale (le latin medieval seculier).
L'unite des images dans Capitale de la Douleur de Paul Eluard
(1980) Martin, Karen Elaine; Raaphorst, Madeleine R.; Aresu, Bernard; Nelson, Deborah
The object of this study is to show the unity of Paul Eluard's Capitale de la Douleur (1926) as it is revealed through the imagery in the poetic text. Preliminary observations in the first chapter include a concise biography of Eluard, Eluard's definition of the image and a brief analysis of the vital relationship between word and image in Eluard poems. Principal figures of style in Capitale de la Douleur are discussed as well as specific sonorous effects created through assonance and alliteration. The first chapter closes with a résumé of critical works about Eluard's poetry and an explanation of the method used in this study of Capitale de la Douleur. Chapter Two constitutes the "body” of the thesis, exploring Capitale de la Douleur across the themes and sources of its images in an effort to give objective proof of its unity. All the images are classified and studied according to the following categories: Nature, Common Objects, Weapons, Games, Supernatural Beings, Childhood, Introspective Processes, Personification, Abstract Qualities and the Eyes. The third chapter is a discussion of Eluard's stylistic techniques in Capitale de la Douleur such as exploitation of a single image or of several images (for example, the sun, the bird, the woman and the eyes), overlapping, superimposed and reciprocal images, important figures of style (similes and metaphors) and innovative use of sounds. This study concludes that thematic continuity gives Capitale de la Douleur a strong internal coherence while use of the same source of images in conjunction with varied themes contributes to the unity of the work, linking several themes by means of a stylistic technique.
La problematique litteraire de l'ideal (French text)
(1992) Siciliano, Rachael Ann; Nelson, Deborah
In recent years the goal of many artists has changed from the desire to represent the real as perfectly as possible to the quest for non-representation. This change in conceptualization has been explained by certain academics as the result of the modernity's deconstruction of the traditional subject-artist/object-world dichotomy. Without putting into question this interpretation, I would like to propose a parallel interpretation of the deconstruction of traditional representation in terms of another duality, idealism. I believe that in both cases the active principle is the same: one desires that which perpetually escapes one's grasp; when representing one in vain seeks the perfect imitation of the real; when idealizing, one imagines a perfected vision of the real. This thesis attempts to examine the close relationship between the desire for literary representation and the desire to idealize found in certain works of French literature.
Langue, Geste et rite: Jean Genet et Notre-Dame-des-fleurs
(1982) Beaty, Eric Bruce; Raaphorst, Madeleine R.; Topazio, Virgil W.; Nelson, Deborah
Notre-Dame des Fleurs est la manifestation d'une confession qui se veut être celle d'un homosexuel criminel. Cependant, faute d'un récit linéaire, le lecteur de cette fausse autobiographie se .trouve témoin d'une série de méandres venant de la bouche d'un prisonnier, ensuite d'une série de personnages calqués sur l'imagination de Jean Genet, et enfin d'une tentative omniprésente de transcender le réel. Trois aspects s'en détachent, formant trois chapitres. Le premier chapitre, portant le nom "La Langue de Genet”, traite tout d'abord de l'argot criminel et homosexuel, puis des pouvoirs communicatifs ainsi que suggestifs de la langue de Genet, et en deuxième lieu de l'imagerie soi-disant terrestre. Vu sous cet angle, ce leitmotiv se retrouve tout au long du roman: le miracle, les divers accessoires — miroirs et les fleurs .... Bien que Genet soit issu d'un milieu sordide, son patrimoine linguistique est d'autant plus efficace qu'il est riche. La langue devient alors capable d'abuser et de tromper. Elle représente une fin en elle-même. Le deuxième chapitre est consacré à la réification du geste en tant que tel. Les protagonistes se situent dans le cadre de ce roman comme des archétypes créés à l'image de Jean Genet lui-même.- Ceux-ci se distinguent par la grandeur de leurs gestes destinés à rendre leur existence significative. L'exemple de Divine -- appelée en réalité Louis Culafroy est sans doute le meilleur; on s'aperçoit en effet qu'elle s'identifie le plus souvent avec Genet. Après avoir subi une révélation subite, provoquée par un geste gratuit, Louis Culafroy devient Divine, une travestie et une prostituée. Son souteneur, Mignon-les-Petits-Pieds, est lui aussi victime de ses gestes. En essayant de "revaloriser" son existence, il est surpris alors qu'il vole à l'étalage. Tandis que Mignon s'avère plus croyable que Divine comme personnage, le protagoniste Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs met en évidence l'incarnation d'un idéal criminel dont Genet s'évertue à être le pieux témoin. Notre-Dame tue son amant, ce qui égale au geste suprême. Quant au troisième chapitre, il s'agit du mécanisme du rite. Genet a recours au domaine de la tragédie pour ainsi donner une continuité à son histoire misérabiliste. Divine et Mignon restent tragiques de par leur banalité. Notre-Dame, lui, est décapité en criminel commun. Toutefois, il existe, au sein de ce roman, un autre personnage: le narrateur. Celui ci se constitue le roi moribond en tête d'un royaume perpétuel lement sur son déclin. Dans un effort pour réaliser également son auto-déification. Genet s'empêtre, en tant que personnage, dans la tragédie susdite. L'imagination de Jean Genet, sa vision, son passé et sa morale constituent le fond de son oeuvre. Il se révèle comme le personnage principal de Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs.
Le libertinage des egarements aux liaisons: la mise en scene, les coulisses, le script
(1981) Doster, Annette L.; Topazio, Virgil W.; Raaphorst, Madeleine R.; Nelson, Deborah
Orientée à la fois vers la mise en scène (les diverses facettes) et les coulisses (les principes opérationnels) dû libertinage, cette étude s'adresse également à une autre dimension du libertinage: son script (le médium littéraire). Examinés séparément par l'ensemble des critiques, mise en scène, coulisses et script se trouvent ici rassemblés en une seule recherche qui, mise en scène et coulisses une fois analysées,tente^d'examiner de quelle façon et dans quelle mesure le script choisi (parole dans Les Egarements du coeur et de l'esprit, écriture dans Les Liaisons dangereuses) alimente et soutient davantage la présentation de la première ou des dernières, c'est-à-dire des diverses facettes ou des principes mis en oeuvre.
Les visages du heros l'initiation dans les romans de Chretien de Troyes
(1998) Georgescu, Georgeta; Nelson, Deborah
In a atemporal space where the real and the fantastic intertwine, the heroes of Chretien de Troyes represent projections of an ideal personality. Their symbolic quest is but means of individuation, since, through voyage, the heroes undertake a task of double exploration: that of the exterior and that of the interior world. The confrontation with Evil is the expression of the hero's internal struggle and his adventures translate into initiatic terms. The plot of Chretien de Troyes' works evinces a mythical structure: the voyage of the hero into the "Other World" and his triumphant return. His characteristics of "the chosen one", of the champion of order, as well as his newly acquired status will be acknowledged by the community. Redeemed either by a religious experience or by submission to a lady and/or to the code of conduct, the hero reconquers his place in the world. An approach based on parallelism and juxtaposition has allowed this study to look into the archetypal nature of Chretien de Troyes' heroes, to interpret the recurrent motifs and patterns, which lend the hero an archetypal dimension. Structured around the hero's identity crisis and quest this study explores the relationship between myth, tale and romance.
Merlin, pion des pouvoirs superieurs: Étude du manuscrit huth
(1980) Chiquoine, Nancy Klein; Nelson, Deborah; Alcover, Madeleine; Clark, Susan
The thirteenth-century Huth Manuscript, published in 1886 by Gaston Paris and Jacob Ulrich, combines the prose version of Robert de Boron's Merlin (ca. 1129), and the work of an anonymous continuator, to provide a complete account of the life of this medieval prophet, from the satanic plotting which resulted in his conception, to his death by enchantment at the hands of his successor. Criticism aimed at analyzing this composite work generally has approached the task from an historical perspective, and the resulting studies have uncovered all manner of wouldbe origins for specific episodes. This method, albeit demanding, has an over-all disintegrating effect on the work as a literary entity: the story of Merlin is treated as an accumulation of detached, often contradictory episodes, never as a structural whole, a single coherent portrayal of the protagonist. Our thesis, contrary to that of the historical approach, is that the manuscript does present a cohesive narrative whose connecting thread is found in the very character of Merlin. When several demons confer in Hell, they decide that the only "defense” against the influence of the forgiving Christ figure lies in the creation of an Anti-Christ. A representative is subsequently selected to inseminate a mortal virgin. The damsel, however, is smiled upon by God, and the hybrid fruit of this sexual union is Merlin, a being endowed by the Devil with the power to know and remember all past events, and blessed by God with the very prophetic vision which Satan lacks. Merlin, unlike Man whose character is a moderate blend of divine and satanic qualities, is thus, in a very physical sense, half evil and half virtuous. The manichean forces, ever at odds, wage a battle for complete control of Merlin. As a result, this unusual character is no more than a pawn manipulated now by God, now by the Devil. Our thesis describes this struggle with the aim of discerning an ultimate victor. The ever-changing status in this close contest for supremacy manifests itself in three different ways. The Devil’s strong influence is illustrated when Merlin is transformed into a variety of characters with no other intention than to intimidate or deceive. However, these machinations, like the Enchanter’s very composition, are both good and evil. While the satanic side is more obvious, God’s influence shows itself through the prophecies this agent delivers while in disguise. Furthermore, the divine forces are predominant when Merlin tears away his mask to reveal himself to Pandragon. Here, he clearly rejects the deceitful qualities, and the battle shifts toward the Good. Merlin’s laugh, too, is a blend of the virtuous and the satanic, and also through this laugh, an equilibrium of the influences seems to be achieved; Merlin is humanised. For Merlin, this human outburst is at once ironic -- a cruel sign of superior knowledge -- and mortal -- a manifestation of his affirmation of social mores. Finally, the dynamic struggle gives way to divine supremacy as Merlin is used by God to set the stage upon which His plan, the Quest for the Holy Grail, is to be played out. However, when the seer attempts to use his God-given powers to gain the love of Niviene, he is blinded to God’s mission and thus, of no further use to Him. Merlin’s apprentice, Niviene, becomes his Nemesis, enchanting him into an eternal sleep. Merlin is blessed with a total loss of memory and the Devil, in this way is annihilated. The spirit of the Prophet is the trophy of God’s victory.
The idea of order and unity in Mandeville's Travels
(1984) MacDaniel, Elizabeth J.; Chance, Jane; Doughtie, Edward; Nelson, Deborah
Mandeville's Travels, a fourteenth century work said by some critics to be wholly fictional, by others to be partially fictional, has defied scholarly attempts at definition and at placement within a genre. I do not intend to make such an attempt, to define Mandeville's Travels as a romance or moral treatise, for example, but rather will examine and explicate the text. It is my contention that Mandeville's belief in an order and unity that can simultaneously encompass and transcend disorder and diversity was the organizational and thematic principle upon which he created the work. I will provide a socio-historical context for the work, for I believe that the idea of Mandeville's Travels grew from a reaction to socio-historical events and changes within Mandeville's world. Mandeville's plan was to demonstrate the existence of order and unity despite the apparent disorder and diversity of the author's time. The text, then, is an exemplum of Mandeville's vision of the underlying unity and order in the universe, and, with an examination of the text, I prove that this idea governs the unified structure, the choice of formal techniques (such as juxtaposition, links across space and time, and repetition of images, among others), and the development of the theme of order underlying diversity.

Browsing by Author "Nelson, Deborah"

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