Browsing by Subject "Paratexts"
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Item Humor in Selected works of Unamuno(Texas Tech University, 2009-08) Lockwood, Tara Ellen; Perez, Janet; Pereira-Muro, Carmen; Perez, JulianMiguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) remains one of the most studied, and, perhaps, nevertheless, one of the most enigmatic literary figures of Spain. He is also probably the best-known of the group of writers referred to as the Generation of 1898. Although a vast amount of criticism exists on the extensive literary production of this Basque writer (whose repertoire encompasses poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and drama), the majority of critics have focused on his contemplative side and characterized much of his work as tragic. A few, however, have discerned in his work an underlying pervasive playfulness inextricably linked to Unamuno’s process of literary creation. Thus, this dissertation proposes to develop and expand the scope of the research by this relatively small group of critics. To achieve this goal, the present study examines three of Unamuno’s narratives from approximately the same time period (1927-1930) with an eye toward how the writer incorporates comical and non-tragic elements into his fiction. By analyzing these novels according to three categories of humor (the non-tragic, the obsessive, and the ridiculous), this dissertation demonstrates the veracity of its initial hypothesis that Unamuno maintains a ludic relationship with the reader, which he accomplishes by incorporating multiple levels of burla and engaño in his work. In addition, certain components of Henri Bergson’s theory on laughter prove relevant to the present study. Specifically, the description given by the French philosopher as to what constitutes humor and how a writer achieves it serves as a reference point for the analysis of several manifestations of humor discussed in the present investigation. Finally, this dissertation is presented with the hope that it may contribute to the ongoing study of the under-appreciated humorous facet of Unamuno.Item Some versions of the fragment, 1700-1800(2014-08) Schneider, Rachel Marie; Bertelsen, Lance; Cohen, Matt, 1970-; Moore, Lisa L; Baker, Samuel; Pagani, KarenSome Versions of the Fragment, 1700-1800 examines the eighteenth-century literary print fragment archive to redefine the fragment as a genre typified by its materiality. Eighteenth-century fragments included not just sentimental poems, but novels, satires, and political pamphlets. They are both long and short; written by famous and anonymous authors; canonical and unknown. This dissertation, in recuperating the eighteenth-century fragment’s rich variety, offers a taxonomy that includes three versions of the fragment: the unintentional, the intentional, and the complete. Examining the fragment in this way not only provides categories that can help us better understand how fragments fit within various social and cultural conditions in the eighteenth century, but also how these ways of understanding the fragment can help critics account for its evolutions today. Previous analyses of the literary fragment have emphasized its metaphorical qualities and its formal dimensions. This dissertation argues that the genre is defined no less by its materiality: prefaces, punctuation, and page arrangements are the common constitutive elements shared by all three versions of the fragment. By paying attention to the eighteenth-century fragment’s materiality, critics today can better account for the fragment’s role in the period’s generic developments, as well as its evolving literary marketplace.