Graduate students’ research projects

From Bach to Proust: the Art of the Fugue. A study of the language and codes of Marcel  Proust and Johann Sebastian Bach

My research takes the stance that the language of Proust in A la Recherche du temps perdu is both musical and poetic. I am looking for the ‘accent’, for Proust’s voice (‘un certain ton’) and I believe that the poetic in Proust is closely related to the language of music. By means of prosody, which I will equate to the syntax of 18th and early 19th century music, I will argue the fact that Proust's writing contains ingredients of the musical in poetry and that his prose might ultimately be considered prose-poetry.

Antonia Bedford-Brotchie

The reception of Nicolaus von Zinzendorf in 18^th century England

Research into Zinzendorf’s cult status amongst his followers in Germany; his relationship with and influence on John Wesley, and thus indirectly on Methodism. How Zinzendorf’s spiritual poetry and theology in the form of the re-formed Moravian Church gained a lasting following in England in the first half of the eighteenth century, at a time when there was no established cultural exchange between the two countries.

The reception of August Wilhelm von Schlegel in England

Discourses of otherness in Laforgue's reception of Schopenhauer and von Hartmann

The importance of Jules Laforgue's reading of the German philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer and Eduard von Hartmann is widely recognised by critics. However, the complexities of this reception have until now remained largely unexplored. My work focuses on how notions of alterity play into Laforgue’s philosophical encounters: firstly in terms of the contemporary French discourse of German otherness; secondly in terms of nineteenth-century exoticism, since both philosophers draw on Buddhism to support their theories; and finally in terms of Laforgue’s conception of the Hartmannian Unconscious as a surreal and alien domain.

Modes of Relationality in the Later Cinema of Claire Denis

The research will look at how Denis’ later films connect with and address aspects of kinship, community and relationality.  Methodological and theoretical perspectives will include close engagement with relevant contemporary philosophies, exemplified in the writings of Maurice Blanchot, Jean-Luc Nancy, Jacques Derrida, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Giorgio Agamben. Music theory and soundtrack theory  will occupy a key role in this project.  The project will focus particularly on the films L’Intrus (2005), 35 Rhums (2008) and White Material (2009).

Interpreting eighteenth-century French theatre illustrations

I am addressing the meaning of the relationship between the theatre and the broader cultural understanding of text and performance during the mid eighteenth century in Paris. My thesis will be structured around the systematic study of theatrical illustrations (taken from the CESAR database) at the centre of a triptych whose two wings are performance (examining costumes and scenography reforms practices) and iconology (conventions and changes in visual representations). My purpose is to understand what the treatment of themes and concepts tells us about such an illustration’s cultural context rather than determining whether the illustration represents a specific play.

Wie ein Hungriger die Nahrung: Attachment and delusion in Kafka’s work

The aim is to challenge negative perceptions of Kafka’s work and find a way of reading him which finds constructive reasons for the accounts of suffering which form an undeniable feature of his writing. Proposed is a Buddhist line of enquiry to re-evaluate Kafka’s fiction, in terms of predominant themes, such as self-delusion and attachment, and in particular methods of expression, such as the use of paradox. In a bid to counter conventional modes of thinking, Zen masters nonplus their students with absurd, nonsensical anecdotes (koans) to undermine dependence on the self and deliver insight into the Buddhist notion of emptiness.

German propaganda against the French occupation of the Rhineland, 1919 to1924: Agencies, personalities and themes

The study focuses on German propaganda campaigns notably against the use of French colonial troops (the so-called ‘Schwarze Schmach’) during the occupation of the Rhineland, in particular in the strategically important Palatinate which still belonged in the 1920s to Bavaria. In contrast to the existing scholarship which has largely painted a uniform picture of these campaign, my project closely examines the personalities and institutions behind these initiatives. It becomes obvious that they had often contradicting interests and different approaches to propaganda techniques so that one cannot speak of one, but of many campaigns. They mirrored the political disunity and federal structure of the early Weimar Republic.

Brian Creak
(completed)

Julien Green (1900-1998): Catholic and Homosexual.

I am looking at the way in which Julien Green came to terms with his homosexuality and his religious beliefs, concentrating on the period from 1920 to 1950, when the matter was of most concern to him. I am interested especially in comparing what he said at the time in his Diary with his recollection of events many years later in his Autobiography. The research includes the political, religious, medical and social attitudes towards homosexuality in France at the time, Green's contact with other literary figures, such a Gide, Cocteau and Mauriac, his reaction to Freudian theory, and his exploration of Buddhism as an alternative to Christianity.

Katherine Danceney

(completed)

Representations of motherhood in the works of Marie Ndiaye

My research explores the representation of motherhood within the work of the contemporary French writer Marie NDiaye. Most of her female characters are mothers but critics tend to take a simplistic line in commenting them - they are either good mothers or bad. My study explores various perspectives (psychological, moral/philosophical and societal) through which she represents motherhood in order to illuminate her portrayal's complexity and uniqueness. I am currently analysing her use of theology, mythology, and feminist orthodoxy to ironise and illuminate motherhood. Does NDiaye goes beyond post-modern ludism to suggest a new way of thinking about motherhood in contemporary society?

Kafka, Gemeinschaft and the problematisation of modernity

This thesis examines the interrelationship between Kafka’s writing (novels, short stories, aphorisms) and surrounding discourses which, though playing out concepts of social, ideological or racial difference, nevertheless appeared to share a common lexicon of increasing scepticism towards rationalist modernity. In an approach informed by Wolfgang Iser’s notion of ‘the implied reader’, this study considers Kafka’s writing as an autonomous space for the dramatisation of paradoxes which inevitably emerged from social and intellectual movements premised upon the critique of modernity, while being themselves reliant upon rationalist modes of language and thought.

The reception of Voltaire in 18th century Poland

This research is to examine the reception of Voltaire (with some comparisons to Rousseau) in 18C Poland given their respective influences on the political face of Poland. Much has been written about Voltaire’s views on Poland but little has been written about the 18C Polish view of Voltaire. The research will refer extensively to the press - both Polish and other newspapers and journals - available in Poland during Voltaire’s lifetime. The period being examined will finish shortly after 1778, the year of Voltaire’s death. Poland’s social and political situation will be considered when evaluating these 18C responses. Sources of information and their potential bias will also be considered.

Turkish-German cinema: Representations of the Turkish community in post-wall Germany

The study examines the films of Turkish-German filmmaker, Fatih Akin and his approach to the representation of Turkish migrants in Germany. The focus is on the thematic practices and stylistic approaches employed by Akin in respect to identity politics in the context of multiculturalism in an era characterised by constant cultural mobility. My objective is to identify, whether and in which ways Akin’s films relate to the wider social context and beyond that to the concepts of national and transnational cinema as well as to theories about the visualisation of diasporas in film.

The treatment of some classical themes in the work of the Parnassian poets

I am considering three aspects of Classical Antiquity as it appears in the work of the Parnassian poets. Some - and some Parnassians themselves - believe that the group are good historians and that they conceal their feelings. Yet they concentrate on violent incidents in myth, violent entertainment and violent, perverted or unrestrained sexual relationships; they do not show the physical Classical world as we believe it was, but an illusory version; their idea of Classical paganism is contaminated by the Christianity of their own nineteenth century; and in doing so they imply what they feel.

Generational tension in Jazz Age and Weimar Republic literature: A cross cultural comparison

Bearing the scars and humiliation of a lost war, Weimar Germany found itself in economic chaos but also at the forefront of some of the many artistic and technological developments of the early 20th century. America in the 1920s, waking from her isolationist sleep, found herself stepping onto the world stage, prosperous and ready to exert her influence. Focusing on works set in the urban centres of New York and Berlin, my research compares and contrasts the way in which generational conflicts manifest themselves in the literature of these two nations at a time not only of great social change but also of mutual engagement and influence. My particular focus is in on the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Irmgard Keun and Hans Fallada.

Edgar Jung (1894-1934): Political theorist and man of action - A political biography

Through his book “Die Herrschaft der Minderwertigen” from 1927, Edgar Julius Jung became the main exponent of the ideology of the ‘Conservative Revolution’, the most influential strand of right-wing political thinking in the late Weimar Republic. Despite his importance as a right-wing critic of the Weimar Republic no one so far has attempted to write a biography of Jung. Based on the extensive use of primary sources in various German archives and being the first one to have access to his private papers, my biography will show how Jung’s experience as a soldier in the First World War, as activist in fighting separatism in his home region, the Palatinate, and his failure to get elected to the Reichstag in 1924 were essential for the formulation of his Weltanschauung in the second half of the 1920. Furthermore I will show, that in contrast to the existing literature Jung did not pave the way for the Nazi seizure of power. In contrast he opposed this movement from the very beginning, culminating in his plans to assassinate Hitler in 1934.

A study of the theme of reconciliation in the aftermath of Algerian independence

Division has been the dominant discourse in independent Algeria. I will study the original recommendations for the immediate post-colonial era, and how and why those plans were never carried through. My research in this area will be anchored in an alternative reading of contemporary intellectual attitudes to reconciliation. I will also investigate the format of memorialisation over the last twelve years, interrogating the bringing together of Algeria and memory to determine what levels of reconciliation can and have been achieved. This will focus on who holds the legal and moral rights to be listened to and have their memory legitimised.

From Emile Zola to Stéphane Hessel. A study of the French intellectuals: beginning, middle and end of a tradition?

Recent engagements by figures such as Stéphane Hessel and Bernard-Henri Lévy lead me to re-examine the place and role of the French intellectual throughout the 2Oth century until today. My purpose is to establish whether the persistent idea that intellectuals are in decline, if not extinct, is true, or whether they managed to adapt to the 21st century and its new media. The research will aim at defining the French intellectuals, identifying their background, their golden age, their successive mediums and networks.

Angels in medieval literature

A number of works of medieval literature include appearances of angels, or contain figures bearing angelic characteristics. My study investigates these figures, and the literary and religious implications of the role they play within the narrative. An overview of biblical references to angels establishes an understanding of angelic characteristics, with some consideration of the extended legendary associations and imagery in art. The medieval texts under consideration include Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, Hartmann von Aue’s Iwein, Ortnit, Kudrun, and the Chanson de Roland.

Reading after Brecht: An examination of the fragment Me-ti Buch der Wendungen as an experiment with dialectical prose

The dissertation examines Brecht's fragmentary prose work Me-ti Buch der Wendungen, a philosophical handbook presenting in Chinese disguise the teachings of Mo-tsu, Hegel, Marx and others, on how to live in difilcult times. The research is based on work in the Bertolt Brecht Archive in Berlin and examines Brecht's readings of his sources, particularly Hegel, and the process of work on what remained a fragmenary text. Melanie's article 'Reading Hegel with Brecht' will appear in The Brecht Yearbook, Volume 35, Brecht - Marxism - Ethics, published in December 2010 by the University of Wisconsin Press in association with The International Brecht Society.

Communicational strategies in Edward Albee’s and Martin Walser’s work: A comparative study

The study is a comparison of the Walser plays Die Zimmerschlacht and Ein fliehendes Pferd and A Delicate Balance by the American dramatist Albee who are both concerned with social reality and its effect on human relations. As criticism has repeatedly confirmed both author’s characters move ‘exclusively within and by means of words’. Thus my interpretative approach aims at exploring texts based on several theoretical works on Pragmatic Linguistics, a discipline that deals with the interpersonal and contextual situation involving speakers and listeners and the power of language to influence, alter and create situations. By concentrating mainly on the dialogic aspect, my study intends to explore a way of gaining insight into interactional behavior in general and to show how the analysis of dramatic works contributes to a better understanding of human conduct in contemporary Western society.

Peter Stokes
(completed)

Daniel Pennac’s Malaussene novels: The relationship between fiction and lived experience

Daniel Pennac's Malaussène novels have many of the attributes of crime fiction, and this study concentrates on the fictional representation, characteristic of this genre, of the real life environment. This vécu, is a combination of the physical, social and political aspects of life in a particular place, in this case the Parisian inner suburb of Belleville. Belleville has an interesting history, having been perceived as a place of insurrection, of poverty, of immigration, and latterly as a desirable place to live. This thesis, the first close reading of all five Malaussène novels, looks at them in the light of the contemporary literary situation, taking advantage of recent advances in the developing study of crime fiction. In addition to close attention to the texts, this study also adopts a contextual, historical and cultural approach, which is neither limited to any specific discipline nor driven by any particular theory. The connection between the vécu and Pennac’s approach to the novels is seen to be very close. The physical and social aspects of Belleville, together with its relationship with central authority and people with wealth and influence, provides the thematic substance to many of the plots, while the place’s physical presence and its rich mixture of people offer a problematic but often seductive, almost utopian vision. In line with Michel de Certeau’s thinking, it is the ordinary people here who have the potential to influence their way of life. These novels, particularly in view of their widespread readership, can be seen as influential in suggesting the possibilities within urban life, not only in Belleville, nor indeed just in France, but beyond. The approach to fiction in this study, looking closely at its message through examination of the place itself and the way the text describes and uses it, offers possibilities for future work.

Secularisation of Christianity in Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus

In the substantial body of criticism on Mann, not enough attention has been given to his religious treatment of Doctor Faustus. The religious aspect and its consequences are somewhat underplayed by leading English scholars such as, T. J. Reed. My project will test the hypothesis that Thomas Mann’s treatment of the religious themes in Doctor Faustus is a manipulation to represent the writer’s ideological stance as well as the external socio-political factors. My assumption is that the secularisation of Christianity in Doctor Faustus, contrary to Beddow’s idea, lends itself very well to the political adaptation, versions and variations, and that is especially salient with Mann’s montage technique which purposefully carry a ‘political’ message. He persistently transforms, misquotes, or even transfigures the religious themes to make them believable enough that a ‘pact’ with the Nazis could possibly have redeeming features. Beside Doctor Faustus, I will also look at the text of Tonio Kröger to re-examine Kahler’s theory of Faustus being a cosmic Tonio Kröger who expanded to his epochal human significance. Since Mann’s Doctor Faustus is considered partially an autobiography, I aim to investigate whether and, if so, how Mann may manipulate the religious sources either to go against the ideology of the time or to comply with them. Moreover, this not need to be an either/or choice, for manipulation and compliance may interact in various ways as the text is fictional. For example, sometimes Mann, behind the characters Leverkühn or Zeitblom, may comply with the dominant political ideology so that the philosophical message reaches the target culture audience.

Beyond Borders: Transforming The Discourse on European Migration Through Dissensus in Works of Art

As a response to the growing tension in the public and political debate around migration in Europe, this project instantiates to reconfigure the discourse by engaging with films, theatre and art projects in order to explore the possibilities of cultural products in the formation of new social and political coordinates. Based on examinations of the interrelations of politics and aesthetics by Jacques Rancière, concepts of cultural hybridity by Homi Bhabha and Mark Terkessidis, the project explores the potential of artistic expressions to create a situation of dissensus, which opens up a new space in-between. This in-between is understood as a polyperspectival and emancipating realm of an interculture that challenges exclusion in order to be able to renegotiate societal participation. Contrary to political approaches that refer to an imaginary normative native past, by focussing on culture as a hybrid space that is transformed constantly, the project directs its focus on the shaping of the future with artistic expressions as a key catalyst for the subversion of inequalities.

Cross-cultural discourses on same-sex desire in early 20th century English and German literature

This thesis charts the cross-cultural discourses of same-sex desire which transect four early twentieth-century German and English novels treating homosexual passions and homosexuality: Edward Prime-Stevenson’s Imre: A Memorandum (1906), Thomas Mann’s Der Tod in Venedig [Death in Venice] (1912), E. M. Forster’s Maurice (1913-4; 1971), and John Henry Mackay’s Der Puppenjunge [The Hustler] (1926). Of particular interest to this study are the similarities, difference, and exchange between the German and English cultural contexts: how the broader Western traditions of Greek love became particularly adapted, often in parallel ways, to a specific context, how German scientific writings on sexuality influenced English-language fiction, and how Wilde and his legacy as a ‘notorious homosexual’ affected German homosexual liberation movements and German literary treatments of same-sex desire.

Carl Josias von Bunsen and Anglo-Prusian cultural relations in the 19th century

The Thesis is that much early cultural and literary exchange with the German-speaking area of Europe in the mid-nineteenth century was motivated by theology, ecclesiological concerns, and perhaps to a lesser extent by politics, and that the Prussian Ambassador to Queen Victoria, Carl Josias von Bunsen, had a personal mission in this area which drove him. The work explores those with whom he came into contact and influenced and tries to demonstrate the influence of German-inspired hermeneutics on the academically languishing, yet industrially advanced, England of the time.

Evolving Stories: Zola's Greek Tragedy, Myths and Archetypal Narratives

Emile Zola is often perceived as the father of Naturalism, yet there is a moral centre in his novels. This thesis will analyse Zola's depiction of fate and destiny within his Rougon-Macquart family novel-cycle, and the familial 'curse' will be closely examined through socio-cultural paradigms. Critics have identified Zola's use of Greek myth; this thesis, however, will specifically uncover the influence of Greek tragedy and fairy tale through a wider consideration of myth that draws on the theories of relevant twentieth-century theorists. The overlap between physical illness, the supernatural, psychoanalytical, social and magical demonstrates the intertwining of the real and the metaphorical.

Exploring European identity through European cinema

My research seeks to investigate the question of European identity in relation to European cinema. I will focus on contemporary German and French film in order to examine the way European cinema portrays and discusses the question of European identity. My research will seek to analyse the importance of the discourse of memory and divergences between Eastern and Western Europe in regard to the process of creating a community of Europeans. My project will focus on French and German-language cinema, including the works of Michael Haneke, Claire Denis, Fatih Akin, Hans Schmid and Krzysztof Kieslowski.