The Second Branch Of The Mabinogi And Sir Orfeo Use Borders And Border Crossings

Marie de France, supposed author of the series of Lais, recounts her stories through short texts, which are centered on women and their place in the 12th century. There are several supernatural elements throughout her work, which are mainly and explicitly present in ‘Guigemar’ and ‘Yonec’. This can be defined as ‘events or things that cannot be explained by nature or science and that are assumed to come from beyond or to originate from otherworldly forces.’ It is not however the only narrative device she has used in her written pieces. It is with the combination of the supernatural with the self-propelled ship or the transformation of the hawk into a knight, and the natural, the symoblisation of the stick and the rossignol, that Marie de France explores human relations between her characters.

The topic of spirituality, divinity and otherworldly phenomena is quite common in medieval literature and there is a multitude of contexts, in which these topics are addressed. The protagonists of those texts find themselves in a balancing act between the secular world and a supernatural world, where they need to overcome struggles to master the difficulties of their worlds’ dualisms. Be it an otherworld of fairies or the christian hereafter, those worlds and the mundane conducts often influence each other reciprocally in the stories of medieval literature.

When reading literature we often attempt to use particular threads of thought or lenses of critique to gain entry into the implied historic or legendary nature of literature. To accurately process a tale in the light in which it is presented, we have to consider the text from multiple viewpoints. We must take into consideration intentional and affective fallacies and the socioeconomic circumstances of the presenter/author/narrator. We also have to consider how our personal experience creates bias by placing the elements of the story into the web of relationships that we use to interpret the external world. There also is the need to factor in other external pressures, from societal norms, cultural ideals, and psychological themes, and how

Jackie French’s novel ‘Walking the boundaries’, depicts the story of a young boy named Martin, who in exchange for his great grandfather’s farm, has to walk the boundaries of his property. French uses many explicit language techniques throughout the novel, to keep the reader engaged in the story she is trying to convey. Some of these techniques she uses are descriptive language, figurative language, characterisation and an obvious plot. Her goal is to portray that Martin has not only gone on a physical journey, but a spiritual journey as well. She is painting a picture in the reader’s mind by using these techniques. One of her main techniques is an obvious plot, which shows that Martin was originally a mediocre city boy who wanted to sell the farm once he took possession of it, but by the time he had walked the boundaries, he realised that the land had more potential that he had given it credit for.

Thesis-In this essay I will take the time to review two stories both of the fiction nature. I will discuss the conflicts of both stories as well as the plot structure. I will talk about the characters and give my point of view. Both stories are very thought provoking which should make this very interesting to compare and contrast.

Stephen Greenblatt introduces several different themes through out his writing in The Swerve. Making it helpful in understanding the ancient worlds civilizations. While Greenblatt narrates the events of Poggio Bracciolini the themes of social hierarchies, nature/culture, and gender are brought up to various times through out the story. These themes reveal parallels and similarities with the ancient world. This essay argues the similarities and differences in which the swerve and ancient civilizations might have with one another.

When comparing the epic poem of The Song of Roland to the romantic literature of Ywain, the differences between the early medieval period and the high medieval period become evident. Both The Song of Roland and Ywain depicts the societies from which each story derives its fundamental characteristics. Through close observation, one is able to see the shifts in customs and mentality that make the move from the epic to the romance possible. In his chapter 'From Epic to Romance', R.W. Southern shows how this transformation manifests itself through changing ecclesiastical and secular thoughts and feelings.

   The Shakespearean tragedy Othello contains a number of themes; their relative importance and priority is debated by literary critics. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate.

This carnivalized “suspension of all laws, prohibitions and restrictions” (Engblom, 296) is seminal to the construction of the cultural universe in The Moor’s Last Sigh as many characters manifest these infractions. From the most visible to the least, one could identify emotional bonds of construction, destruction and creativity, all geared towards underlining the concourse of susceptibilities that engage the thematic outline of the narrative. From the artistic, through the ideological, to the moral, some of the characters are presented to be as noticeable as possible, with especial concern for heroic perceptions. Heroic imputations notwithstanding, the creed of interdependence and symbiosis remains imbedded in postcolonial literature to invalidate

In the modern world, the concept of independence has become convoluted, and “freedom” has turned into a buzzword employed for far-reaching, often invasive political purposes. At their core, these ideas require cooperation and consideration of neighboring ideologies. When looking at Virgil’s Aeneid, The Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Cervantes’ Don Quixote—three works from different periods and different parts of Europe—we see in each a protagonist seeking freedom and independence on a different scale, but with similarly humanistic goals. By exploring the pursuits of each protagonist; Aeneas, the Wife of Bath and Don Quixote respectively, we learn that the human desire for freedom is complex and multilayered. Aeneas’ journey to re-establish a homeland for his defeated people illustrates our need for cultural and political sovereignty, while the story of The Wife of Bath progressively demonstrates the importance of marital freedom and its reliance on gender equality. Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza exemplify ideological freedom; the importance of constructing an identity based on one’s own set of beliefs and values.

How much does a line on a map define us? To a marine it makes all the difference in war. It’s one country against another. To animals political lines don’t matter, as long as the land is inhabitable. Thomas King tells us in “Borders”, that some people will keep their national identity no matter the circumstances. Adewale Maja-Pearce wrote “Loyalties” to show us that it doesn’t make a difference what heritage you are, life will still be the same. These two stories explore the concept of nationality and why it is or isn’t important. In these stories, the authors use the same techniques such as dialogue, setting and tone, yet they send completely different messages.

Game of thrones is a television series that deals with medieval concepts with a touch of mysticism. As a series that tackles medieval concepts, political themes can be derived out of the series and can be used to expound on new modern themes and philosophies. Within this paper, major theme and supporting themes will be supplied that can further explain the themes that are found in the series. These themes will be given support by quotes and lines from the scenes in season three. These themes can be related in lessons on modern political philosophies and it can further help political philosophers in expounding on ideas concerning our modern times. With this said, themes that was found and striking will be list done and be justified by the series of Game of Thrones season 3 episodes 9 and 10. These themes listed down on the paper will be compared to the ideas of modern philosophers ideas. The ideas of the political philosopher will also be included in this paper. Lastly within this paper, a summary of what themes that has been found out in the series are still applicable in modern’s time.

While the two plays share the same characters and provokes similar ideal dichotomies of master and slave; colonizer and colonized; natural and supernatural (Chan 2008: 1), there are differences, for instance, Caliban becomes a Black slave and the ending is changed in Césaire’s version. Based on these alterations, some consider A Tempest not a translation of The Tempest but rather an adaptation that stands on its own, independent of the original. In response to this view, this paper attempts to examine the relationship between the two versions and analyze in what ways A Tempest can and cannot be regarded a translation of The Tempest. The reason to view Césaire’s work not as a translation of Shakespeare’s but as an adaptation only will first be presented. How the

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27. In Aenid, though Aenas suffers an unhappy life and miserable death, what is his greatest consolation?