La figure de la sirène est récurrente dans la littérature des femmes victoriennes. Plusieurs études se concentrent sur ses usages.
Format: Thèse
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Études sur les productions de Disney
De nombreuses recherches s’intéressent aux représentations de la Sirène et d’autres princesses dans les productions cinématographiques de Disney.
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Sirens and Silenoi: The paradoxical encomium from Antiquity to the Renaissance
« This dissertation offers a comparative literary history of the paradoxical encomium, a type of epideictic rhetoric that eulogizes subjects commonly considered unworthy of praise. Traditionally, the genre has been interpreted negatively as a superficial display of rhetorical skill and ingenuity and as a result it has received little scholarly attention. I propose a more serious reading of the paradoxical encomium, one that takes into consideration both its philosophical implications and its rhetorical heritage.
Using the literary motifs of the Siren and the Silenos as paradigmatic metaphors of the kind of interpretive problems produced by this genre, I trace the paradoxical encomium from its origins in fifth-century Athenian, sophistic rhetoric to the European Counter-Renaissance and Reformation. Sirens and Silenoi are useful hermeneutic devices with which to interpret some of the philosophical and rhetorical complexities of paradoxical encomia because the figures are the exact inverse of each other. If one reads a paradoxical encomium literally and is persuaded by its beautiful, rhetorical arguments, the text seduces the reader into an acceptance of its Sirenic song; alternatively, if the reader searches beneath the surface meaning of the text for a more figurative interpretation, he/she will respond to the paradoxical encomium as a Silenos-box, a container hiding marvelous truths within. » (Extrait du résumé)
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Études sur l’hybridation femme-animal et la monstruosité féminine
Plusieurs travaux se penchent plus largement sur les variations de l’hybride femme-animal et le concept de monstruosité lié aux personnages féminins, ce qui inclut à la fois la figure de la Sirène, mais aussi rejoint d’autres figures féminines comme celle de la Sorcière.
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Études sur la figure de la sirène dans la littérature italienne
Quelques thèses et mémoires analysent les représentations de la figure de la sirène dans la littérature italienne, de Dante à des oeuvres contemporaines.
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Travaux de recherche-création utilisant la figure de la sirène
La figure de la sirène est privilégiée dans plusieurs travaux de recherche-création et ce, dans plusieurs domaines artistiques (littérature, marionnette, performance, etc.). Ces travaux soulèvent des enjeux par rapport au corps, à l’expression de genre féminine et leur lien avec les tropes du conte de fée ou des représentations populaires.
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Études sur les contes de fées et leurs réécritures
L’importance du conte d’Anderson, La petite sirène, est le sujet de nombreux travaux sur le conte lui-même, les contes de fées en général et leurs réécritures contemporaines et/ou subversives.
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Études sur les usages de la figure de la sirène en musique
Considérant l’importance du chant et de la voix pour la figure de la sirène, plusieurs travaux s’intéresse à l’utilisation de la figure dans les compositions musicales.
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Landscapes of the Witches’ Sabbath: Space, Place, and Fantasy in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1750
Cette fiche apparait dans la figure de la Sorcière et du Diable.
« Amidst the early modern European witch craze, fantasies of the witches’ sabbath spread across the continent, spurred by the terrors and anxieties of people across the social strata. Believed to be the gathering of diabolic witches who would worship the Devil, feast, dance, and engage in demonic orgies, the sabbath inverted early modern customs and rites to play a central role in witchcraft belief. While the belief in the sabbath may seem rooted in fantasy, those constructing the sabbath narratives needed to place their stories in a real setting to make them believable. This thesis explores the landscapes associated with the witches’ sabbath across early modern Europe, using these spaces and narratives to understand the relationship between people and landscape over time. Delving into the mentalités of common people and learned demonologists alike, this thesis explores the landscapes of the sabbath from Portugal to Poland to uncover how different cultural and geographic contexts moulded the sabbath belief to fit their local landscape. » (Extrait du résumé)
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Dealing with the devil: a critical and creative look at the diabolical pact
« This thesis is comprised of three parts: a critical dissertation, a creative work of fiction and a bridge piece that connects the two. The critical work is an examination of the Devil as a satirist in Faustian bargains. Through the usage of the Devil as a literary figure, his character has become a more secular being: a trickster rather than evil incarnate—a facilitator of sin rather than its originator. In the tragicomedy of pacts with the Devil, he acts as a mirror, reflecting mankind’s foibles and vanity, while elevating the reader in the process. The thesis considers the language, tone, purpose and conceits of several versions of the story. While the focus is primarily on American Literature, the influence of English, Scottish, French and German folklore and fiction are recognized as an essential component of the theme’s evolution. In the bridge piece, the pact with the Devil is literalized in a modern context; a corporate business of reaping souls is theorized in which techniques of persuasion are streamlined into an effective formula. Whether immersive or expository in approach, the portrayal of the supernatural depends on the literary principles of science fiction and fantasy in order to manipulate the reader and allow irrational concepts to obey rational laws. Such theories are cited to support how the Devil functions as a believable character. The novel, Could Be Much Worse, relates the story of an egocentric boss and his dependable employee, a scout who disguises himself as a taxi driver and seeks candidates who may succumb to temptation. Passengers’ monologues of desperation and pathos are interspersed throughout the protagonist’s day-to-day narrative. At times, the work is experimental, utilizing irregular storytelling techniques, alternative forms and conceits. Light-hearted, but nonetheless poignant, the story serves as a cautionary tale, illustrating the tedium of a bureaucratic job in a transmundane existence. » (Résumé)