Browsing by Subject "Death"
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(2022)The goal of this thesis is to show the ways in which C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials depict Biblical themes, and to illustrate the worldview and moral values they represent by making use of these Biblical themes. I discuss the differences and similarities of the two series in their portrayal of themes like temptation, sin, morality, death and the afterlife. For my theoretical background and secondary material, I draw on theological literary criticism and thematics, as well as previous research on both Lewis’ and Pullman’s work. Using these as my background, I analyse the primary material through close reading. I show that the two series make use of a variety Biblical references and themes to create a moral framework and present their respective views on these themes. My main result is that their portrayal of morality and the other ideologies that they portray vary drastically, but that their overall goal is very similar. Both The Chronicles of Narnia and His Dark Materials aims to provide young readers with ideas about what is moral, how to live a morally good life, and where this life ultimately leads. In their own ways, both series also provide reassurance to their young audience when it comes to the topic of death. In their work, both Lewis and Pullman treat existential questions about what it means to be human, and they give different answers to these questions that I present in this thesis. I also demonstrate the relevance of this topic by discussing some of the critical opinions on both series, pointing to the underlying issue of deciding what is appropriate for young audiences to read. This is an important and ongoing cultural and societal discussion, in which our moral values and the ideologies we want to pass on to the next generation are constantly re-negotiated. Analysing the ways in which these values are represented on a textual level can give us an increased understanding of the issues at stake. With this thesis, I hope to be able to contribute to this discussion.
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(2023)Sir Terence David John Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English author and humourist, best known for his satirical, comedic, fantasy series Discworld — a book series consisting of 41 novels based within a fantasy world of the same name. In this thesis, I will examine the concept of death, dying and the afterlife as portrayed by Pratchett through his characterisation of personified death, whilst also examining the element of time, specifically the meaning of lifetime. The primary material for this thesis are five of the Discworld novels: Mort (1987), Reaper Man (1992), Soul Music (1994), Hogfather (1996) and Thief of Time (2001), collectively referred to as the Death novels. By conducting a close reading of each of the Death novels, I claim that Pratchett offers his own outlook on the concepts of death, dying and the afterlife through his character Death, and provides a unique perspective on the concept of time, specifically lifetime, within the five narratives. I argue that, through textually interwoven observations concluded by Death primarily, Pratchett conveys ideologies on the human condition and comments on certain societal dysfunctions pertaining to elements of Western society (e.g. Western history, religion, politics, culture and literature), in order to convey the idea that humans primarily waste lifetime when, in fact, it should be spent. The analysis of Death’s characterisation, including how Pratchett subtly and humorously criticises the entire human race through Death’s perception, is conducted with the use of intertextual, mimetic, archetypal and psychoanalytic literary criticism. In addition, I examine the physical quantity that is time — specifically how lifetime is measured, manipulated, stored and spent in the Discworld. Examining how the concepts of death, dying, the afterlife, and personified death are portrayed in real-world history, specifically religion, mythology, folklore and modern fiction will lay the groundwork for the analysis of Pratchett’s portrayal of these same concepts, as significant parallels can be drawn between both our real world and Pratchett’s fictional one. Through this study I demonstrate how Pratchett both guides his readers to reflect on how lifetime is spent in the real world, and attempts to soften our perceptions of death, dying and the afterlife, making the concept of death more palatable through his humorous character portrayal and narrative themes.
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