https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5416 2026-04-24T05:51:55Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/7337 Title: The notion of moral ambivalence in vampire narrative and film Abstract: In less than two centuries the vampire has become one of the most powerful archetypes in literature and in popular culture, dense with signification and capable of accommodating a wide spectrum of signifiers. A creature such as the vampire, so deeply rooted within the human subconscious, mirrors and embodies humanity's ambiguities and its moral dilemmas. However, no study, to the best of my knowledge, has ever been directed exclusively at the moral ambivalence endemic to vampire literature and film. This study aims to explore the moral ambivalence at the heart of the vampire genre by analysing a diverse selection of literary and cinematic narratives. Spanning more than two centuries of vampire literature, and more than ninety years of cinema, this thesis looks at significant contributions in each field, including, but not limited to, such milestones as the prototype of the female vampire/demon in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'Christabel', the first vampire short story penned by John William Polidori, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and its most significant cinematic adaptations, and the rewriting of the vampire myth by Anne Rice. The vampire’s protean qualities have allowed it to be successfully incorporated within other genres, such as science fiction, social realism, and romance. Moral ambivalence permeates all of these forms, be it through of the ontologically ambiguous figure of the vampire itself, or, more often, via the complex dynamics that play out between the vampire and its victims or hunters, which challenge established notions of heroism and monstrosity. This thesis also analyses significant literary characters that, while not being literal vampires, are either described as vampiric – such as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre – or, like Dorian Gray, are associated with the vampire through their actions and their essence. Including these characters in this analysis throws further light on the function and significance of the vampire as a metaphor, and on the notions of Otherness within dominant ideologies. Description: PH.D.ENGLISH 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5629 Title: Alice’s adventures in Wonderland : an analysis of the cultural construction of girlhood in Victorian England Abstract: This dissertation questions Lewis Carroll’s portrayal of girlhood in his literary fairy tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, analysing the ways in which Carroll moves away from the culturally and socially accepted idea of a submissive girl when creating the tale. The first chapter establishes why the Victorian era is a particularly intriguing period to look at in terms of girlhood, and why Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a relevant and worthy case study. It then moves on to investigate the depiction of girls in Victorian children’s literature and other publications and how these girls were expected to behave. This establishes why this dissertation posits that Carroll veers away from the typical depiction of girlhood. The second chapter goes on to question the submissiveness and docility of the Victorian girl as it focuses on other cultural artefacts such as photographs of girls and girls’ periodicals. Such cultural artefacts reveal a more nuanced view of girlhood, and the dominance of the ‘Angel in the House’ image is thrown into question. The third chapter focuses on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as the subversive behaviour of Alice and the other female characters is questioned. This chapter examines whether Alice can truly be considered an unconventional character, especially when taking into consideration the alternative forms of girlhood presented in the second chapter. It also seeks to question the potential reasons behind the unconventionality of Alice and other female characters in the tale. This is achieved by drawing on critics commenting on the author’s own anxieties projected in these female characters. Ultimately, this dissertation suggests that the mid-Victorian girl does not necessarily adhere to the image of the submissive, docile girl, while also proposing that Alice’s extent of subversiveness is questionable. Description: B.A.(HONS)ENGLISH 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5624 Title: ‘Those mixed middlings’ : the representation of androgyny in James Joyce’s "Ulysses" and Virginia Woolf’s "Orlando" Abstract: The early Modernist period saw the gradual move away from Victorian prudery towards a more informed, less parochial outlook on sexuality and sexual difference. An acute awareness of the socio-cultural context, and the changes occurring within fields such as psychosexuality, are indispensable to a well-rounded understanding of the two core Modernist texts under consideration here. This study is pivoted on the representation of androgyny in Ulysses and Orlando, by the contemporaries Joyce and Woolf respectively, and seeks to investigate whether the sexual ‘difference’ they portray conforms to societal expectations of gender. Additionally, the following points will be considered: the extent to which Joyce and Woolf were conditioned by contemporary concerns related to gender/sexuality and how the socio-cultural upheaval within this field is translated into two such enigmatic works of fiction; how individuals not appearing to conform to the culturally-determined gender binary of male and female are perceived and treated, and finally how Joyce’s and Woolf’s representation of androgynous characters exposes the undercurrent of tension and transition within the field of sexuality. Chapter I details how transgressive sexuality was perceived from Plato up to the early twentieth century, and charts the shift in perception. Chapter II is a selection of episodes from Ulysses and will include an analysis of two main characters, Leopold and Molly Bloom, together with an investigation of the disparate nature of their androgyny. Chapter III will then go on to explore how Woolf presents her own vision of androgyny in her hybrid novel. To conclude, I will bring Joyce’s and Woolf’s visions of androgyny together and comment on the similarities and/or disparities between them, and whether or not their objectives converge on the same point. Description: B.A.(HONS)ENGLISH 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5618 Title: Aspects of villainy in Shakespearean tragedy Abstract: This dissertation deals with the various aspects of villainy which are present in Shakespeare’s tragedies. It delves into the true nature of villainy and the makings of a wicked character, as well as some of their most human qualities, by a thorough study of the four major villains: Claudius, Iago, Edmund and Macbeth, with other worthy mentions. The first chapter will include an analysis of the central characters, mentioning their motivations, Machiavellian traits and manipulation techniques. While in chapter two, the search for villainous characteristics goes into the domain of the use of language as a means of power, or language which reveals more of the dark, secretive personality of the character. This creates a clearer picture of the role that villainy plays in several plots. In the third and final chapter, the characters are shown from a different angle where they appear to be more than just one-dimensional villains. Characters seem more human as they harbour psychological problems, guilt and sadness, among others. The aim is to discover the features which defines a character as a villain with particular relation to Shakespeare’s tragic works and to prove that despite being fictional, Shakespearean characters are formed from traits belonging to actual people; making them relatable and authentic. Description: B.A.(HONS)ENGLISH 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z