When Lucretius invokes Calliope as his dux at the end of the proem to Book VI (92-95), the echo of I 1 in VI 94 reinforces a more general correspondence between Calliope and Venus, whom Lucretius... Show moreWhen Lucretius invokes Calliope as his dux at the end of the proem to Book VI (92-95), the echo of I 1 in VI 94 reinforces a more general correspondence between Calliope and Venus, whom Lucretius had invoked as his socia in the proem to Book I (24). This paper argues that the two goddesses share the same double identity, as they both represent a twofold aspect of the poem, namely the profound interdependence of form and content. This twofold aspect is cunningly embodied in an interlingual pun on Epicurus’ name, which makes him an ἐπίκουρος to his own philosophy. Show less
**English Translation of this thesis can be found at : https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3245181 **Deze dissertatie gaat over hoe schrijvers en beeldende kunstenaars uit Equatoriaal Guinea door middel... Show more**English Translation of this thesis can be found at : https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3245181 **Deze dissertatie gaat over hoe schrijvers en beeldende kunstenaars uit Equatoriaal Guinea door middel van hun werk aandacht vragen voor de huidige (politieke) situatie in hun land; een voormalige kolonie van Spanje die in 1968 onafhankelijk werd met tot op heden een dictatoriaal regime. Onderzocht is, vanuit een politiek-filosofisch kader (Jacques Rancière en Alain Badiou) en door middel van een narratieve en visuele analyse, waar zich in de werken van de uit het land afkomstige schrijvers Donato Ndongo Bydiogo, Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel en María Nsue Angüe, en de beeldende kunstenaar Ramón Esono Ebalé, breukvlakken en leegten bevinden. Mijn onderzoek toont aan dat het bijzondere en de kracht van hun werken niet zozeer gelegen is in de hierin naar voren komende historische aspecten of bepaalde binaire tegenstellingen (zoals veel onderzoekers tot nu toe veronderstelden), maar juist in het poëtische van wat de in de werken gevonden breukvlakken en leegten blootleggen en openen. Dat maakt dat met deze werken een procedure in gang wordt gezet die de gesloten waarheid van het huidige dictatoriale regime overstijgt, waarmee die dictatuur als het ware wordt opengebroken en geleegd. Show less
'The scar of death. The biography of Jan Wolkers' contains the rebellious life story of Jan Wolkers (1925-2007), one of the most famous, loved ánd controversial writers and artists (also a... Show more'The scar of death. The biography of Jan Wolkers' contains the rebellious life story of Jan Wolkers (1925-2007), one of the most famous, loved ánd controversial writers and artists (also a painter and sculptor) of the Low Countries. Wolkers was obsessed with love and death, also the two most important themes of his work. No one stayed closer to the truth than I, stated Wolkers. His work and art' the biographer concludes, 'are one.' Show less
Counter-Discourse in Zimbabwean Literature is a study of specific aspects of counter-discursive Zimbabwean narratives in English. In discussing the selected texts, my thesis is based on Terdiman’s ... Show moreCounter-Discourse in Zimbabwean Literature is a study of specific aspects of counter-discursive Zimbabwean narratives in English. In discussing the selected texts, my thesis is based on Terdiman’s (1989) the postcolonial concept of counter-discourse. In Zimbabwean literature challenges to a dominant or established discourse are not just limited to those of the imperial culture, but go beyond to include challenges to the established/dominant discourse in the post independence state. Such other counter-discursive narratives include anti-nationalist, anti-‘patriotic’ and anti-patriarchal narratives. The study is arranged such that in chapter 1I trace the history of counter-discursive narratives in Zimbabwean literature in English, in chapter 2, I study Vera, Nyamubaya and Hove’s selected texts as feminist challenges to masculinist narratives of the liberation struggle. In chapter 3, the state-sponsored Gukurahundi is discussed as one of the crimes that, as Soyinka argues, “constantly provoke memories of the historic wrongs inflicted on the African continent by others” (1999: xxiv). In chapter 4, I focus on how Chinodya’s “Queues”, Chinyani’s “A Land of Starving Millionnaires”, Hoba’s “Specialization”, Chingono’s “Minister without Portfolio” and Tagwira’s The Uncertainty of Hope re-imagine the Third Chimurenga in ways that clearly subvert the state discourse on the Third Chimurenga. Show less
The main question that I address in my thesis is how we can best conceive the contrast between a priori and empirical truths. My response is realist and naturalist in character: I suggest that the... Show moreThe main question that I address in my thesis is how we can best conceive the contrast between a priori and empirical truths. My response is realist and naturalist in character: I suggest that the essential feature of a priori truths is that they consist in the obtaining of some realistically understood conditions in the domain of representations within human heads, rather than in the obtaining of those conditions that they typically purport to be about. This representationist constual cannot be reconciled with the received referentialist understanding of truth. Accordingly, my thesis can be seen as a case against standard referentialism about truth. After a detailed exposition and appropriate generalisation of Benacerraf__s dilemma about mathematical truth, I argue for two major claims. First, I demonstrate that among the most striking characteristics of our paradigm a priori beliefs about causally inert entities there are some, which cannot be suitably explained from a referentialist perspective, so that perspective must be wrong. Second, I argue that if we adopt an alternative, use-theoretic notion of truth, then the suggested representationist construal of apriority can meet all major explanatory adequacy conditions, and thus qualifies as a viable characterisation of the subject. Show less
