The writer examines novels by Agatha Christie and Joseph Conrad, and discusses characters and scenes in light of prejudices the authors may have held, bringing as evidence Chinese (non-Western) detective novels.
2,200 words (approx. 8.8 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 68.95
Abstract We can also see the kind of xenophobic stereotypes that Christie used when we compare her works to detective fiction taken from an entirely different cultural tradition: When we think about the detective novel, we are most likely to see in our mind's eye Sherlock Holmes's deerstalker cap or hear the Belgian accents of Hercule Poirot. The genre of detective fiction ? with its traditional elements of the seemingly perfect crime, the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points (in many cases, the bungling of the dim-witted police (in opposition to the cleverness of the private operator), the astonishing powers of observation and superior mind of the detective, and a startling and unexpected denouement (quite likely taking place in a parlor) in which the detective reveals how the identity of the culprit was ascertained ? seems a quintessentially Western concept.
Abstract This paper explains that the play, Sophocles's "Oedipus, the King", has a more episodic structure than a climactic one because of flashbacks and prophecies introduced as episodes throughout. The author points out that the "rising action" is when Oedipus threatens that he will have Creon killed or exiled for conspiring with Tiresias. The paper contends that tragedy is better as a work to be read than as a drama to be performed and watched on stage. The reason given by the writer is because there is much more to perceive and understand from the reading than in the watching and listening, although visuals and sounds enhance or intensify the underlying messages in the play.
From the Paper "The setting is Thebes around the fifth century. The "inciting incident" right away turns up with the plague that now afflicts the citizens, whom King Oedipus calls the ?new blood of ancient Cadmus.? Cadmus was the founder of the mythological Thebes. These citizens crowd at the king's palace for his action on the feared plague, and as was the custom at the time, the king has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to consult with the Oracle (or diviner/fortune-teller) at Delphi (Sophocles c 430 BC) for advice and he tells this to the people. Creon returns to relay the Oracle's message to Oedipus that the plague will end only if the murderer of the former king of Thebes, Lauis, is caught and driven out. The message also says that the murderer is still in Thebes. King Lauis was killed by thieves while on the way to consult an oracle.To pacify the people and bring peace to Thebes, Oedipus promises to find that murderer and drive him out. This part represents the "point of attack".
Abstract This paper discusses the plays "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd and Shakespeare's "The Tempest". The paper explains that these two plays present a demonstration of the use of the play-within-the-play device as a representation of human themes and cultural messages. The paper contends that while the play-within-the-play contributes to the denouement of plot, it also draws attention to the relative power of theater in society.
From the Paper "Themes of the human condition repeat themselves almost continually through the art of drama and through the realm of the real. Themes of human circumstances, moral and amoral influence the cultural representation of right and wrong, but strangely change very little over time. Things that are "wrong" in Shakespeare and Kyd's England similar to those which are "wrong" today. Betrayal and revenge flow together as a stream through the human soul and repeatedly show their influence upon art and humanity. Messages of revenge, a constant fascination of the Elizabethan period (1558-1603) and that of the England that followed her reign, often follow the form of the play-within-the-play dramatic technique and this is true of both the works discussed here."
Abstract During the nineteenth century, especially toward its conclusion, women were beginning to break out from their usual molds, and perceptive authors used that fact to create some outstanding dramas and novels. Thomas Hardy was one, having written "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" and Elizabeth Gaskell wrote "Ruth". There are many ways to look at these two novels; however, one interesting link makes them worth investigating. The paper shows that this link is the presence and the absence of a mother figure that might have changed the denouement of both women - a happy, peaceful conclusion for Ruth in her passing, and a tragic one for Tess, hounded by men seeking revenge for her stabbing of her seducer.
From the Paper "Hardy, a male in the Victorian age where sex was all done behind closed doors and shuttered windows, as if it never existed at all, took umbrage at the mores of men and women whose lives would be shattered by revelations of premarital sex. Ruth had no mother to comfort her during her distress, having been forcibly removed from Mr. Bellingham. There was no mother to run to when it was time for the baby to be born. And yet, near the end of "Tess", when she might have needed her mother more than a bland Alec, her mother was distant, and not at all communicative with those who wanted information about Tess' whereabouts."
Abstract This paper examines two plays by William Shakespeare, "Titus Andronicus" and "Henry IV", and details how each is indebted to medieval dramaturgy. To begin with the paper starts by reviewing the pyramidal construction of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" and how this organization of the plot owes much to earlier medieval plays. Among other things the paper suggests that the play arrangement and sequence serves not only to heighten audience interest in the stage play but also serves to stoke the desire of theater goers to vicariously participate in the final denouement through a desire to see the wrong doers punished.
From the Paper "The following paper examines two plays by William Shakespeare - Titus Andronicus and Henry IV - and details how each is indebted to medieval dramaturgy. To begin with, the paper starts by reviewing the "pyramidal construction" of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and how this organization of the plot owes much to earlier medieval plays. Among other things, the paper will suggest that the play's arrangement and sequence serves not only to heighten audience interest in the stage play but also serves to stoke the desire of theater-goers to vicariously participate in the final denouement (through a desire to see the wrong-doers punished). Beyond that, the play's pyramidal organization allows Shakespeare to also express in more subtle fashion his own classical sensibilities. Proceeding onward, the second part of the paper will be devoted to exploring Henry IV and how the "stock..."
Abstract This document discusses the Initial Public Offering process from its inception to its denouement in the form of the offering on the public stock exchange. Of particular importance is the process of the underwriters or the investment banks and their due diligence of the issuing company. Additionally, this paper examines the cost of issuance and the application of the funds gained through the IPO.
From the Paper "Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are the sale of a company's shares upon its first entering the public market. IPOs involve the shares of ownership or stocks of a corporation or business entity that are offered for sale to public investors who can either be institutional investors of individual investors and the purpose of the IPO is to raise capital (Murphy, 2003). Usually, corporations that undertake an IPO do so with the intent of facilitating further growth and expansion as a way to increase revenues and return on investment (ROI). Yet, IPOs are not simply a cash cow enterprise for corporations and the owners of them since becoming a publicly owned and traded company requires the sacrifice of a considerable amount of autonomy because of the legal restrictions and financial reporting requirements that accompany the transition to a public company."
Abstract This document discusses the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process from its inception to its denouement in the form of the offering on the public stock exchange. Google is referenced as an example on several occasions since its IPO has been the most visible one in the recent past. Of particular importance is the process of the underwriters or the investment banks and their due diligence of the issuing company. Additionally,this paper examines the cost of issuance and the application of the funds gained through the IPO.
From the Paper "Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are the sale of a company's shares upon its first entering the public market. IPOs involve the shares of ownership or stocks of a corporation or business entity that are offered for sale to public investors who can either be institutional investors of individual investors and the purpose of the IPO is to raise capital (Murphy, 2003). Usually, corporations that undertake an IPO do so with the intent of facilitating further growth and expansion as a way to increase revenues and return on investment (ROI). Such was the case with Google's IPO. Google reached a point in its growth cycle where it needed the capital to build-out its infrastructure further and have the capital available to finance acquisitions in order to more fully compete with Yahoo! and Microsoft. "
Abstract Kollock describes a public good as something from which all persons can and do benefit irrespective of whether they have contributed to the public good or not. If one examines the environmental and economic concept of sustainable development (SD) it becomes clear that SD is, by definition, a public good. SD benefits all and certainly a minority of any population will actively participate in its development or its denouement.
Abstract The following paper employs some of the broad conventions of a successful suspense story (albeit it a small one) by using mounting action, a common, suspenseful thread and an unexpected denouement. The paper touches upon basic human fears about isolation, darkness and unexpected noises and tries to create a frightening scenario that also has an element of believability about it.
From the Paper "It was a cold and miserable late fall night and winter was in the air. For almost three days now, it had been raining hard and blowing harder and there seemed no end to it. Down the road, the old bridge which connected the farmhouse to much of the rest of the world was out and would probably be out for several weeks until maintenance crews had a chance to repair it. Yes, the collapse of the bridge was unsettling, but that wasn't thing that troubled them the most as they sat in the kitchen and listened to the whir of the back-up generator. What frightened them were all the strange sounds they thought they heard."
Abstract This paper discusses how "The Sign of Four" is a novel that exemplifies many of the conventions of the classical detective genre. The paper looks at how, the latter passage of Jonathan Small's confession, inparticular, is effective because it represents many of these conventions. Of these, this paper addresses the conventions of the denouement, the deductive method of discovery, the 'villain' and morality, and the setting. It also analyses the effectiveness of the passage, and of the novel as a whole, in relation to Conan Doyle's use of classical detective fiction conventions.
From the Paper "Sherlock Holmes' comment in the passage of "there is nothing at all new to me" implies that Holmes' was fully aware of the particulars of the case, despite not being the one to present the denouement. It appears apparent that Holmes knew the particulars of the case when he held the feast with Dr. Watson and Athelney Jones, though he did not divulge this at the time (80). This is an example of the ratiocinate nature of the detective. Holmes claims to know all about the specifics of the case, through what the reader can only assume is from deduction. This adds to the 'puzzle' convention of the detective genre, where the reader is invited to try to solve the puzzle before Holmes does. Holmes' great powers of deduction and reasoning are highlighted early on in the novel when he deduces that Dr. Watson had taken a trip earlier to the post office (9). "
Abstract This paper discusses the scope and effects of the American Civil War on American society. It then attempts to provide an explanation for the peculiar trend that the war's denouement and crucial aftermath (the decade of Reconstruction) is so noticeably absent from historical accounts. The paper look at the ways in which Reconstruction is a painful and divisive topic for all Americans, even today.
From the Paper "Despite some successes, the complicated, limited, 'unfinished' nature of both Reconstructions is most likely the reason for the gap in the scholarship on this topic amongst people who were in favour of Reconstruction, as well as their reluctance to create further antagonism over an issue that continues to divide America. This is not to say there is no literature on Reconstruction, but of the works that do exist, many contradict one another over lines of time, race, location and political affiliation. There does not seem to be consensus over many issues at all, and it seems that no conclusion has been reached with regard to this period's real meaning and significance. It is not surprising that those people who were 'anti-Reconstruction' (many of whom subscribe to the ideas of the 'Lost Cause') remained equally quiet and divided over an issue that incites such passion. They too feel the failure of the period (perhaps more specifically the 20th Century version) in that black people did improve their position substantially from what it was under slavery, and did enjoy gains that so threatened white citizens of the South (provoking the brutality which for some, may be a source of shame). It is no surprise these people remain reluctant to dredge up old scars."
Abstract This paper contends that Hamlet, as the protagonist in Shakespeare's work by the same name, did not know himself, and in this farce of identity commits acts of treason, of disloyalty and the denouement, the blood bath at the end of Shakespeare play and proves to be a lessening of personal identity. The paper discusses how Hamlet's own identity is lost to the rising delusions of his father's ghost, and the plot thickening of betrayal which Hamlet himself plays a hand and is dealt a hand.
From the Paper "The scene when Hamlet meets his father's supposed ghost is one in which fate is mentioned. Any device used in literature to make of the character a tool for fate is, in its entirety, using fate as a scapegoat for actions. In fate is found the lessening of a man. His actions are not controlled by his own will but instead are parlayed into the compartments of the hierarchy of gods, of wishes and destiny: A man knows himself through the choice and follow through of his own actions. Hamlet does choose revenge but in this he is guided and pushed by his father's ghost. As Horatio contends, after Hamlet's departure to bear witness to his father's ghosts, "He waxes desperate with imagination" (Act One, Scene Four, line 87). In this simple phrase is found the rudimentary beginnings of Hamlet's downfall. In Hamlet's imagination there is a world of difference between the reality of the play and what the reader is led to believe through Hamlet's soliloquies. "
