Faulkner revisited : narrating property, race, gender and history in William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Gloria Naylor's Mama Day

My thesis explores the formation of the subject in the novels of Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, and Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. I attach the concept of property in terms of how male protagonists are obsessed with materialistic ownership and with the subordination of women who, as properties, consolidate their manhood. The three novelists despite their racial, gendered, and literary differences share the view that identity and truth are mere social and cultural constructs. I incorporate the work of Judith Butler and other poststructuralist figures, who see identity as a matter of performance rather than a natural entity. My thesis explores the theme of freedom, which I attached to the ways characters use their bodies either to confine or to emancipate themselves from the restricting world of race, class, and gender. The three novelists deconstruct any system of belief that promulgates the objectivity of truth in historical documents. History in the three novels, as with the protagonists, perception of identity, remains a social construct laden with distortions to serve particular political or ideological agendas. My thesis gives voice to African American female characters who are associated with love and racial and gender resistance. They become the reservoirs of the African American legacy in terms of their association with the oral and intuitionist mode of knowing, which subverts the male characters’ obsession with property and with the mainstream empiricist world. In this dissertation, I use the concept of hybridity as a literary and theoretical devise that African-American writers employ. In effect, I embark on the postcolonial studies of Henry Louise Gates, Paul Gilroy, W. E. B Du Bois, James Clifford, and Arjun Appadurai in order to reflect upon the fluidity of Morrison’s and Naylor’s works. I show how these two novelists subvert Faulkner’s essentialist perception of truth, and of racial and gendered identity. They associate the myth of the Flying African with the notion of hybridity by making their male protagonists criss-cross Northern and Southern regions. I refer to Mae Gwendolyn Henderson’s article on “Speaking in Tongues” in my analysis of how Naylor subverts the patriarchal text of both Faulkner and Morrison in embarking on a more feminine version of the flying African, which she relates to an ex-slave, Sapphira Wade, a volatile female character who resists fixed claim over her story and identity. In dealing with the concept of hybridity, I show that Naylor rewrites both authors’ South by making Willow Springs a more fluid space, an assumption that unsettles the scores of critics who associate the island with authenticity and exclusive rootedness.

Sexual behavior: Ultrasonic postejaculatory song of the male rat

During the refractory period that follows ejaculation, the male rat regularly emits 22-kilohertz vocalizations. These cease after about three-fourths of the total period has elapsed, and this corresponds to an "absolute refractory period" during which the male cannot spontaneously initiate copulation. Similar 22-kilohertz vocalizations occur in other social contexts, and in general they appear to be desist-contact signals.

TROMBONE MUSIC OF SCANDINAVIA: A STUDY OF TROMBONE SOLO AND CHAMBER WORKS FROM SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND DENMARK

This dissertation project aims to establish Scandinavian trombone solo and chamber works as a major contribution to the trombone repertoire. From the late 19th century to modern day, Scandinavian composers have produced a steady output of trombone works of substantial musical quality. Deep-rooted in the traditions of strong military wind bands, Scandinavia has also produced an unusual number of trombone virtuosos, ranging from those holding positions in leading orchestras, and internationally renowned pedagogues, to trombonists enjoying careers as soloists. In this study I propose that it is the symbiotic relationship between strong performers and traditionally nationalist composers that created the fertile environment for the large number of popular trombone solo and chamber repertoire not seen in any other region besides the Paris Conservatory and its infamous test pieces. I also interpret the selected repertoire through the prism of nationalism and influence of folk music, and convey that the allure of the mystic Nordic folk influences enhances the appeal of the Scandinavian trombone repertoire to world-wide audiences and performers. The dissertation project was realized over three solo recitals, each showcasing the music of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark respectively. For each program, I looked to choose a standard work from the trombone solo repertoire, a work written for or by a native virtuoso, and a lesser-known work that warrants the attention of other performers for its musical qualities. The recital of Swedish music presented Mandrake in the Corner by Christian Lindberg, Subadobe by Frederik Högberg, A Christian Song by Jan Sandström, and Concertino for trombone and strings by Lars-Erik Larsson. The recital of Norwegian music presented Concerto for Trombone op. 76 by Egil Hovland, Ordner Seg by Øystein Baadsvik, Elegi by Magne Amdahl, and Concerto in F major by Ole Olsen. The recital of Danish music presented Rapsodia Borealis by Søren Hyldgaard, Madrigal by Bo Gunge, Romance for trombone and piano by Axel Jørgensen, Concerto for trombone by Launy Grøndahl, and Three Swedish Tunes by Mogens Andresen. Through the performance of works from these three countries, the dissertation establishes Scandinavia as a rich source of solo trombone repertoire perpetuated by nationalist composers and virtuosos, as well as providing a brief survey of Scandinavian trombone works of various instrumentation and difficulty levels to be enjoyed by student, professional, and amateur performers and their audience.

Mapping the uncharted territory of folk drama

Students of mumming and guising plays – the seasonal verse dramas performed for over 200 years throughout much of England, Scotland, and northern Ireland – have suffered from having too much information to work with. The first part of this poster presentation outlines and illustrates the situation. There are thousands of places where the plays are known to have been performed, and hundreds of texts have been collected. Furthermore, the plays show some tantalising similarities while simultaneously exhibiting the wide range of variation one would expect from orally transmitted dialogue. Until recently, scholars openly admitted to not knowing where to start with such a flood of material, to the extent that some dismissed the texts altogether as unimportant and irrelevant, focussing instead on the "actions". Fortunately, the introduction of computers has managed to break the impasse and is aiding the intellectual process. Part two shows a case study for one of the tools on the Master Mummers website - the Folk Play Scripts Explorer – which is based on a large database of digitised texts and a typology for individual lines. This allows researchers to search for lines, explore textual variants, and map their geographical distribution. This is yielding some interesting surprises. Seemingly trivial variations often turn out to have discrete distribution patterns, while it transpires that certain "ubiquitous" lines have restricted geographical ranges. Thus, the Scripts Explorer is providing novel insights into how the plays evolved and spread.

Faulkner revisited : narrating property, race, gender and history in William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Gloria Naylor's Mama Day

My thesis explores the formation of the subject in the novels of Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, and Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. I attach the concept of property in terms of how male protagonists are obsessed with materialistic ownership and with the subordination of women who, as properties, consolidate their manhood. The three novelists despite their racial, gendered, and literary differences share the view that identity and truth are mere social and cultural constructs. I incorporate the work of Judith Butler and other poststructuralist figures, who see identity as a matter of performance rather than a natural entity. My thesis explores the theme of freedom, which I attached to the ways characters use their bodies either to confine or to emancipate themselves from the restricting world of race, class, and gender. The three novelists deconstruct any system of belief that promulgates the objectivity of truth in historical documents. History in the three novels, as with the protagonists, perception of identity, remains a social construct laden with distortions to serve particular political or ideological agendas. My thesis gives voice to African American female characters who are associated with love and racial and gender resistance. They become the reservoirs of the African American legacy in terms of their association with the oral and intuitionist mode of knowing, which subverts the male characters’ obsession with property and with the mainstream empiricist world. In this dissertation, I use the concept of hybridity as a literary and theoretical devise that African-American writers employ. In effect, I embark on the postcolonial studies of Henry Louise Gates, Paul Gilroy, W. E. B Du Bois, James Clifford, and Arjun Appadurai in order to reflect upon the fluidity of Morrison’s and Naylor’s works. I show how these two novelists subvert Faulkner’s essentialist perception of truth, and of racial and gendered identity. They associate the myth of the Flying African with the notion of hybridity by making their male protagonists criss-cross Northern and Southern regions. I refer to Mae Gwendolyn Henderson’s article on “Speaking in Tongues” in my analysis of how Naylor subverts the patriarchal text of both Faulkner and Morrison in embarking on a more feminine version of the flying African, which she relates to an ex-slave, Sapphira Wade, a volatile female character who resists fixed claim over her story and identity. In dealing with the concept of hybridity, I show that Naylor rewrites both authors’ South by making Willow Springs a more fluid space, an assumption that unsettles the scores of critics who associate the island with authenticity and exclusive rootedness.

Folk schools: Um estudo de caso

O presente trabalho tem como âmbito de estudo o campo da educação não formal. Trata-se de uma investigação qualitativa descritiva, com o objectivo geral de descrever todos os aspectos da actividade de uma folk school, um espaço de educação não formal, situada no sul da Dinamarca, sob as perspectivas de professores e alunos. Participaram neste estudo três entidades que fazem parte deste modelo de educação não formal, tendo sido realizadas entrevistas ao Director, a três professores e a sete alunos. Para a recolha de dados foi utilizado um guião de entrevista semi-estruturada. Os dados recolhidos pelas entrevistas foram organizados em categorias e foi realizada a análise de conteúdo. Como resultado deste estudo temos a descrição do funcionamento da escola analisada, bem como testemunhos da forma como este tipo de educação desenvolve o espírito de comunidade e cidadania, potenciando, também, o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional. /ABSTRACT: This work develops in the study field of non-formal education. It is a descriptive, qualitative research, with the overall aim of describing all aspects of the activity of a folk school, located in southern Denmark, an institution of non­formal education, seen through the perspectives of both teachers and students. Three entities that are involved in this type of non-formal education have participated in present study, so the director, three teachers and seven students were interviewed. ln order to collect data we applied semi-structured interviews. The data thus obtained in the interviews was organized into categories and, afterwards, their content was analyzed. From this study results the description of the activity done in the school studied, as well as the testimony of how this kind of education develops a spirit of community and citizenship, also enhancing the personal and professional development and improvement.

BETWEEN THE SONG AND THE TALE: EYE EYE FOR EYE OF CHICO BUARQUE NUS: EYES BY MIA COUTO

This paper proposes a reflection on the lyrics Eye to eye, written by Chico Buarque, and the tale nude Eyes: Eye of the Mozambican writer Mia Couto, writing to compose the collection This story is different: for ten thousand songs by Chico Buarque, organized by journalist Ronaldo Bressane in 2010. this book ten writers recreate Songbook carioca composer, with total freedom to reinvent prose the song they chose. In the work there are tales that are based on stories faithfully to music by Chico Buarque, others use them as soundtrack, scenery, atmosphere, some of the songs lend their structures and there are those who only use it as a theme. This paper then turns to the relationship built between fiction and music, watching the narrative dialogue established between the lyrics by Chico Buarque and the short story by Mia Couto, the fidelity pact established with the source text and the whole narrative structure that comes to life under the eye of Mia Couto. Finally, throughout the article we use the theoretical assumptions discussed as Silviano Santiago, Umberto Eco, Costa Lima, Leonor Arfuch among others so as to exploit the full context of this engaging narrative.

THE MINIMUM VOICE: FEMININE MODES OF SUBJECTIVITY IN THE SONG

This paper  analyses  the relation of feminine voice performance  in the years of radio age and the way the brazilians singers sings today.  The goal is to analyze enunciative traces of a singular subjectivity anchored in the singing voice. The paper focus the moment, since the years of 1980, when the feminine voice no longer sounds like the  singers of the  gold radio time. In this period, to display a dramatic mark  in the voice was the production conditions of the singing woman. In the area of ​​the French school of discourse analysis, this paper is a part of a larger research in progress. We intend to describe the certain mode of feminine subjectivity acting  in the voice as an act of enonciation.