ANDRÉ BRETON AND J.R.R. TOLKIEN: SURREALISM, SUBCREATION AND FRODO’S DREAMS

Tolkien knew and correctly understood the Surrealism of André Breton and, although he did not share its fundamental theoretical assumptions, he nevertheless included surrealist dream experiences in his work through the dreams of Frodo. This thesis will be demonstrated by dividing the study into three sections: - the first section will examine the development of Breton’s Surrealism in England and demonstrating that the Inklings were well aware of this contemporary avant-garde ; - the second section, will explain what Surrealism meant to Breton, how well Tolkien understood this, and how his creative sub-theory turned out to be the opposite of the surrealist perspective; - the third section, will show that, despite this diversity, the character of Frodo also includes typically modern and surrealist dream experiences

Waxing Revolutionary: Reflections on a Raid on a Waxworks at the Outbreak of the French Revolution

[First paragraph] Parisians from all walks of life were already accustomed to watching heads roll before the Revolution of 1789. This is not a reference to public executions of the time (beheadings were reserved for the nobility and were rare events) but to another cultural spectacle of late eighteenth-century Paris, one which was sufficiently well-known to become the object of a satirical print in 1787. Entitled ‘Avis au public: Têtes à changer’, the print by P. D. Viviez lampoons the unceremonious updating of fashionable or celebrated waxwork figures displayed in the popular entertainments district of the Boulevard du Temple [See Figure 1]. It shows wax heads being handed down from shelves; heads being replaced on models; one head about to be struck off with a chisel; another head lies discarded on the ground, being sniffed at by a little cat. All of this takes place in front of a crowd of curious, chatty onlookers

Norden, reframed

This paper calls for Norden to be understood as a metaframe. Related formulations like “Nordic art” or “Nordic welfare” function as mesoframes. These trigger multiple framing devices. A cache of related framing devices constitutes a framing archive. Framing devices work best when operating unobtrusively such that inclusions, exclusions and inconsistencies are condoned or naturalised. Their artifice, however, becomes apparent whenever a frame is questioned. Questioning or criticising a frame gives rise to a framing dispute. The theoretical justification for these typologies is provided at the outset. This schema is then applied to a select range of empirical examples drawn largely from the disciplinary frames (Ernst 1996) of art history and museum studies. Despite this specificity it is envisaged that the general principles set out below can and will be used to address a variety of devices, disputes and archives in Norden and beyond

The ruin and the circular narrative

The written component submitted to the University Research Degree Committee in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS BY RESEARCH in Fine ArtThis study constitutes the written component of a practice based Masters by Research in Fine Art. The research arises from my practice as an artist working in film and video in which I have come across links between the representation of ruins and aspects of narrative structure that have suggested the possibility that the ruin represents a nodal point in the work. Ruins have tended to be treated thematically by art historians and theorists and I will demonstrate that there are very few attempts to take the subject beyond the role of metaphor or allegory. However, Jacques Derrida has taken the idea of ruins into the idea of origin and it is this insight that lies at the core of this study. This leads to the idea of the ruin as a condensation of the end and beginning thereby giving it an important role in relation to narrative structure. The circular narrative is a form in which the end and beginning are stitched together at the same theoretical point as the ruin. In terms of practice the circular structure is explored in the form of film and video loops in which the circle structures the way the works physical production, its contextual background, its content and the ways in which it can be interpreted. Underlining this is Derrida's idea that the ruin is always already present at the origin of the work. These ideas are also combined with Freud's theory of the Death Instinct which is rooted in the compulsion to repeat. I have extended Peter Brooks' linking of the Death Instinct with linear narrative structure to include the circular narrative and tested this against my studio practice and the work of another artists, a writer and a film maker. In combining this link between the Death Instinct and the circular narrative with the ruin I have used the Freudian Theory of Primal Phantasies. This was also done to resolve the link with fantasy that was identified at the beginning of the project. My argument ends with the consolidation of these strands with Elisabeth Bronfen's use of the navel as a symbolic intervention into the conventional structures of psychoanalysis. In conclusion the identification of this nodal point in the structure of the work is shown to present an example of the ways in which theory and practice in contemporary art can be dynamically combined. In this way the art work is not only the result of the context from which it has emerged but also provides the means of interrogating that context

Fandom, culture, and videogames: analysing what makes a successful videogame franchise through Final Fantasy

This study intends to validate the importance of discussing media in the modern world by exploring how the concepts of media, fandoms and culture are related, why fandoms exist and the power of media over culture. The object of study is videogames, and more specifically the videogame franchise ‘Final Fantasy’, There is also focus in understanding their appeal over other types of media, the history and evolution of videogames and the history and business model of Square Enix, the company behind ‘Final Fantasy’ products. Additionally, object of study includes how corporate practices and decisions affect the franchise, the evolution of the franchise throughout the years and what makes it a successful videogame franchise, taking into account all the previous information. In order to achieve its purpose, the methodology used was based on qualitative methods of investigation. Document research about the topic at hand, from bibliography, ludography, and other pre-existing materials was gathered and triangulated with an online questionnaire. The information gathered from 85 participants was analysed and it was possible to conclude how the target audience for Final Fantasy experiences the games and the fandom, how it perceives cultural elements and how do they feel about corporate decisions as frequent customers, as well as their opinions on the importance of discussing media

The Pacific Sentinel, February 2017

Editor: Alex Skousen Articles in this issue include: Inauguration Day; Sanctuary Campus; US vs. US; First Thursday; Pellegrino; Sacred Breath; Arvie Smith; Gary Hirsch; Man in the High Castle; FFXV; Heavyweighthttps://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pacificsentinel/1008/thumbnail.jp

Lacan and Organization

239 p.Libro ElectrónicoThe work of Jacques Lacan has become an influential source to most disciplines of the social sciences, and is now considered a standard reference in literary theory, cultural studies and political theory. While management and organization studies has traditionally been preoccupied with questions of making corporations more efficient and productive, it has also mobilized a strong and forceful critique of work, management and capitalism. It is primarily as a contribution to this tradition of critical scholarship that we can see the work of Lacan now emerging.La obra de Jacques Lacan se ha convertido en una fuente de influencia para la mayoría de las disciplinas de las ciencias sociales, y ahora se considera una referencia estándar en la teoría literaria, estudios culturales y la teoría política. Mientras que los estudios de gestión y organización ha sido tradicionalmente preocupado por las cuestiones de lo que las empresas más eficientes y productivos, sino que también ha movilizado una fuerte crítica y contundente del trabajo, la gestión y el capitalismo. Es sobre todo como una contribución a esta tradición de los estudios críticos que podemos ver la obra de Lacan surgiendo.Contributors ix Preface xiii Carl Cederström and Casper Hoedemaekers 1 Lacan and Organization: An Introduction 1 2 Lacan at Work 13 3 Symbolic Authority, Fantasmatic Enjoyment and the Spirits of Capitalism: Genealogies of Mutual Engagement 59 4 The Unbearable Weight of Happiness 101 5 For the Love of the Organization 133 6 You Are Where You Are Not: Lacan and Ideology in Contemporary Workplaces 169 7 Danger! Neurotics at Work 187 8 Lacan in Organization Studies 21