An Analysis of Female Characters in Contemporary Fantasy’

• Název práce v češtině: Analýza ženských postav v moderní fantasy.
• Název v anglickém jazyce: An Analysis of Female Characters in Contemporary Fantasy’
• Klíčová slova: Vývoj,Hrdinka,Fantasy
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Evolution, Heroine, Fantasy
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2012/2013
• Typ práce: bakalářská práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Colin Steele Clark, M.A.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 23.09.2013
• Datum zadání: 23.09.2013
• Schválení administrátorem: zatím neschvalováno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 25.09.2014
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 22.06.2015 08:30
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 21.05.2015
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 22.06.2015
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: PhDr. Zdeněk Beran, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

Annotation:
The aim of the thesis will be to provide a feminist analysis of female characters in contemporary fantasy answering the question to what extent contemporary female characters are exemplary or revolutionary. This analysis will be made on a sample of chosen works of post WWII high fantasy (The Lord of the Rings, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Game of Thrones). The hypothesis is that contemporary heroines are not significantly revolutionary but actually conform to a set of female stereotypes (ex. heroines are beautiful, they are objects of desire, they require support from other characters to accomplish their quest or are only supporting characters themselves…).
The primary focus of the thesis will be on the main female characters in contemporary high fantasy texts, analyzing their character, behavior and the way that they are portrayed, determining how much they actually diverge from stereotypical expectations. The texts are chosen because they show a clear progression since 1954 until the present day in terms of the role and portrayal of female characters.
The first chapter will provide an introduction of the aim along with the definition of terms (fantasy, hero/heroine) as well as define the place of female characters in fantasy literature and the stereotypes which are connected to them. The second chapter will analyze the chosen texts discussing all the main female characters with a special focus placed on the ones which appear as possessing the most revolutionary qualities (ex. Eowyn, Daenerys…) questioning their feminist readings and trying to explore how much they actually fulfill their given stereotypes. It will be divided into three sections each dealing with one work and focusing first generally on the female population in the work before focusing only on one heroine. The third chapter will be examining how much the female stereotypes register in the public awareness using a questionnaire and a focus group. The fourth chapter will follow as a summary and a conclusion of the thesis, answering the question of the aim and supporting or rejecting the hypothesis.

Seznam odborné literatury

Primary Sources:
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Fellowship of the Ring. Mariner Books; Reissue edition. 2012
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Two Towers. Mariner Books; Reprint edition. 2012
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Return of the King. Mariner Books; Reissue edition. 2012
LeGuin, Ursula. A Wizard of Earthsea. HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition. 2012
LeGuin, Ursula. The Tombs of Atuan. Aladdin Paperbacks; Reprint edition. 2001
Martin, George. A Game of Thrones. Bantam; Mti. Rep. edition. 2011
Martin, George. A Clash of Kings. Bantam; Reissue edition. 2000
Secondary Sources:
Alsford, Mike. Heroes and Villains. Texas: Baylor University Press, 2007. Print.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New World Library, 2008. Print.
Hunt, Peter. Alternative Worlds in Fantasy Fiction. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004. Print.
Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. Routledge, 1981. Print.
Propp, Vladimir. Morphology of the Folktale. Texas: University of Texas, 1968. Ebook.
Swinfen, Ann . In Defence of Fantasy: A Study of the Genre in English and American Literature Since 1945. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books, 1984. Print.
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The Monsters and the Critics: And Other Essays. London: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.
Le Guin, Ursula. The Language of the Night. Ultramarine Publishing, 1979.
Ellmann, Mary. Thinking About Women. Thomson Learning, 1970. Print.
Edward, James. Ed. The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction. Cambridge University Press. 2003
Leitch, Vincent. Ed. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.
Porter, R. Lynnette. Unsung Heroes of "The Lord of the Rings": From the Page to the Screen. Greenwood Press, 2005. Print.

Frankel, Valerie. Winning the Game of Thrones: The Host of Characters and their Agendas. LitCrit Press, 2013. Kindle