Signum University

AbstractModern metrical analysis of germanic alliterative poetry (GAP) has invariably proceeded fromedited texts in which the poem is represented visually as verses on a printed page or screen. Ofcourse, that is not how these poems came down to us. The manuscript form of a GA poem istypically indistinguishable from prose, the words (and abbreviations) inscribed…

The Point of Intersection: Time and Eternity in 8th-10th Century West Germanic Language and Literature Abstract: The concepts of time and eternity, and the words that are used to express them, have significant influence over a culture. This thesis examines how the understanding of these concepts changed in early Germanic culture with the introduction of…

MONSTROUS HEROES: BEOWULF AS A CHRISTIAN CRITIQUE OF GERMANIC HEROISM This paper proposes to compare once again the heroes Beowulf and Böðvarr Bjarki, using linguistics and critiques of the heroes to build on the traditional approaches of comparison through folktale, etymological, and literary analysis to examine the degree to which Beowulf may be considered a…

“Original Sin: A Portrait of the Fall Through Germanic Texts” Germanic reworkings of Genesis material present a glimpse into the Christian doctrine and societal understandings of the medieval culture in which the texts were composed. This thesis serves as an analysis and synthesis of the topic of original sin as found in a selection of…

“I wonder what you’ve been up to?”: The Notion Club Papers and Tolkien’s Vision of Creative Mysticism Since it’s publication in 1992, Tolkien’s unfinished time-travel story The Notion Club Papers has received relatively infrequent critical attention for its depiction of time and time-travel, as well as for its representation of Tolkien’s Númenor legend. This thesis…

N. Trevor Brierly: Tolkien’s “Vision of Faërie” in “Smith of Wootton Major” Abstract:Tolkien’s story “Smith of Wootton Major”, written in 1965, and an accompanying essay written at the same time, provide a rich understanding of Tolkien’s “Vision of Faërie” that goes significantly beyond earlier critical works such “On Fairy-stories” and “Mythopoeia”. A close reading and…

Join us on April 11 at 1pm ET for a Thesis Theater that explores bureaucracy in literature and art!

The Power to Dominate or Preserve: Magic as a Means of Production in Middle-earth Abstract J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has long been praised for its sense of depth, but Tolkien’s creation has often been criticized, especially by Marxist critics, for its lack in depicting economic realities and for providing a reactionary fantasy to soothe…

A Thesis Theatre by Laurel M. Stevens Friday, March 22, 2024 at 10:00 AM Eastern: Abstract: Dark Academia (DA), as a genre, is an offshoot of academic fiction that has become prominent over the last decade. After defining DA and exploring its roots, I dive into Intertextuality to ask why modern authors have chosen DA…