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Item Portraits of people and places of developing countries : a literary analysis of the public faces of development as presented in popular literature : case study: A Small Place (1988) by Jamaica Kincaid : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 2006) Faloon-Cavander, Jacinda,The literature that keeps me awake at night, containing written images that impress a certain public face of development, is the topic and exploration of this thesis. That the general public still lack in understanding regarding matters of development is key to carrying out this literature analysis. Images of the developing world are everywhere, and as such, an example of non-technical, non-industry specific creative writing is chosen for examination to highlight this point. The short, punctuating and controversial 'essay' A Small Place, by Caribbean author Jamaica Kincaid, is the case study for this thesis. The literature review is in four parts presenting the idea of public faces of development, the importance of interdisciplinary study combining literature with the humanities, an view of the underpinning contemporary themes of development - focusing on foundations of belief as opposed to physical conditions of development situations, and an introduction to Jamaica Kincaid and issues in Caribbean women's literature. Through the example of this case study, that takes its shape from close observations of the text, I conclude that popular literature has not only a literary place in ethnographic discussions, but an important historical and scientific place that helps the general reader to identify the difference between truth and fallacy represented in the various public faces of development.Item Defining the layers : Seamus Heaney's metaphor of layers of colonisation in Ireland : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English Literature at Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) de Andrad, CamilleSeamus Heaney is arguably Ireland’s most notable poet. Receiving the Nobel prize for Literature in 1995, Heaney is recognised as one of Ireland’s most prominent writers. In particular, Heaney’s poems in the context of the Troubles have provided insight into why these events have occurred. He is, alongside Michael Longley, one of the foremost poets of the Troubles, and used his writing to try and understand the events of the time. Heaney grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and personally experienced the Troubles, however, the majority of his poetry which he wrote in context of this era, was written after he had moved to the Republic of Ireland. It is within the context of the Bog that Heaney searches for answers to the effects of colonisation on the Irish. Heaney explores the loss of culture as a result of colonisation by the British, but he also looks at how the Irish culture has evolved over the past two millennia. Within the poetry that he wrote during the Troubles, Heaney explores the concept of the Vikings’ culture of violence and retribution, suggesting that it lives on in the psyche of present-day Irish. In addition, his poems contemplate the hybridity of contemporary Irish culture, showing how the Irish, regardless of religion are one and the same, making the atrocities between sectarian groups pointless. Although Heaney was a Catholic Irish Nationalist, his vision for Ireland was one of an inclusive Ireland where all Irish were the same regardless of their religion. His exploration of religion and its creation of division of communities in Ireland is a major theme in his poems, and one which he links back to many of the ills of Irish history.Item Brand Pakistan : a reception-oriented study of Pakistani Anglophone fiction : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature at Massey University, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Nazir, BarirahMy research considers the reception of (selected) contemporary Pakistani Anglophone fiction in the current global literary marketplace. It argues that these texts are embedded in transnational networks and structures in ways that significantly impact on their reception both in South Asia (Pakistan and India) and in “the West” (the UK and the US). The theoretical framework employed is that of literary reception studies: I argue that how fictional texts are received (as evidenced in initial book reviews) tells us a great deal about the ideological assumptions of the “interpretive communities” (in Stanley Fish’s term) that consume and promote them. I draw on the work of literary critics such as Graham Huggan, Sarah Brouillette, Sandra Ponzanesi, Ana Cristina Mendes and Lisa Lau, who consider the ways in which “Third world” or “postcolonial” literature has been commodified as a result of global publishing and consumption trends. Via the comparative analysis of initial reviews of selected Pakistani novels, I discuss the commonalities and differences between their reception in various locations. I discuss The Wandering Falcon (2011), The Golden Legend (2017) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), and the reviews of these novels published in leading literary magazines/supplements and newspapers in Pakistan, India, the UK and the US. My work involves a discussion of how Pakistani literature is branded for an international market and how this impact on “local” (South Asian) reception. I address the frequently cited concern that globally-focused Pakistani authors “sell-out” or even betray the nation and its people in their literary representations, pandering to international market demands in search of commercial success and literary recognition.