Swanstrom, Elizabeth

Song of Ice and Fire is unarguably one of the most popular fantasy series of all time. Notwithstanding its success, the series has only recently begun to be analyzed critically. George R.R. Martin’s books are often celebrated for breaking many of the tropes common in fantasy literature. Despite this, the series is nonetheless a product of a genre that has been shaped by white, male authors. Using such prominent postcolonial scholars as Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Homi Bhabha, and Albert Memmi, I analyze the five published books of Martin’s series. I argue that although Martin seems to be aware of the theoretical background of postcolonial studies and attempts to present a story sensitive to issues of colonization, the book series fails to present a Western representation of the East outside of orientalist stereotypes and narratives that reinforce imperialism.

This thesis discusses the intersections of class and the lack of social mobility in
three versions of Cinderella from the seventeenth century. The works covered are are
Giambattista Basile's "La Gatta Cennerentola" ["The Cat Cinderella"] (c.1634), Charles
Perrault's "La Petite Pantoufle de Verre" ["The Glass Slipper"] (1697), and Marie-
Catherine D'Aulnoy's "Finette Cendrone" ["Clever Cinderella"] (1697). The seventeenth-century
versions of Cinderella all reaffirm the existing class system. In each of these
versions the message is that the ruling elite must maintain or regain to their status. We
can see this by the ways in which the characters gain and lose status in their respective
narratives. Ultimately, the early modern Cinderella story is one that supports a hereditary
class system.

One of the most popular forms of literature in Japan is that of “kaidan.,” literally
meaning “strange story,” during the Edo period, but over time “kaidan” has come to
specifically mean stories of “yūrei,” or “Japanese ghosts.” Many Western academic
studies concerning kaidan thus far are concerned with the genre’s shift from religious
didactics to secular entertainment. This is an important evolution to keep in conversation
with this project; However, this study will argue that ghosts work as Edo symbols for
failing boundaries within an isolationist society. Two of the main texts in this project are
translations by Lafcadio Hearn, being “Mimi Nashi Hōichi” and “Jikininki.” The other
two main texts used are translations of “Banchō Sarayashiki” by Zack Davisson. In my
study, I identify breaches of boundaries within social order in these texts using the aid of
Mikhail Bakhtin’s “the grotesque,” Julia Kristeva’s “abject horror,” and Jacques
Derrida’s “hauntology.”

The field of video game studies is young and requires innovation in its approach to its object of study. Despite the large number of Japanese games and game developers, most scholars in the West approach video games from a point of view that emphasizes Western thought and that is concerned with either very recent video games or the medium as a whole. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask defies Western interpretations as its inspiration and aesthetics are steeped in a Japanese theatrical tradition that dates to the early Middle Ages, namely Noh theater. The game’s emphasis on masks and possession provides unique commentary on the experience of playing a video game while the structure of the game harkens back to traditional Noh cycles, tying in pre-modern ideas with a modern medium in order to comment on video games and the people who play them.