Abstract: In this thesis I explore the narratological paradigm of conversion and its usefulness in interpreting the Metamorphoses of Apuleius. I believe that this paradigm is not useful in exploring the novel. However, a closely related paradigm - which I call a "narrative of metamorphosis" - can in fact help us interpret the novel and make sense of the final book of the novel known as the Isis book, which has generated much scholarly debate.
My thesis focuses on the incorporation of Hyperboreans, a mythical classical race, into the prevailing Gothic or Geatic narrative of national history in seventeenth and eighteenth century Swedish historiography. The beatific Hyperboreans were identified with ancient Swedes to emphasise that the...
Seychellois society is characterized by its people’s belief in the sovereignty of their independent state and pride in their creole identity and culture. The source of that culture however, is sixteenth century slavery, which in Seychelles lasted well after Abolition. Because the Seychellois...