Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Oedipus Fallen: Irony In The Fiction Of Milan Kundera, Douglas Lauen

Honors Papers

The dialogue Kundera depicts between himself and his characters is central to his work because this interplay mirrors that between the author and the reader. In that Kundera is sometimes a character in his fictions (not just a narrator), we must consider his role in his fiction as one of personas; some stronger, some thicker than others. Kundera, as the self conscious, autobiography-writing narrator of his stories, uses irony to mediate between his and our perspective on the, subject matter. Considering that his narrative tone has remained remarkably similar throughout his novels, and that his subject matter has closely followed …

History Of Jews At Oberlin College: A Mirror Of Change, Andrea R. Meyer

Honors Papers

In searching for the first Jewish student at Oberlin College, I discovered and subsequently researched the life of, 1920 graduate Marion Benjamin Roth who started the Oberlin branch of the Menorah Society, a Jewish literary and cultural group. Mrs. Roth, whom I interviewed, started the group because she was concerned about the environment for Jewish students. In letters to Rabbi Wolsey in Cleveland she discussed her perceptions of life for Jewish students at Oberlin soon after her arrival.

Marion Benjamin later reflected that Jewish students needed to have "some place that they could get together if they wanted; to discuss …

Survivals Of Paganism In Christian Medieval Iceland As Evidenced By The Icelandic Family Sagas, Deborah Grossman

Honors Papers

In the summer of the year 1000 A.D., the General Assembly of Iceland voted to convert to Christianity. The basis for this decision was political rather than religious, as it was to prevent civil dissension. This factor influenced the subsequent impact of Christianity on Icelandic society, and made possible the survival of numerous pagan practices and values. Contemporary literary sources, especially the Icelandic Family sagas, not only cover the conversion of Iceland, the ensuing conflicts and tensions between paganism and Christianity, and pagan survivals under Christianity, they also include many descriptions of pagan religion and pre-Christian society in Iceland.

A …