Grao en Lingua e Literatura Inglesas

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Broken Strings and Rising Waves: Analyzing Trauma in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Fiction
(2025) Santos Facal, Isabel; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Lojo Rodríguez, Laura María
The aim of this dissertation is to critically examine Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels through the theoretical lens of trauma studies. First, an overview of Jenkins Reid’s literary practice will be included in the introduction, taking into consideration her achievements and her main works. Subsequently, trauma studies will be presented as a theoretical foundation, explaining the most relevant concepts of this theoretical approach and their pertinence for the purposes of this dissertation. The body of this dissertation will comprise a critical examination of the novel’s traumatized characters and their psychological imbalance present in Reid’s fiction. The causes of her characters’ trauma tend to be family dysfunctional dynamics, abandonment, identity loss, or grief, among others. The aforementioned psychological analysis will be complemented by trauma studies, observing how the characters’ background and traumas determine their fictional personalities and decisions. Furthermore, a section of this essay will analyze how these characters cope with trauma, eventually examining whether complete healing is at all possible in the narratives under examination.
The Importance of Non-verbal Communication in Presidential Debates: An Analysis of Trump vs. Harris.
(2025) Torres Alejos, Angela; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Fernández Polo, Francisco Xabier
In this paper, an analysis will be conducted on the importance of non-verbal communication in political debates. In public speaking, most of the weight of communication lies on non-verbal language (Mehrabian, 1972). In a context like political debates, the importance of non-verbal communication is even greater, as it is essential for ensuring that the orally transmitted message resonates with and has an impact on the audience. Gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice can either reinforce the orally conveyed message or contradict it as Riggio and Feldman (2005) explained. Politicians are instructed in this field from the outset; they are taught to use their bodies as instruments of persuasion to sway the audience in their favour. The objective of this paper will be to analyse how non-verbal communication is used in U.S. presidential debates, and how they influence the audience, focusing on the 2024 Trump vs Harris presidential debate. The paper will be divided into two main parts. In the first part, I will define the concept of non-verbal communication and the different elements that comprise it; and I will undertake a thorough revision on relevant literature on the role of non-verbal communication in American politics throughout history, with particular attention to presidential debates, using sources such as Nonverbal Communication, Mehrabian (1972) or Applications of Nonverbal Communication, Ronald E. Riggio and Robert S. Feldman (2005). The second part will consist in an in-depth analysis of the distinctive non-verbal skills used by both the candidates in the presidential debate between Donal Trump and Kamala Harris in the 2024 elections, where I will apply the methods and concepts presented in the background literature section of the thesis. This will be complemented by an examination of a selection of press articles on the event, published in major American newspapers, The New York Times or The Washington Post, immediately after the debate, focusing the attention on their evaluation and analysis of the candidates’ non-verbal communication style.
“What the Swan Can Teach Us”—An Ecocritical Analysis of Dylan Brennan’s Poetry Collection Let the Dead
(2025) Salas Vega, Antía; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Palacios González, Manuela
Born in Mexico City in 1980, Dylan Brennan is a multi-award-winning poet whose work explores humanity's relationship with nature through themes of ecological destruction and cultural displacement. His collection Let the Dead reflects on environmental collapse, blending history, myth, and personal experience to reveal links between nature, culture, identity, and creativity. This reflects Brennan's belief thet "language is never natural; it carries the weight of history, power, and resistance" (Brennan, Numéro Cinq), a view that supports this TFG's focus on poetry as both ecological and cultural expression. The study addressses three key concerns: the destructive impact of human activity on ecosystems, the connection between environmental degradation and destructive impact of human activity on ecosystems, the connection between environmental degradation and social injustice, and poetry's potential to articulate ecological grief and resistance. Through a deep inspection of poems from Let the Dead, including "Bog Cotton", "Botany", and "Anacahuita", this work explores Brennan's vision of environmental collapse, postcolonial legacy, and the interplay of nature and culture. His poetics, ultimately, aim to "invite discomfort, to make us feel differently" (Brennan, Numéro Cinq), challeging readers to engage with ecological crises through language. The analysis is grounded in contemporary ecocritical theory. Carson's Silent Spring reveals how science can expose the often-overlooked costs of environmental harm. Nixon's Slow Violence addresse how slow, invisible damamge escapes public concern. Flannery and Bullard examine environmental inequality, while lovino and Oppermann explore agency across human and nonhuman spheres. In addition, Bennet's Vibrant Matter redefines materiality, while Morton's Dark Ecology and Plumwood's Feminism and the Mastery of Nature critique the mechanisms behind exploitation. Brennan's reflections in The Flower That Withers offer further insight into his poetic response to collapse and alienation.
A study of Irish English and its characterisation in the TV series Normal People
(2025) Sabarís Pazos, Lucía; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Doval Suárez, Susana
This work seeks to provide a description of the sociolinguistic situation and a linguistic characterisation of English in Ireland, focusing on Irish English (IrE) or Hiberno-English. The aim is to combine a theoretical approach with an analysis of how the variety is represented in Normal People (2020), a TV mini-series adapted from Sally Rooney's novel (2018). This study is motivated by the depiction of Hiberno-English identity and its subvarieties. The dissertation will be divided into two sections: the first section will address the theoretical aspects, concentrating on the sociolinguistic context and linguistic characteristics of the variety and subvarieties. Moreover, this part includes an analysis of the variety based on an examination of the various theoretical frameworks for describing World Englishes, such as Kachru (1985) or Schneider (2007). It will then examine the linguistic features of Hiberno-English within the context of Ireland, exploring its potential connections with the two main reference varieties and its relationship with other World Englishes. The second part of the dissertation will include an analysis of the characterisation of the variety in the TV series Normal People (2020). This description will encompass various linguistic levels, including phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical aspects. Moreover, it will explore the language choices made in the series, focusing on how they align with or diverge from the actual linguistic diversity within Ireland, particularly concerning Hiberno-English subvarieties and the broader spectrum of World Englishes.
Women’s “Domestic” Ghost Stories: A Study of Three Texts
(2025) Pernas Suárez, Aldara; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Estévez Saá, Margarita
From the late 19th century onwards women have made significant contribution to the genre of "domestic" ghost story, a Ghotic mode that has served as the most suitable vehicle for women to express their fears within the patriarchal society of their time. Women found themselves deprived of their individuality, excluded from the public sphere, and confined to their homes and domestic duties. Metaphors of imprisionment have been widely used in this genre to depict what happens 'when you force all women, by denying them civil and political rights, to remain immured in their families groping in the dark' (M. Wollstonecraft, 1792). Deprived of their identity and possessions within marriage and pressured into motherhood, women had to address their main struggles by means of alternative and metaphorical strategies. Female writers started to project ghosts and haunting figures in their stories to indirectly denounce how they were being oppressed, disempowered and silenced. This dissertation aims to explore the social and historical context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries from a gender perspective, and to study how women expressed their most intimate anxieties by means of ghost story. The main objective is to analyse how these circumstances, along with the characteristics of the genre, are reflected in the three stories selected, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Shadowy Thrid" (1916) by Ellen Glasgow and "The Shadow Thrid" (1923) by Elizabeth Bowen. In these stories, the haunting of a woman by a ghostly figure is the central trope, serving as the metaphor that unveils their hidden fears and the ways in which patriarchal authorities exerted control over women. The ghost serves as the catalyst that deploys women's psychological distress, a consequence of the immense challenges of motherhood and marriage that they, like many other women of their time, had to endure
The Historical Romance: From Jane Austen to Lisa Kleypas
(2025) Parada García, Adriana; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Estévez Saá, Margarita
Inspired by Jane Austen's enduring relevance in contemporary times and the frequent presence of her works in social media, in "The Historical Romance: From Jane Austen to Lisa Kleypas" I will try to explore why a novel as universally celebrated as Pride and Prejudice (1813) continues to captivate readers and writers, especially women, to this day. To delve deeper into this phenomenon, I will draw a comparison between Jane Austen and Lisa Kleypas, a bestselling American author of historical romance fiction. Kleypas’s novel It Happened One Autumn (2005) bears notable similarities to the plot of Pride and Prejudice (1813), providing an interesting lens for comparison. While the differences between these two authors are outstanding, not only due to the moment in which they wrote but also in relation to the critical reception and significance of their work, this comparison offers valuable insights. Jane Austen, a cornerstone of English literature, played a crucial role as a female writer in nineteenth-century England. She is revered for her sharp social criticism, often cloaked in irony, sarcasm, and humour. Her heroines, though often romantic to a fault, too fond of gossiping, easily persuaded or with questionable reading habits, are always marked by their intelligence and determination. Austen's novels, while popularly seen as classic love stories with happy endings, are much more complex, offering biting critiques of the social customs of her time. Although many readers and filmed adaptations focus on the romantic elements, regretfully overlooking the deeper social commentary, Austen’s influence remains profound, and she is often hailed as a proto-feminist figure. In contrast, Lisa Kleypas does not hide the real intentions behind her novels, allegedly focused on simple love stories. Her heroines, whether they are shy wallflowers, reformed thieves, or board game designers, are similarly intelligent and determined to Austen’s protagonists. Despite the dissimilar literary prestige between Austen and Kleypas, both authors share a certain place in readers' imaginations: one as a literary icon, the other as a popular bestselling figure. Though the styles and literary value of these two authors differ significantly, their works have entered a shared cultural space, particularly among female readers, and within the tradition of the historical romance novel. There is something about historical romance that transcends traditional literary standards, something that can only be fully explained by the readers themselves. The enduring popularity of both Austen and writers like Kleypas suggests that these stories fulfil a deeper need or desire in readers inviting further exploration into the emotional and cultural impact of these works.
“Within every dystopia there is a little utopia”: The Principles of Dystopian Fiction through the Work of Margaret Atwood
(2025) Álvarez Ramírez, Ainara; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Lojo Rodríguez, Laura María
In 2017 the New Yorker defined writer Margaret Atwood as the "prophet of dystopia", a woman whose catastrophic visions became true. Atwood not only envisioned a near-future full of corrupt values, destroying forces and broken souls; she also left a textual testimony of it through her dystopian novels. Nevertheless, Atwood's own voice did not take long to be heard: 'I am not a prophet. Science fiction is really about now' (Allardice, 2018). The following BA thesis aims to first examine the convetions of dystopian fiction, which often departs from cynical readings by questioning the foundations of contemporary societies in order to imagine the worts possible -or impossible- versions of them. Thus, even though dystopias oppose utopias, they also mirror them, signalling ways in which our future could be if the present is not changed. Regarding the methodology, Margaret Atwood's work will be the study focal point: particular attention will be paid to her portrayal of interpersonal relationships as well as to human behaviour towards other living beings and the environment. In addition to this, the corruption of humanity and its effects will be discussed and extrapolated from a literary perspective to reality: To this end, this dissertation will also inspect the postulates of the "clifi" genre and the applications of radical posthuman philosophy, among others. Finally, conclusions will also consider Atwood's employement of literary resources, such as humour or complex metaphors to adress her readership.
A hands-on approach to video game localization: A proposal for the translation from English to Galician of the video game Papers, Please
(2025) Arias Cabarcos, Alejandro; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Cal Varela, Mario
Translation has been defended as one of the most effective means of promoting and standardizing a language, as well as an important tool for the survival of historically minoritized languages. Nowadays, the development of audiovisual media entails an increasing demand for translations for new types of products, such as those developed within the video game industry. This field, which has seen a considerable growth in recent years, is characterized by the omnipresence of English as its lingua franca, with this language frequently being the source language for many translation orders. The purpose of this undergraduate dissertation is to present an exploration of video game localization as a professional practice, together with a translation proposal for the localization from English to Galician of the video game Papers, Please (3909 LLC, 2013). In this puzzle-simulation game, the player is put in the shoes of a border inspector over the course of 31 working days, in which he interacts with people applying to enter his country, with other guards, and with his superiors. Given this setting, the player can expect to interact with an ample text typology, which includes administrative documents, regulations, press, pamphlets, business cards, personal notes, and dialogue between characters, among others. In this variety of texts one can find differences in register, insults and foul language, and different linguistic uses that will depend on power dynamics and the geographical origin of the sender. These aspects pose translation problems to be considered by the professional video game localizer, especially when working with a target language for which the possible lack of adequate reference material would require proposing original solutions. This work is also meant to be a contribution to the presence of the Galician language in an industry mainly targeted at a demographic that features a reported loss of Galician speakers.
Trainspotting: Reflections of the “Lost Generation” in the literary production of the 1990s
(2025) Castro Rodríguez, Clara; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Alonso Alonso, María
When we talk about the ‘Lost Generation’, we are referring to a demographic group that reached adulthood shortly after the end of World War I. However, in the British sociopolitical context of the 1980s & 1990s, and according to Lee Elliot (online), the term also echoes to a generation that was characterised by the political decisions of the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who, at the time, moved forward on the privatization of public services and economical cuttings, creating a sense of instability. This final degree dissertation will analyse literature produced in the United Kingdom during this historical period, examining how it was used as a critique towards Thatcher’s policies that significantly impacted British society of that time. I will primarily focus on the novel by Scottish author Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting (1993). Welsh’s novel is set in late 1980s Edinburgh, a city profoundly affected by the economic crisis and unemployment, which transformed a generation that once seemed to have a promising future into simple citizens of a wasteland. Trainspotting is a novel that explores the frenzy that characterises its protagonists as they confront the cruel reality that surrounds them, in a world that seems to not have a place for their ambitions and where addiction becomes a mousetrap. In this dissertation, I will draw an analogy between the concept of the ‘Lost Generation’ and the renowned theoretical framework of the ‘Monster Theory’, based on the consideration that in Welsh's novel there are two types of monsters: a metaphorical one, embodied by Margaret Thatcher, and a material monster, manifested in drug addiction.
(Non) Binary voices: Shaping Inclusive Language in Reddit
(2025) Estévez García, Laura; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Bouso, Tamara
Contemporary society is, above all, characterized by its diversity. Just as people must adapt to innovations and evolution, so too must our language. For this reason, the use of nonbinary pronouns and inclusive language is becoming increasingly common. Challenges emerge with pronoun-antecedent agreement, particularly with the use of singular they and everyone, as well as the corresponding reflexive forms themself and themselves. Additional complexities arise when adapting neutral pronouns in gendered languages such as Spanish and Galician, which exhibit inflections for grammatical gender, i.e. masculine, feminine, and, in some cases, neuter (e.g. niño, niña and niñe). These linguistic shifts may have legal and cultural implications, especially for nonbinary people as demonstrated by the Trans Language Activism (TLA), which advocates for the integration of neutral and neopronouns into social norms. This BA thesis sets out to examine these issues and explore the relationship between inclusive language, identity formation and grammatical rules. The focus will be on the usage and forms of they and neopronouns such as ze and xe within the (non)binary community, as represented in a sample of threads extracted from Reddit (e.g. r/NonBinaryTalk) using the R programming language. The hypothesis that is put forward is that they will become the preferred pronoun for both binary and nonbinary communities when referring to themselves and individuals whose gender is unspecified, thus adopting a more neutral linguistic position. After carrying out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data, it will be argued for the necessity of adopting inclusive language practices in media, education, and policymaking to foster a more equitable society.
The Pathologisation of Women’s Rebellion: The Representation of Female Insanity in Nineteenth-century Literature
(2025) Gigirey Vidal, Alba; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Lojo Rodríguez, Laura María
Women's life in the nineteenth century was extremely challenging, as it was marked by social, economic and legal restritions that, one the one hand, prevented them from having many legal rights and, on the other, relegated them to the private sphere, imposing on them attributes such as purity and submission. Within an extremely hierchical society, women's opportunities for education, property ownership and free expression were minimal. However, some women gradually began to actively challege social expectations. Consequently, due to the society's fear of change and transgression, these women started to be considered "irrational" or "insane". The literature of the time only contributed to reinforce these ideas, depicting transgressive women as problematic and, by extension, as a danger to social welfare. My aim in this dissertation is to understand how this "madness" serves not only as a way of punishing famale characters in their pursuit of agency and sexual pleasure, but also seems to be an omen of what is yet come: a change in society concerning women, a sign of women's capabilities which the first feminist movements would vindicate. To serve this purpose, some key authors from this period will be exemined, aiming at critically discussing their representation of women's insanity, as is the case of Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Kate Chopin or Wilkie Collins.
Subversion and Convention in Gothic Literature
(2025) Gómez Pardo, Iria; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Lojo Rodríguez, Laura María
This dissertation aims to exemine major conventions and subversive strategies operating in Ghotic literature. As such, the Gothic appeared in the eighteenth century and yet, it has consistently evolved and its conventions permeate a vast number of fictional works and other aesthetic products since then. The Gothic is often characterized by the creation of suspense and fear, horror and terror, which seems to either represent or warn against the main anxieties of a particular historical period, ranging from political conflicts in Europe, shifts in gender roles, and scientific discoveries during the Enlightenment and the Regency, to name just a few, a fact that defines the Ghotic as a historically-situated narrative. To serve this purpose, this dissertation will be informed by several critical works on the Gothic, as is the case of Fred Botting's Gothic (1995), which addresses gothic convetions from the genre's inception with Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto (1764) as well as its most relevant transformation in later centuries, as is the case of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). First this dissertation will provide an insight into the main features of the Ghotic genre, as well as a brief chronology. Most importantly, this dissertation will also focus on some prominent Gothic works, paying special attention to Gothic strategies such as transgression, power relations, gender roles, the sublime and the thrill of awe-inspiring passions and threats, the rational, and the fantastic.
A Look into ‘the horror’: Apocalypse Now (1979) as a Repurposed Adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899)
(2025) Iglesias Rodríguez, Cristina; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Pereira Ares, Noemí
In Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now (1979), Eleanor Coppola stated that Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) was used as inspiration for the film Apocalypse Now (1979), although Conrad’s novella was not acknowledged as the source material when the film was released – a question that has triggered multiple debates amongst critics addressing Coppola’s film. The present dissertation examines Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as a transformative adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness (1899), arguing that both works provide a critique of the imperialism governing the contexts in which each of the text is set. By transposing the narrative from the imperialistic Congo of the nineteenth century to the context of the Vietnam War, Coppola reframes Conrad’s exploration of imperialism, human savagery and moral ambiguity in the political and cultural context of twentieth-century America. The main objectives of this study are, therefore, to examine the similarities — as well as the differences — between the film and the novella and analyse how a common message of dissent can be traced from Marlow’s exploration of the Congo to Willard’s mission in Vietnam. To achieve this, the dissertation will be divided into two main parts, with the first one laying out the theoretical framework and the second one being devoted to the analysis of Apocalypse Now in relation to Conrad’s novella. Thus, Part I will dive into adaptation studies and, drawing on postcolonial theory, it will explore how imperialism has shaped the world from the late nineteenth century onwards. As for Part II, here I will examine Apocalyse Now as both a reflection of its source material and a standalone cultural artifact that interrogates the enduring relevance of Conrad’s insights and how they resonate with a modern context.
The use of the L1 in the EFL classroom
(2025) Jallas López, Daniela; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Doval Suárez, Susana
It is often claimed that the use of L1 in the EFL classroom hinders the acquisition of fluency in the learner. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether this statement is true or if the use of the mother tongue can positively impact the acquisition of a foreign language. The objective is to examine the extent, purpose, and manner in which the L1 is used in the English classroom, analyzing its purposes across different educational levels, focusing on the lower ones (the young learners' classroom). I will also pay attention to the concept of translanguaging, which is very relevant to this topic: Translanguaging in second/foreign language teaching refers to L2 learners’ deliberate use of their existing knowledge of other languages to achieve learning goals in a target language (Illman and Pietilä, 2018, p.239). Consequently, the first part of the thesis will be devoted to exploring the pedagogical implications of L1 use in EFL classroom. I will also examine the impact of using the L1 on the affective aspects (i.e . The emotional and mental factors) of learners. It has been observed by Posen Liao (2006) that if the students are asked to discuss something only in target language, most of them will remain silent due to their lack of English proficiency or nervousness. On the other hand, when both L1 and L2 are allowed for discussions, there is a more meaningful, longer communication and participation, they are more confident to use the English that they do know. The second part will analyze information gathered through interviews with English teachers from different levels of education. In this section, I will seek to answer the following questions: The Use of the L1 in the EFL Classroom -In which situations and for what purposes do teachers in Galicia use L1 in the classroom? -How often do they use it?
Using digital tools to teach and learn English pronunciation in secondary schools: The case of e SoundWay Free Roaming (e-SoundWayFR)
(2025) Paz Varela, María; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Gómez González, María de los Ángeles
Digital Language Learning (DLL) increases accessibility and flexibility in language education. It provides personalised learning experiences enhanced with interactive features such as gamification and multimedia, making language learning immersive and culturally enriching. DLL is particularly useful for pronunciation instruction, addressing challenges that traditional methods often overlook. Pronunciation is crucial in language acquisition, yet teaching it effectively remains challenging in Spanish secondary schools. Integrating digital tools into pronunciation instruction offers promising improvements. Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) tools have proven valuable by offering interactive feedback and practice that traditional settings often lack. This TFG aims to assess e-SoundWayFR (e-SoundWay Free Roaming), a gamified digital application designed to improve English pronunciation among Spanish-speaking secondary school students. This dissertation examines how e-SoundWayFR addresses students’ pronunciation challenges and provides tools to overcome them. The project begins with an analysis of the current state of English pronunciation instruction in Spanish secondary schools, including an overview of educational regulations regarding pronunciation teaching and the materials currently in use. Following this, a comparative analysis of various CAPT tools and e SoundWayFR will allow us to identify their characteristics and the dimensions that should be targeted to address teachers' and students’ needs in secondary education. Tentatively, through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, another dimension of the analysis could involve the examination of instructors’ perceptions on EFL (pronunciation) teaching practices, as well as their users’ experiences and those of learners after testing e-SoundWayFR, thereby contributing valuable insights into how digital tools can support language acquisition and enhance phonological awareness at that educational level.
Reverse Remediation and Intermediality in The Last of Us (2023)
(2025) Lago Wilson, Lía; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Pereira Ares, Noemí
In recent decades, videogames and their swift development have become an object of investigation in cultural studies and other related fields, their importance attested by the growing body of literature studying issues such as the tension between narratology and ludology when addressing how videogames work and how people interact with them. At the same time, the fact that videogames have become a major cultural form has also led to videogames being adapted to different media - the film series Resident Evil (2002), based on the eponymous videogame, constitues a well-known case in point. These adpatations lend themselves to productive intermedial analyses that shed light on the relationships between different media and their capacity to mediate other forms. Departing from these premises, this dissertation will exemine the TV series The Last of Us (2023), based on the eponymous videogame (2013), as an exemple of 'reverse remediation', showing how its creators deployed media-specific mechanisms to evoke the medium of videogames. To this end, the study will utilise a theoretical framework that unfolds along two main axes: theorisations on intermediality (Bolter and Grusin, [1999]; Rajewsky, [2005]) and recent studies on videogame adaptation (Newman, [2004]; Flanagan [2017]). Therefore, this dissertation will be divided into two main sections corresponding to the theoretical framework and the analysis of the object under scrutiny, respectively. The first section will deal with the main concepts of 'remediation' and 'intermediality' before moving on to an exploration of contemporary theories addressing videogame adaptation. Lastly, the second part of the study will engage in the examination of the TV series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, using the theoretical framework to demosntrate how the series exploits cinematographic means to imitate and acknowledge the gameplay characteristic of videogames
“Is it better to speak or to die?” Silence and identity in André Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name
(2025) Duarte Clase, Sheila; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Alonso Alonso, María
Call Me By Your Name is a novel by André Aciman published in 2007 that tells the coming-of-age story of an adolescent boy named Elio. While he spends the summer of 1983 in his family’s house on the Italian Riviera, the arrival of an American guest named Oliver will change Elio’s life forever. The teenager narrates the events that occurred that summer and how they unleashed a journey of self-discovery towards his queer identity. Nonetheless, taking into account the setting of the novel, revealing his own identity is a challenge for the protagonist, which creates several speeches that are relevant by their implicit meanings. In this final degree dissertation, I intend to analyse the key silences of the characters and establish a connection between the unspoken and the idea of identity. Therefore, I will start by introducing the novel and the key concepts that I will be working with, such as ‘identity’, ‘silence’, and ‘queerness’. Finally, I will then analyse these concepts in relation with the novel by André Aciman. In order to write this final degree dissertation, I will be using diverse sources of information that will help to create a theoretical framework and support the thesis argument: how silences both hide and reveal characters’ identities. Some of the theorists I will be referencing are Stuart Hall, Marianne Hirsch and Judith Butler.
Racialized Spaces: A Spatial Analysis of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(2025) Cabañas López, Manuel Anxo; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Pereira Ares, Noemí
Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, a canonical work of American literature, is characterized by its emphasis on space and its connection to racial issues. Following from this and considering the so-called "spacial turn" in cultural and literary studies witnessed in recent decades, the present dissertation aims to analyze the representation of space in the Huckleberry Finn as a means through which the author depicted the racial tensions and segregation governing the American context in which the novel is set. Drawing on spatial literary studies as well as critical race theory, the study contends that narratological elements -and particularly here, space- encode socially embedded meanings and reflect underlying racial tensions. To this end, the dissertation begings by problematising narrative space as a key narratological category, unpacking its social significance within the American context of the nineteenth century. This is followed by a critical interrogation of the concept of "race" through the lenses of scholarly work linked to colonial discourse and Critical Race Theory. The socially construed nature of both "space" and "race" justifies a joint study thereof, as illustrated by theoretical framework provided by Racial Space Theory. Finally, the main section of the dissertation will be devoted to exploring how race and space intersect in Twain's Huckleberry Finn, an how the novel's spatial configurations become symbolically charged, serving as signifiers and conduits for racial meaning
Overcoming Trauma: Nature, Sorority and Self-discovery in Holly Ringland’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
(2023-12-18) Molares Bonome, Sofía; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Filoloxía Inglesa e Alemá; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Lojo Rodríguez, Laura María
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a novel written by the Australian writer Holly Ringland and published in 2018. The novel deals with the coming-of-age of Alice Hart, a young girl who faces a tragedy and is taken by her grandmother to her flower farm, a community of women who suffered male abuse and are there learning to heal. In her teenage years, Alice will set out on a journey to the Outback with the purpose of finding herself, but love will put her in danger again. This dissertation will focus on the causes and consequences of trauma, especially the ones resulting from male-perpetuated violence and from women's subordinate position in a patriarchal society. My main intention is to show how the author and the characters of the novel deal with and overcome pain and guilt. To serve this purpose, I will tackle the regenerating and relieving powers of writing in Ringland’s work, whose own traumatic experience inspired the novel. Nonetheless, I will also focus on the characters' alternative ways to heal and free themselves from the painful memories of the past. In this sense, this dissertation will also examine sorority, intergenerational relationships and feminism, as evident in the novel in the flower farm, a community of women established to resist male abuse whilst also having as central these women's contact with nature as therapy in the native Australian context. In consequence, this dissertation will also critically examine the language of flowers and flower imagery as an alternative mode of expressing fear and trauma, as well as the importance of self-discovery in the process of maturation. In order to do so, this dissertation will be informed from a methodological perspective by trauma studies, paying special attention to seminal works such as Cathy Caruth's The Unclaimed History: Trauma, Narrative and History (1996) as well as by the concept of "Dangerous Writing" (Tom Spanbauer, 2016), which consists in using fiction to write about unresolved past traumas. Finally, I will also refer to works related to gender studies and feminism, among others.
‘Removing the Mask’. Feminist Confessional Lyricism in the Work of Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift
(2024-05-06) Gómez Menéndez, Julia; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Filoloxía Inglesa e Alemá; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Facultade de Filoloxía; Pereira Ares, Noemí
Both Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift are figures whose work is endowed with a feminist agenda. Despite their different artistic careers, it is possible to trace sorne parallelisms between their works such as, for instance, the intimate link between their lives and the art they produced or the confessional dimension of much of their work. Building upon these premises, this dissertation seeks to analyse the work of both artists as part of the tradition of confessional lyricism. Both artists avail themselves of this kind of writing to create an intimate form of lyricism that also reflects their feminist agenda. In order to carry out such a study, I will carry out a close reading of a selection of works by Plath and Swift, grounding my analysis in feminist theory as well as critical works dealing with confessional poetry. The structure of the dissertation will consist of two main parts. The first part will be devoted to the theoretical framework, delving into feminist criticism and confessional poetry. Subsequently, the second part will provide a close reading of a series of poems by Sylvia Plath anda set of lyrics by Taylor Swift, to trace the parallelisms that can be drawn between the lyrical work of these two figures. Thus, this comparative study aims to demonstrate how Plath and Swift utilized the confessional mode in an attempt to handle societal expectations, feminine experience, and personal concerns.

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