This thesis proposes a new category for literary analysis called the literary trickster figure. Over the last few centuries, the trickster figure has been reduced from a cultural hero to a dubious character. If we trace the trickster’s western roots back to Hermes, Mercury, and Loki and take global trickster scholarship into consideration, criteria can be established and the role of the literary trickster can be assessed. The literary trickster’s role is to undermine the established order (social and political hierarchies), create disorder and bring awareness to systemic issues in order to bring about change. Once the literary trickster category is established, an analysis of two characters—Petyr Baelish from A Song of Ice and Fire and Pandarus from Troilus and Criseyde—will demonstrate how the literary trickster functions.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis proposes a new category for literary analysis called the literary trickster figure. Over the last few centuries, the trickster figure has been reduced from a cultural hero to a dubious character. If we trace the trickster’s western roots back to Hermes, Mercury, and Loki and take global trickster scholarship into consideration, criteria can be established and the role of the literary trickster can be assessed. The literary trickster’s role is to undermine the established order (social and political hierarchies), create disorder and bring awareness to systemic issues in order to bring about change. Once the literary trickster category is established, an analysis of two characters—Petyr Baelish from <em>A Song of Ice and Fire</em> and Pandarus from <em>Troilus and Criseyde</em>—will demonstrate how the literary trickster functions.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stuart, Christopher Michael"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Christine Neufeld, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z","subjects":["English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/733","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Christine Neufeld, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stuart, Christopher Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-10-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/733"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis proposes a new category for literary analysis called the literary trickster figure. Over the last few centuries, the trickster figure has been reduced from a cultural hero to a dubious character. If we trace the trickster’s western roots back to Hermes, Mercury, and Loki and take global trickster scholarship into consideration, criteria can be established and the role of the literary trickster can be assessed. The literary trickster’s role is to undermine the established order (social and political hierarchies), create disorder and bring awareness to systemic issues in order to bring about change. Once the literary trickster category is established, an analysis of two characters—Petyr Baelish from A Song of Ice and Fire and Pandarus from Troilus and Criseyde—will demonstrate how the literary trickster functions.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Tricking for change: Establishing the literary trickster in the western tradition"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Christine Neufeld, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Stuart, Christopher Michael"],"dc:date.available":["2017-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis proposes a new category for literary analysis called the literary trickster figure. Over the last few centuries, the trickster figure has been reduced from a cultural hero to a dubious character. If we trace the trickster’s western roots back to Hermes, Mercury, and Loki and take global trickster scholarship into consideration, criteria can be established and the role of the literary trickster can be assessed. The literary trickster’s role is to undermine the established order (social and political hierarchies), create disorder and bring awareness to systemic issues in order to bring about change. Once the literary trickster category is established, an analysis of two characters—Petyr Baelish from A Song of Ice and Fire and Pandarus from Troilus and Criseyde—will demonstrate how the literary trickster functions.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/733"],"dc:subject":["English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Tricking for change: Establishing the literary trickster in the western tradition"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z"}