Browsing by Author "Alshehri, Norah"

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An Investigation into the Impact of Social Stereotypes and the Changing Gender Roles in British Society on the Representation of Gender in Selected Novels of Agatha Christie
(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-28) Alshehri, Norah; Bloomfield, Jeremy
This research examines the impact of social stereotypes and changing gender roles on gender representations in Agatha Christie's three selected novels set in early to mid- twentieth century British society. Through a qualitative analysis of the novels, the study investigates whether Christie's portrayal of characters reinforces or challenges prevailing social stereotypes and gender roles. The analysis focuses on Miss Marple and Poirot as key characters, exploring how they embody and challenge traditional gender expectations. Additionally, the research considers the influence of World Wars I and II, as well as the development of women's empowerment, on the representation of gender norms in the selected novels. The findings reveal that Miss Marple and Poirot exhibit distinct portrayals of gender roles, with Miss Marple challenging traditional expectations while still utilizing certain feminine means, and Poirot challenging traditional masculinity while reinforcing masculine characteristics. Moreover, the analysis highlights an irreversible shift in women's status in society, as shown through the agency and strengths of the female characters. Agatha Christie's writings capture these societal changes, providing an unbiased view of the evolving dynamics. The research concludes that a deeper understanding of the era's shifting gender roles is possible through Christie's nuanced representation of cultural developments. The study suggests avenues for future research, including expanding the analysis to more novels and comparing Agatha Christie's portrayal of gender with other writers. This research contributes to the broader understanding of gender representations in literature and the societal changes during the early to mid- twentieth century.
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Bio-Sourced Novel Monomers and Polymers for Plastics Sustainability
(Univeristy of Nottingham, 2025) Alshehri, Norah; Stockman, Robert
This thesis details the synthesis of several novel monomers from biomass chemicals such as terpenes and furfural. Several synthesis routes were explored to produce a broad spectrum of functional groups suitable for polymerisation, such as hydroxyls, carboxy acids, epoxides, lactones, and methacrylate. In chapter two, terpene-derived monomers were synthesised via the derivatisation of -pinene, -pinene, limonene and geraniol. This resulted in novel monomers with diols, hydroxy-carboxylic acids, di-carboxy acids and epoxides. In chapter three, a six-membered ring lactone monomer was synthesised from furfural. Some of these monomers have been used in synthesising sustainable polyesters and polymethacrylate, which contain a unique cyclohexane ring or a double bond in their backbone, making them suitable for post-polymerisation modification. The functionalisation of limonene, -pinene, -pinene and geraniol has enabled the synthesis of several renewably-sourced monomers to form terpene-derived polyesters. Step growth homo-polymerisation of diols, diacids and hydroxy-acid yields low molecular weights of novel polyesters. The limonene diol derivatives are demonstrated to function as co-monomers alongside a renewable diacid. The resultant polyesters display Mns of up to 8400 g/mol. -Pinene was used to synthesise dialcohols, which served as co-monomers with a renewable diacid, enabling the synthesis of two novel polyesters.
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