Checking an object's parent types by string

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out how find an object's type when it is a subclass of another object and I only know the string value of the object's type's name.
Sorry if this is a convoluted questions.

I created the follwing classes:

HTML Code:

---

Public Class word

End Class

Public Class noun
    Inherits word
End Class

Public Class properNoun
    Inherits noun
End Class

---

Then, in my code I create a new properNoun and check to see if it is a properNoun, noun or word:

HTML Code:

---

Private Sub checkTypes()
        Dim pn As New properNoun
        MsgBox("Is a properNoun: :" & TypeOf pn Is properNoun)  'TRUE
        MsgBox("Is a noun: :" & TypeOf pn Is noun)              'TRUE
        MsgBox("Is a word: :" & TypeOf pn Is word)              'TRUE

        MsgBox("typeOf properNoun: :" & (pn.GetType.Name.ToString = "properNoun"))    'TRUE
        MsgBox("typeOf noun: :" & (pn.GetType.Name.ToString = "noun"))                'FALSE
        MsgBox("typeOf word: :" & (pn.GetType.Name.ToString = "word"))                'FALSE

        Dim myType As Type = Type.GetType("properNoun")
        MsgBox(TypeOf pn Is myType) 'ERROR: "Type myType is not defined"
        MsgBox(TypeOf pn Is Type.GetType("properNoun")) 'ERROR "Type 'Type.getType' is not defined
    End Sub

---

Using 'TypeOf', I correctly see that pn is a properNoun, a noun and a word.
The problem is, using 'GetType' to check pn against a string value, I can only see that pn is a properNoun, not that its parent classes are noun and word.

Is there a way to check pn against the string value "noun" or "word" and get back a positive result, indicating that pn is indeed a noun and a word as well as a properNoun?

Thanks for any help!

I am curious as to why you want to do this, but:

vb.net Code:

Public Function CheckInheritance(ByVal c As Type, _
                                 ByVal fullName As String) As Boolean
    Dim current = c.BaseType
    Do Until current Is Nothing
        If current.FullName.Equals(fullName) Then
            Return True
        End If
        current = current.BaseType
    Loop
    Return False
End Function

Example usage:

vb.net Code:

'//this call expects the fully qualified name
Dim t = Type.GetType("WindowsApplication1.ProperNoun")
 
Console.WriteLine("Inherits Word? {0}", _
                  Me.CheckInheritance(t, "WindowsApplication1.Word"))
 
Console.WriteLine("Inherits Noun? {0}", _
                  Me.CheckInheritance(t, "WindowsApplication1.Noun"))

That works perfectly. Thank you!

If you're wondering why I want to do this, it's because the classes that I'll be testing against won't be known until they are read in from a text file at run time. So I'll have to test against an array of strings containing names of classes.

Thank you again for your help!