Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Dark Circle: Spiritualism In Victorian And Neo-Victorian Fiction, Joseph Good

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers critical and theoretical approaches for understanding depictions of Spiritualism in Victorian and Neo-Victorian fiction. Spiritualism has fascinated and repelled writers since the movement's inception in Hydesville, New York, in 1848, and continues to haunt writers even today. The conclusion of this dissertation follows Spiritualist fiction as it carries over into the Neo-Victorian genre, by discussing how themes and images of Victorian Spiritualism find "life after death" in contemporary work. Spiritualism, once confined to the realm of the arcane and academically obscure, has begun to attract critical attention as more scholars exhume the body of literature left behind …

The Waiting Unknown: Stories, James R. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

These collected stories are a narrative exploration of a collective life in middle‐class suburbia. Here the reader is introduced to a troop of characters who share a community but yet they are adrift in the atmosphere between identity and memory. At times, as in “When to Lie” and “Afraid of the Question” we see conflict arise when the suburban religious dogma alters character identity, leaving behind haunting memories and scar tissue. Memory and identification play an important roll when, as in “Rx” the protagonist is faced with the sudden loss of his family as he struggles to keep their memories …

Novela Histórico-Posmoderna: Re-Examinando El Referente Histórico – Narrativo Del Siglo De Oro En Cuatro Textos De Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Alejandro De La Pava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the relationships between reality and fiction on Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels about Captain Alatriste. Four out of six novels about this character will be discussed and the analysis of this work will focus on how the author uses historical data and fiction not only to promote a new narrative in Spain, but also as a way to re-evaluate and challenge history. The texts which are analyzed in this thesis, El Capitán Alatriste, Limpieza de sangre, El sol de Breda and El oro del Rey center around a common main character who depicts a Spanish soldier in the Seventeenth …

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Josef Benson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rock, Paper, Scissors has developed into a story about Wren, a young man fresh out of the Navy, trying to make a name for himself in the world. Wren finds himself in Tampa, Florida because his oldest pal, Allen, has moved there, even though his younger sister has been diagnosed with leukemia back home. The problem is that Allen somewhere along the way has lost his mind. Wren finds out that Allen has recently been fired from a job as a server in a restaurant called the Bolognese, the same restaurant that Allen promised Wren a job. Wren decides to …

Isabel Undone, Lynne Berggren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isabel, a forty-year-old woman, measured her successes and failures against her perfect sister Natalie’s. But after Natalie is murdered by her husband, Isabel’s identity unravels as she picks up the pieces of her sister’s life and becomes the mother substitute for Natalie’s daughter.

While Isabel tries to understand how Natalie’s life spiraled out of control, she develops feelings for a horse trainer named Sam. As Isabel discovers that her sister was having an affair, Isabel and Sam begin a relationship of their own. However, conflicts arise when clues implicate Sam as Natalie’s lover. Isabel retreats, and realizes she will have …