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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The Meaning Of The Mask: Darth Vader On The Screen And The Page, Brenna Renfroe
The Meaning Of The Mask: Darth Vader On The Screen And The Page, Brenna Renfroe
Honors Theses
Masks can be found throughout popular culture, and their roots trace back through history. Whether on the screen, the page of a comic book, the stage, or in the halls of a Comic-Con, masked faces are intriguing. Among the numerous masked faces that populate our imagination, few are as iconic and instantly recognizable as Darth Vader from Star Wars. Despite his popularity, most of the research devoted to masked characters has been interested in why heroes such as Batman wear masks. There is little research on why a tragic hero turned villain does so, since the connotation of masks seems …
A Critical Study Of The African-American Comedic Tradition, Allison Longo
A Critical Study Of The African-American Comedic Tradition, Allison Longo
Honors Theses
This thesis examines the changes in African-American comedy during the 1980s. In exploring the changes during this decade, specific attention is paid to Eddie Murphy, who achieved incredible success beginning with his 1980 entrance on Saturday Night Live. In a relatively short period of time, Murphy was able to ascend to a level of cultural significance that far dwarfed that reached by any of the African American comedians who had preceded him. Through a comprehensive presentation of the historical development of African American humor, the following thesis challenges the consensus critical assumption that Murphy both consciously forewent opportunities to be …
Who's Laughing Now? From Lovable Lucy To Top-Of-The-Rock Tina: How Women In Comedy Changed From 1950-2014, Caroline Hershey
Who's Laughing Now? From Lovable Lucy To Top-Of-The-Rock Tina: How Women In Comedy Changed From 1950-2014, Caroline Hershey
Honors Theses
This thesis discusses the evolutionary progression of women in comedy from the 1950s to the present day. By looking at the stand-out female comedians and entertainers from each generation, the change from Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy to Carol Burnett as host of The Carol Burnett Show, to Tina Fey and the multitalented new group of women in comedy. By examining the cultural and political climate of the time and how it influenced the unique style of comedy associated with each individual, a clear progression emerges. I would like to present my chapter on Tina Fey to highlight how …
Robots Are People Too: Posthumanism In Battlestar Galactica, Rebecca Seel
Robots Are People Too: Posthumanism In Battlestar Galactica, Rebecca Seel
Honors Theses
The science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica explores the differences between human and machine and the nature of identity. It expresses both our fascination with machines and our technophobia. In a society of explosive technological advances come technological anxieties. What will happen when we create life? As BSG posits, with autonomous machines come destruction and a new race of people who, not unlike us, are trying to define who they are. As the series progresses, an overarching question emerges: what is a "person"? Is personage determined by biology or by decision? Can machines have souls? This thesis approaches BSG through …