Arts and Humanities Commons^™

"Whoso Sheddeth" : Execution Sermons And Narratives In 18th Century New England, Adrienne H. Thornblom

Master's Theses

Murder, theft, and infanticide in eighteenth-century New England were all treated with the same punishment, public execution. The executions were not just public displays, but also a time for sermons and life lessons to teach those who witness the criminal's death to refrain from sinful behavior. At the core of every sermon was the Biblical passages used to warn the onlookers to be careful in life and a pea for the criminal to repent. In addition to the sermons, some of the criminals provided confessions to their crimes and even indicated their newfound salvation for their sins.

This thesis closely …

The Masque, A Courtly Entertainment, Kenneth Bailey Blanks

Master's Theses

In tho Courts of the Tudors and the Stuarts flourished a form of entertainment known as the masque . This exclusive pastime was characterized by gorgeous costumes, ingenious sets, imaginative scenery, music, dialogue, and dancing. Dancing was the most important element. It is said that "from the beginning to the end of its history, the essence of the masque was the arrival of certain persons visored and disguised to dance a dance or present an offering," often in the form of a compliment to the monarch. Dancing established a close intimacy between the masquers -- the disguised performers in the …

A Critical Study Of The Seven Major Victorian Pessimistic Poets, Frank W. Childrey

Master's Theses

The following thesis is a critical study of seven sig­ nificant Victorian pessimistic poets. Having as its basis a seminar paper for Dr. Lewis F. Ball in which four of the Victorian pessimists were discussed, the original study was expanded in order to include the remaining three.

In this critical study, the emphasis has been placed mainly upon the themes characteristic of these pessimistic poets, and the poems that I consider to be the best examples of their various attitudes have been incorporated, either partially or in full, into the text of this thesis. Fur­thermore, though these chapters are not …

L'Animal Dans La Poesie Du Xix Siecle, Carolyn Frances Baker

Master's Theses

Au moyen åge, Marie de France, dans ses Lais, écrit une poésie charmante, animaliere en grande partie. Dans Le Roman de Renard, il s'agit tout entier de l'animal. Avec ces deux oeuvres, la tradition animalière trouve ses débuts, et deux expressions de cette tradition s'établissent: l'une des sentiments mélancoliques, nobles, et élevés qui expriment l'âme; l'autre d'une réalité prosaïque ou populaire.

L'Evolution Du PèRe Dans Le Drame Bourgeois RéAliste : Diderot, Sedaine, Augier, Cecile Etiennette Noble

Master's Theses

Dane les pieces classiques du XVIIe siecle les acteurs ne sont pas inscrits a l'affiche dans leur ordre d'entree en scene mais par le role hierarchique dont ils etaient l'interprete. En d'autres termes, les rois, les empereurs et les grands personnages occupent la premiere place dans la distribution; puis viennent les heros, les parents et les confidents. Ainsi nous sommes temoins de l'infiltration des us dans les moindres gestes de la societe.

Suivant la tradition antique, le heres etait presque toujours jeune, beau, malheureux et devait se heurter a des obstacles sans quoi l'intrigue aurait peri. Cet obstacle prenait bien …

The New British Drama 1956-1966 : A Critical Study Of Four Dramatists: John Osborne, Brendan Behan, Arnold Wesker, And John Arden, Jeanne Fenrick Bedell

Master's Theses

In the history of England, as well as in the history of the English stage, 1956 was a momentous year. It was the year of the Suez, the year that saw the destruction of the myth of the British empire. And it was the year of the Hungarian Revolution, which crushed liberal illusions about Soviet Russia. In 1956 the old idols were crumbling fast, and defense of tradition was fast becoming not only impossible but ludicrous. The bankruptcy of the older generation was apparent; it was time for the new to speak out.

The Contemporary American Short Story (A Study Of The Best American Short Stories, 1950-1959), Gertrude Carrick Curtler

Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and review the contemporary short story by means of an intensive study of The Best American Short Stories of the past ten years. The obvious weakness of the project is that all these two hundred and forty-five short stories were selected as the best of each year by one person, Martha Foley. While she is generally respected as a critic, still her opinions are based on her own taste and judgement alone. It is possible that she leans too much toward avant­-garde stories, or even that she may prefer stories of one …

The Short Ghost Story : A Critical And Historical Survey, Cameron Dunlop Hall

Master's Theses

This thesis is an attempt to evaluate the work of the outstanding British and American short story writers from the early 1800's to the present. No attempt has been made to make a precise historical survey of the development of the ghost story. This paper is limited to the short ghost story in fiction; all fairytales, folk-lore, supposedly authentic anecdotes, plays, novels, and poems of the supernatural are omitted. All pseudoscience stories, horror stories, and weird fantasy are also omitted.

In the introductory part of this paper an attempt has been made to ascertain some of the factors which determine …

Serious Domestic Drama As Tragedy : A Study Of The Protagonist, Charles Turney

Master's Theses

Domestic drama is the most popular genre employed by the modern dramatist. The question may arise as to whether or not tragedy is any longer desired by the playgoer. In these representative plays, taken from many countries and written on a variety of themes all centered around domestic life, as judged by the criteria established in the first chapter, few of these dramas succeed as tragedies. This is not to be interpreted to mean that the so-called "tragic impulse" is dead. Those plays which are classed as tragedy are pure tragedy-- dramas at the peak of intensity demanded by the …

Amoral Characters Beyond Good And Evil In The Nineteenth Century French Novel, Basil Mcvoy Duncan

Master's Theses

Although Franch literature is unique in that every period presents interesting material for research, perhaps the most fascinating is that period which involves the Revolution, Empire, and Restoration. The very proximity of these political developments has had a profound effect on the novelists who lived and wrote at this time, and they have not failed to bequeath their observations on the resulting society. These observations naturally include many consequences not recorded by the historians, consequences which they also as individuals have experienced.

Important among these novelists are Benjamin Constant Stendhal Honore de Balzac, and Paul Bourget who not only reveal …

A Study Of The Moral Tone Of Restoration Comedy, Herbert Robinson Blackwell

Master's Theses

The so called "Restoration period" in English literature stands as an age of comic production that ranks as one of the most brilliant in the history of the English stage, second perhaps only to the preceding Elizabethan period. Restoration comedy has been famed for its indecency and immorality, and critical Judgment has always been influenced by concern over the "excesses" which the playwrights introduced into their works.

Morality is a relative term. What is sinful in one age is commonly accepted in another. Semantic differences may cause different moral connotations to be placed on certain words. Thus, in considering whether …