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Articles 1 - 30 of 30
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Shaping Character: The Role Of Mythology In Society, Jaclyn Weist
Shaping Character: The Role Of Mythology In Society, Jaclyn Weist
Masters Theses
Throughout history, man has told stories. Some stories were written on walls, tablets, or bits of parchment. Others have been passed down to posterity through oral tradition. Every culture worldwide has a rich tapestry of legends and myths. It is my intent to demonstrate that these stories use the tools of character development within their various plot lines to both express and shape beliefs, superstitions, and life lessons. Whether they are religious in nature or simply trying to make sense of the world, these stories, myths, and legends have played a part in shaping society into what it is today.
Truth And Fiction, Rachel Michele Schroeder
Truth And Fiction, Rachel Michele Schroeder
Masters Theses
This literary review explains the importance of literature in helping to indirectly describe reality. The review takes the reader through a plethora of literary examples and gives brief psychological and philosophical argumentation to showcase the importance of literature in the lives of children and adults. The Function of Fiction describes the ways in which fiction is intended to be employed. On the Psychology of Stories discusses how stories impact behavior. On Myths examines the ways in which myths connect to history and culture. On Fables and Fairytales dissects how stories often have a moral and encourage the best in humanity. …
The Healing Power Of Creative Storytelling: Utilizing Fiction As A Means Of Therapy In The Writer/Reader Relationship, Alicia Rose Klepper
The Healing Power Of Creative Storytelling: Utilizing Fiction As A Means Of Therapy In The Writer/Reader Relationship, Alicia Rose Klepper
Masters Theses
What if we wrote the challenging portions of our lives as comedies or the boring parts as grand adventures? What if we recast painful experiences into creative stories that allow us to live in proximity to our circumstances and not be overwhelmed? Storytelling is how we bridge our lives with creativity as a way to heal from the past, process the present, and hope for the future. This thesis explores how the tradition of creative storytelling has evolved to enable writers and readers to uncover and connect elements of life that would otherwise be too painful to process. By bridging …
Discovering Souls Below: Mythology, Lore, And Christian Feminism In Contemporary Fantasy, Emma Dearing
Discovering Souls Below: Mythology, Lore, And Christian Feminism In Contemporary Fantasy, Emma Dearing
Masters Theses
There are few things I love more than sitting on a warm, sunny beach with my toes in the sand. With a cool breeze rippling off the waves and the smell of salty ocean, it is easy to feel completely at peace. Yet last summer, as I sat limply in a beach chair experiencing all those sensations, I wondered, “What if this was my last day on earth, and I knew it?” More specifically, what if we chose such a serene day as our last? Of course, that reminded me there is only one way to truly choose our last …
Turning Heartache Into Hope: How Fantasy Reveals Spiritual Truth About Sin, Suffering, And Redemption, Sophia Raffaelle Bricker
Turning Heartache Into Hope: How Fantasy Reveals Spiritual Truth About Sin, Suffering, And Redemption, Sophia Raffaelle Bricker
Masters Theses
This paper examines the problem of evil and suffering through the literary genre of fantasy. Seminal texts written by Christians in this genre present the problem of sin and death through themes and representative characters but also tempers the reality of suffering with the presence of Christ figures, who bring redemption to the characters and story world through an act of sacrifice. Following the examples of these seminal fantasies and building on my personal experience of loss, I approach the problem of sin and suffering in excerpts from my novel in progress, The Mountain Pass Keeper, by presenting an older …
Developing And Enhancing Believable Characterization In Fiction, Hollie Boyd Nelson
Developing And Enhancing Believable Characterization In Fiction, Hollie Boyd Nelson
Masters Theses
Developing and enhancing characterization in fiction is key to gaining a readership as well as perfecting the craft of writing. Through foundational information, relatability, and context within the work, a writer can create new and intricate ways to enrich their story. This then sets them apart from others in their field.
The Mirror: How Writing Is The Reflection Of An Author’S Emotions, Tamia Charón Ranae Branch
The Mirror: How Writing Is The Reflection Of An Author’S Emotions, Tamia Charón Ranae Branch
Masters Theses
This thesis examines research that shows writing can be more than just putting words on a page. Writing, especially in prose and poetry, can be therapeutic as it allows for the individual to separate the problem from themselves, analyze, reflect, and simultaneously lead the individual to a path of healing.
Lady Of The Joust: Defining And Classifying Flat Character Arcs, Rachael Michelle Varner
Lady Of The Joust: Defining And Classifying Flat Character Arcs, Rachael Michelle Varner
Masters Theses
Character arcs outline the growth or development a character experiences throughout a narrative. Of the three major types—Positive Change, Negative Change, and Flat—the third is often glossed over or ignored in academic settings. The Artist Statement addresses my experience writing a novel when I did not understand what Flat Arcs entailed and thus failed to recognize why my protagonist resisted the more popular Positive Change formula. In the Critical Paper, my analysis of texts dedicated to the craft of character arcs revealed that there are no consistent criteria by which to define or categorize them. Nevertheless, my research suggests that …
Thesis Proposal And Project: The Cave, Jennifer Lee Bailey
Thesis Proposal And Project: The Cave, Jennifer Lee Bailey
Masters Theses
This piece is a work of creative writing, inspired by a true story. Slowly, it transitioned from creative nonfiction to a work of science fiction.
The Advantage Of An Iterative Writing Process For Novels And Short Stories, Annie Jackson
The Advantage Of An Iterative Writing Process For Novels And Short Stories, Annie Jackson
Masters Theses
Many writers struggle with completing a novel when they follow the traditional process of working through plot, character and world building problems in prewriting activities followed by sitting and drafting the story in a linear process scene by scene and chapter by chapter. This thesis proposes an alternate iterative approach. Iterative drafting creates multiple smaller versions of the full story that build to a first draft. By moving several problem solving activities into the draft itself writers can find increased opportunity for quick analysis, low effort corrections and a more efficient drafting method. This thesis lays out the description and …
The Cast Of A Giant's Shadow, Angela Kay Steineman
The Cast Of A Giant's Shadow, Angela Kay Steineman
Masters Theses
Adapting fairy tales and folklore has been an ongoing endeavor by storytellers and artists since the very first story was repeated. The evidence can be seen in the many versions of fairy tales like those of the sleeping beauty, from Giambattista Basile’s “Sun, Moon, and Talia” to Walt Disney’s Maleficent. However, unlike their European counterparts, adaptations of American tales outside of children’s literature are not as ubiquitous. My writing rectifies this by adding to the resurging interest as seen in recent retellings like Matt Bell’s Appleseed: The Monstrous Birth (2019).
In an effort to reframe the American tall tale …
Developing Text-Based Writing And Working Through The Revision Process, Valerie Clark
Developing Text-Based Writing And Working Through The Revision Process, Valerie Clark
Masters Theses
A narrative continuation is designed to assess a student’s ability to comprehend a text selection and use their own creativity to redesign the text’s conclusion. This study took a narrative continuation writing assessment and analyzed the process which 41 sixth grade students followed, specifically looking at the prewriting and revision procedures. The goal was to determine if the supports and resources provided were effective for the type of writing and student population. Throughout the process, students’ behaviors which indicated motivation levels were noted (participation in discussions, level of focus, attentiveness, and amount of redirection required). Student work was then reviewed …
Baby Fat -- A Legacy, Brandi M. Gard
A Monstrous Tomorrow, Ty Noel
Neon Calico, Joshua Webb Garrett
Neon Calico, Joshua Webb Garrett
Masters Theses
This is a work of creative fiction in the genre of cyberpunk that explores themes of loss, sexuality, and trans-humanism though the eyes of a young Asian-American woman who struggles to cope with the loss of her former boyfriend, with an emerging sexual attraction to a friend of the same sex, and with feelings of disconnectedness complicated by a loss of humanity brought on by her continually improving her own physical body through cybernetic implants and augmentation. Inspired by such works as William Gibson's Neuromancer and Shirow Masamune's The Ghost in the Shell, this book explores the struggle that …
How I Love You, Hannah R. Green
Red Star Studded Chaos: Sex Scandal, Juan Salas
Red Star Studded Chaos: Sex Scandal, Juan Salas
Masters Theses
Leon de Cruz is a fame hungry journalist that published sex pictures of the greatest pop group in the world: Red Star Studded Chaos. The group was genetically engineered to be physically perfect and live a minimum of 10,000 years without aging. Leon's news article about the group catapults him into international superstardom, and RSSC's only rival, a recently founded Christian pop group called Properness, wants to manipulate Leon into using his new found fame to write a novel that condemns the very debauchery RSSC stands for.
Looking to capitalize on the chaos sparked by the sex photographs, Properness's management …
Like A Terrible Fish: A Collection Of Stories, Hannah Ledford
Like A Terrible Fish: A Collection Of Stories, Hannah Ledford
Masters Theses
In this collection of stories, Hannah Ledford examines fairytales and domesticity to portray the difficulties of characters at many different stages of life, particularly as they deal with growing up and building relationships with family. Her characters are often restricted by their society in some way, and they attempt to either reconcile themselves with or break free from expectations of femininity, sexuality, motherhood, and grief.
Talk Me Down: A Selection Of Short Stories, Katie Elyce Freeman
Talk Me Down: A Selection Of Short Stories, Katie Elyce Freeman
Masters Theses
In Talk Me Down, Katie Elyce Freeman offers a selection of short stories that follows young characters in their pursuit for self-satisfaction. At times her characters are uncertain of their talents, at times wracked with guilt over immature mistakes; but their highly detailed, sensory worlds often deliver a needed coincidence, a sliver of light to lead their way.
Ragdoll, George Jarrard Pate
Ragdoll, George Jarrard Pate
Masters Theses
Ragdoll is a play in two acts telling the story of Jeff Stiles and his children, Annie and Andy. Jeff’s wife is a life-sized rag doll, and Annie and Andy have both human and doll parts to their physiology. Much of the play revolves around Andy and Jeff’s debate over the nature of their family’s existence.
Live Ghosts, Patricia Anne Ireland
Live Ghosts, Patricia Anne Ireland
Masters Theses
In Live Ghosts, Patricia (Patty) Ireland offers a gathering of short stories based upon real life characters she encountered while growing up in the South. Exploring the diversity, complexity and moral ambiguity of those we might normally perceive as being stereotypically “Southern,” Ireland’s tales encompass a variety of time periods, settings, and characters, including: a modern-day family struggling to reconcile the reality of death, interracial lovers in the early 1950’s who are descended from masters and slaves, and an insane killer locked for life in a mental institution of the 1990’s. Live Ghosts is infused with tales of fear, love, …
Door To Door, Bryan Levek
Door To Door, Bryan Levek
Masters Theses
My creative thesis consists of four short stories and my author's introduction to them.
In my introduction, I discuss my primary literary influences; not only the author's whose approaches to short fiction that I share, but also those I feel indifferent towards. Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio is admirable for its sketches of common people and ordinary life events. James Joyce is highlighted as the originator of literary epiphany, a moment of revelation or profound insight, and both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners provide examples of the device. Hemingway's stripped down language is appreciated for …
Of What She Lets Go, Amber Dawn Garrison
Of What She Lets Go, Amber Dawn Garrison
Masters Theses
Of What She Lets Go is a young-adult novel that focuses on the physical, emotional and sexual development of a thirteen-year-old girl named Emily. Emily is faced with the challenges of becoming a self-respecting and confident young woman despite the social and familial difficulties she encounters.
As the story develops, the problems Emily faces proportionally increase her sense of alienation. She becomes increasingly negative and turns outside her family and long-term friendships to establish a relationship with a rebellious sixteen-year-old male named Steve. Steve is attentive to Emily's need for affection and uses it to move the relationship to the …
Country Of Thieves, Jennifer A. Moro
Country Of Thieves, Jennifer A. Moro
Masters Theses
Country of Thieves is a collection of poems which examines the many faces of loss through voice and point-of-view. The thirty poems represent devices and techniques employed by American poets from Colonial times up to the present which include Anne Bradstreet, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, Anne Sexton, Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath. The thesis introduction examines the voices of these poets and the collection demonstrates new viewpoints concerning age-old themes like love, anger and despair.
The introductory essay explores the similarities and differences between my poems and the works of poets already mentioned. These poets each represent different …
"Childhood And Other Disabilities", Sandra Beauchamp
"Childhood And Other Disabilities", Sandra Beauchamp
Masters Theses
This creative thesis, a collection of personal poetry and critical analysis, explores the experiences of women and children who have grown up in mentally and physically abusive environments, and examines the ramifications such abuse has on their subsequent adulthood. Each poem focuses on one particular individual's struggle to cope with violent or abusive circumstances in her past or present existence. Since the poems are arranged sequentially, mapping a woman's transition from childhood to adulthood, the works deal with various stages in the lives of women. While some of the poetry finds its genesis in my own personal experiences, like the …
In Pursuit Of A Path: A Collection Of Short Stories About Women, Stacey M. Lafeber
In Pursuit Of A Path: A Collection Of Short Stories About Women, Stacey M. Lafeber
Masters Theses
This collection of short fiction, narration and empathetic characters, through third-person tells the stories of five different women struggling to be themselves, essentially telling the struggle of women and humans everywhere.
These women, who are in the minority--a lesbian, a single career woman, a black woman, an elderly woman and a young college woman--especially represent the wonders and beauties and complexities and difficulties of being a woman. Their obstacles though are society, homophobia, gender, race and age.
However, despite their obstacles and their opponents--themselves, family, friends, co-workers, employers—somehow they reach within themselves and find new strength to emerge from their …
Whale, Michael J. Brown
Whale, Michael J. Brown
Masters Theses
This thesis is composed of two parts. The first is a critical introduction which explores the influences on the author. The author is interested in the idea of style as a character in such works by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Albert French. This discussion of these authors leads into ideas of space, both physical and metaphysical, in much of twentieth century literature. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an example. The exploration of space in literature is important for the determination of identity, which is one of the important themes of literature in this century. The author connects Sherwood Anderson's …
Tumbleweed, John Fehrmann
Tumbleweed, John Fehrmann
Masters Theses
"Tumbleweed" is a short fiction piece depicting the lifestyle of a group of young adults living in Santa Fe, New Mexico during the late 1980's. These people comprise a subculture of wanderers who travel the country on whims and who rely on tourism-related work for their ventures. In the manner of such works as On the Road, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Catcher in the Rye, "Tumbleweed" examines the role of the restless journeyman, a role which has played an important part of the American character.
This picaresque story gives an account of an ordinary …
A Directory Of Loose Ends, Angelique Cain Jennings
A Directory Of Loose Ends, Angelique Cain Jennings
Masters Theses
A Directory of Loose Ends is comprised of a collection of thirty original poems, and a prose afterword. The collection of poems is divided into three groups according to subject, tone, and technique. The afterword details influences, biographical elements, and inspiration.
The first group consists mostly of poems in which mythical characters such as Grendel, Penelope, and Ulysses, speak. Unidentified speakers also offer myths of other kinds, such as "Salvador Dali in a Wheelchair on TV," in which an imaginative speaker addresses the painter, describing for him a dream she claims he has had, and "Confirmations," in which the speaker …
The Mysterium Coniunctionis: Researches Into The Phenomenology Of The Self, Shirley Savage
The Mysterium Coniunctionis: Researches Into The Phenomenology Of The Self, Shirley Savage
Masters Theses
The following paper is the description of a related arts project involving the production of a body of original work incorporating the fields of art and literature. The original work is in the form of a book containing poetry and prose-poems with illustrations. Photographs and copies of the complete work are included in this paper.
The preface deals with the three main influences on the work as a whole. These influences were C. G. Jung, Vincent Van Gogh, and Rainer Maria Rilke. Jung's views are instrumental in the psychological analysis of the work, while Van Gogh provided emotional appeal and …