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Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in American Studies
The Art Of Death: Murder According To Poe, Hitchcock, And De Quincey, Jeanine Bee
The Art Of Death: Murder According To Poe, Hitchcock, And De Quincey, Jeanine Bee
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism
This paper examines the works of both Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock in light of Thomas De Quincey’s series of essays entitled “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.” In his essays, De Quincey presents murder as an art form that can be criticized and appreciated just as any other fine art. While De Quincey’s essays faced some negative reaction when they were originally published, both Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock seem to have found something worthwhile in De Quincey’s ideas about the art of murder; Poe and Hitchcock both present murder as an art form …
Morality And Pleasure In Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, Sarah Bonney
Morality And Pleasure In Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, Sarah Bonney
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism
In “Morality and Pleasure in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried,” I examine how representations of pleasure in O’Brien’s novel indicate how the soldiers establish a new code of morality during their military service in Vietnam. Although civilians live with a binary understanding of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, the soldiers must commit immoral acts in order to serve honorably, thereby conflicting with this previous understanding. Western ideology asserts that pleasure accompanies moral behavior; because the soldiers perform violent acts, they must ascertain a new understanding of morality in order to continue to feel pleasure throughout and in spite of …
The Pastor's Theology Of Uncertainty In Lila, Ben Lehnardt
The Pastor's Theology Of Uncertainty In Lila, Ben Lehnardt
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism
Marillynne Robinson’s most recent novel Lila depicts a preacher, John Ames, whose personal theology is studded with uncertainty. Rather than being a weakness to his faith, however, his insecurity is actually his greatest strength. This unusual theological trait becomes especially applicable when placed in the context of the philosophical struggle between scientific positivism and humanistic reasoning. This article explores the nuances of Ames’ theology of uncertainty and expands its philosophical importance in a greater context.
Flannery O'Connor's Protestant Grace, Emily Strong
Flannery O'Connor's Protestant Grace, Emily Strong
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism
Flannery O’Connor has long been known for the didactic Catholic message in her literature. However, upon closer study we may find that there are Protestant themes in O’Connor’s portrayal of grace. This paper explores the differences between Catholic and Protestant grace, examines the Protestant themes that can be found in her texts “Greenleaf,” “Revelation,” and “The Lame Shall Enter First,” and offers possible explanations as to why these Protestant themes exist in her literature.
Ernest Hemingway: The Modern Transcendentalist, Camryn Scott
Ernest Hemingway: The Modern Transcendentalist, Camryn Scott
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism
When thinking about Transcendentalism, most of us look solely to the 19th Century writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In this paper I reject this static treatment of the movement by exploring Ernest Hemingway’s connection to nature both in his life and in his writings, and claim that he created a modern version of Transcendentalism in the early 20th Century.