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Full-Text Articles in American Studies
What's "Really Real": David Foster Wallace And The Pursuit Of Sincerity In Infinite Jest, Henry Clayton
What's "Really Real": David Foster Wallace And The Pursuit Of Sincerity In Infinite Jest, Henry Clayton
Honors Theses
Throughout his literary career, David Foster Wallace articulated the problems associated with the profusion of irony in contemporary society. In this thesis I assert that his novel Infinite Jest promotes a shift from the reliance on irony and subversion to a celebration of the principles of sincerity. The emphasis on sincerity makes Infinite Jest a landmark novel in the canon of American fiction, as Wallace employs postmodern formal techniques, such as irony, metafiction, fragmentation, and maximalism, in the interest of promoting traditional, non-ironic values of emotion, community, and spirituality. I draw from works of postmodern theory and criticism to bolster …
“All That Is Necessary For The Triumph Of Evil Is That Good Men Do Nothing”: Anticommunism, Protestant Christianity, And State Sovereignty In The Civil Rights Era South, Taylor O. Herring
“All That Is Necessary For The Triumph Of Evil Is That Good Men Do Nothing”: Anticommunism, Protestant Christianity, And State Sovereignty In The Civil Rights Era South, Taylor O. Herring
Honors Theses
During the decade after Brown v. Board of Education, civil rights advocates faced segregationist opposition due to both socially ingrained white supremacy and the widespread fear of Communism in the United States. Although the Supreme Court officially mandated racial integration in 1954, segregationist groups like the White Citizens’ Council and the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission organized to oppose the Brown ruling’s implementation. This thesis uses segregationist propaganda material, newspapers, periodicals, and agency correspondences to examine the tactics of those who hoped to preserve racial inequality. In particular, this study focuses on the impact that anti-Communist rhetoric had on the …
The Impact Of The Civil Rights Movement On The Advertising Industry, Alexandra B. Bosarge
The Impact Of The Civil Rights Movement On The Advertising Industry, Alexandra B. Bosarge
Honors Theses
Racism has a history in the United States of America that is also manifested in popular culture. Advertising is included in this idea of popular culture. This thesis focused on the advertising industry and the attempt of that industry to use African Americans to sell products to people. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not the Civil Rights Movement affected the way the advertising industry used images of African Americans for marketing purposes. A sample of advertisements was obtained from a newspaper and magazines in order to further analyze the hypothesis. This study contributes to the …
In The Flesh: Fiction As An "Incarnational Art", Marissa Thornberry
In The Flesh: Fiction As An "Incarnational Art", Marissa Thornberry
Honors Theses
My goal in this paper is to support O’Connor’s claim that fiction is “incarnational” by providing additional evidence and addressing implications that she doesn’t. I am professing that fiction-writing is indeed “incarnational,” in even more ways than O’Connor directly expresses. If this thesis holds true, then it is difficult for Christians to rightly make light of the art of story-writing. Contempt for creative writers is tempered in our time more by a trend toward tolerance than by public or personal conviction of the human need for storytellers. Even in an environment where making money and tending to physical needs and …
Revisiting The Ghosts Of Vatican Ii: Gender In Catholic Horror Cinema Of The American 60s And 70s, Currie D. Mckinley
Revisiting The Ghosts Of Vatican Ii: Gender In Catholic Horror Cinema Of The American 60s And 70s, Currie D. Mckinley
Honors Theses
This thesis contextualizes 1960s and 1970s American horror films against the historical backdrop of Vatican II with the intent of discovering how the texts, reception, and legacies of the films could illuminate the gender politics of the various changes implemented over the course of Vatican II. The first chapter analyzes the text of Rosemary's Baby as a metaphor for restrictive policies on birth control on the part of the post-Vatican II papacy. The second chapter considers the implications of disagreements between the author and director of The Exorcist with regard to how different individuals wanted the Catholic Church to present …
Colorism And African American Women In Literature: An Examination Of Colorism And Its Impact On Self-Image, Jakira Davis
Colorism And African American Women In Literature: An Examination Of Colorism And Its Impact On Self-Image, Jakira Davis
Honors Theses
The purpose of this study is to explore how African American women in literature have been impacted by colorism. Through this study which included a fictional novel from the twentieth century and a non-fictional novel from the twenty-first century we are able to see how women of color have been impacted by colorism. This thesis explores evidence of the impact of colorism and its impact on the image of African American women and young girls. This thesis suggests that there is evidence of colorism found in literature and thus colorism is a real issue in the African American community that …
An American Prophet: Wendell Berry's Community Ethic, 1965-1977, Joel Garrott
An American Prophet: Wendell Berry's Community Ethic, 1965-1977, Joel Garrott
Honors Theses
This thesis provides a detailed commentary on Wendell Berry's agrarian ethic as articulated in his early literature of the 1960s and 1970s. It is part biography of Berry's early life, part history of his early thought, and part literary interpretation of his early work. It expounds on the significance of Berry's personal connection to place, and situates Berry's agrarian argument for community life in the context of the social issues addressed in his early literature. The central argument of this project is that Berry's agrarian ethic was grown out of his relationship with his native place in Kentucky, and that …