American Literature Commons^™

E. Taylor's Use Of Canticles, Clella J. Camp

Masters Theses

In Sermon IV of the Christographia Edward Taylor makes the following statement.

Man, the last in the creation, is the glory of all elementary nature. The image of God in man, the last draught of God upon him, is the glory of Man. Come to artifical instinces, and here it holds; All things of less considerations are first touched on, but that which is last entered on is of the greatest concern…And so it is in the things of God!

Because those things that are constantly fixed in “the last place” are the most complete and the most valued of …

"Failed Love" In The Drama Of Edward Albee, Steven Leonard Long

Masters Theses

The plays of Edward Albee are frequently examinations of characters who are unable to love or to be loved. A central and recurring conflict which runs through many of Albee's plays is the conflict which stems from the lack of success which the characters often experience as they strive to find love. The uncertainty and ambiguity which surround the abstraction called "love" leave the characters with feelings of unhappiness, frustration, fear, self-hatred, and despondency. Though the individuals in Albee's plays are aware that love is the ingredient which is missing from their lives, none knows how to go about alleviating …

Nature Vs Society In The Works Of Stephen Crane, Rodney R. Parker

Masters Theses

The five works of Stephen Crane I chose to discuss in this thesis are: "The Open Boat," "A Mystery of Heroism," "The Blue Hotel," Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, and The Red Badge of Courage. All of these works are representative of the fictional vision of Stephen Crane. A persistent theme that Crane uses in virtually all of his stories is the relationship between the human and the natural worlds. The world of nature is one of indifference. It shows no interest in the activies of mankind, and is, in fact, incapable of doing so. But Crane's …

Mark Twain's Confidence Men, Sharon K. Scruton

Masters Theses

In Mark Twain's literature the confidence man has special talents, but he is also subject to human failings. Through the characters of Huck Finn and Hank Morgan (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court) Twain exposes the traps into which a con artist, as a creative talent, can fall. Twain knows these traps, both from experience and from fears of what the future holds. Hank Morgan becomes an extension of Huckleberry Finn. He is a figure who, as he progresses, leaves the best talent of a con artist behind--the talent of instinct. The natural abilities of insight and …

The Law And Mark Twain, Jeff Andrew Weigel

Masters Theses

Varying concepts of law are an essential part in many of Mark Twain's works. Twain's position as an observer and critic of society is often reflected by the way he represents law and justice in his stories. His dislike of injustice and cruelty caused him to focus on these "legal" problems as a way of revealing and attacking various injustices in society. My thesis examines Twain's perception of law as he exposes it in Roughing It, Pudd'nhead Wilson, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The general objective of my …