Digital Commons Network^™

Epistolary Glossopoesis Tolkien’S Letter Writing And Language Invention, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper was given when I was the Guest Speaker at The Annual Meeting of the UK Tolkien Society on 13 April 2024.

The Power: Gender: A Superhero Or A Scapegoat?, Zoe Winfield Berken

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Trauma Is A Wound: Demonstrating The Use Of Character Analysis To Practice Clinical Analysis, Madisyn Beare

Honors Projects

Evidence-based treatments of trauma require clinicians to base their treatments on the client’s specific and individual needs, experiences, cognitions, and place in recovery. Essentially, each new client is a new and unique case, and the practice of understanding how trauma may affect an individual only comes from clinical exposure.Literature provides the public with somewhat of an aid in these circumstances: fictional characters are not real people, and therefore can undergo limitless character analyses. Analyzing a fictional character allows clinicians the ability to practice their exploration of various behavioral indicators of mental health concerns while honoring the ethical code of non-maleficence, …

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: Realizing History Through Fantasy By Robert T. Tally Jr., Bianca L. Beronio

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Journey Back Again: Reasons To Visit Middle-Earth, Edited By Diana Pavlac Glyer, Kristine Larsen

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A review of the collection of essays Journey Back Again: Reasons to Visit Middle-earth, edited by Diana Pavlac Glyer.

Tolkien In The Twenty-First Century: The Meaning Of Middle-Earth Today By Nick Groom, Laura N. Van Dyke

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Ursula K. Le Guin’S “A Wizard Of Earthsea”: A Critical Companion By Timothy S. Miller, And Ursula Le Guin’S Earthsea By John Plotz, David Bratman

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

J.R.R. Tolkien In Central Europe: Context, Directions, And The Legacy Edited By Janka Kascakova And David Levente Palatinus, Nancy Martsch

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Tarot And Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology, 2nd Edition By Emily E. Auger, Laurel Stevens

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Book Review: In the second edition of Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology author Emily E. Auger examines Tarot's relationship to art movements, literature, and film. This expansion on the first edition adds a more in-depth appendix, additional research to enhance the existing sections, and a new section focusing on the influence of the shadow on both Tarot itself and the other mediums Tarot influences.

Fantasy: How It Works By Brian Attebery, Glenn Gray

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam: Richard Plotz, Janet Brennan Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Dick Plotz was the founder of the American Tolkien Society, which later merged into the Mythopoeic Society.

Whatever Happened To The Princess Bride?: Thoughts For Further William Goldman Research, G. Connor Salter

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This note considers why research on William Goldman, best known to fantasy fans as the author the the screenplay for The Princess Bride, has been sparse, and the potential to study him as a mythopoeic author.

“Hell Is Only A Word. The Reality Is Much, Much Worse”: Black Holes As Fantasy Gateways To Hell, Kristine Larsen

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

While the genre of space horror is generically defined as simply space-based horror, there exist specific tropes that can be used to identify representative works. Among these are: (i) a relatively small ensemble cast, (ii) many of whom die over the course of the story; (iii) a secret corporate/political/military agenda and (iv) physical and psychological stresses due to the arduous process of space travel and related isolation. A subset of space horror adds metaphysical elements, drawing connections to Hell, more specifically a liminal space that Victor Turner terms the “betwixt and between.” As the region around and within the event …

Substance Abuse: The Symbolic Geography Of Hell In The Great Divorce, Richard A. Bergen

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a Romantic vision of evil energy that reaches to the heavens, a geographical representation of capacity and scope and perpetual cosmic change. On the other hand, Lewis’s vision of hell in The Great Divorce is that of a land without substance: a conurbation of addiction to mental maladies, an endless mental substance abuse, an emptying of presence, and a banal stasis to the journey of the soul. Many of Lewis’s sources and inspirations for The Great Divorce, similarly, portray hell as a land of paradoxical “seeming-largeness”, while having ontological smallness. Throughout …

Introduction To Special Issue: Fantasy Goes To Hell, Janet Brennan Croft, Erin Giannini

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Emergent Narrative In Tabletop Role-Playing Games: An Application Of Concepts, Padraig Mumper

Honors Projects

This project examines tabletop role-playing games using concepts from narratology and ludology including emergent narrative and Roger Caillois’ categories of games by applying these concepts in the creation of an adventure zine for the game MÖRK BORG. The existing literature on emergent narrative primarily focuses on video games and Avant Garde texts but tabletop role-playing games provide a novel opportunity to explore emergent narrative in new ways. The dynamic of a collaborative game with multiple players and a gamemaster provides additional challenges for designers due to variance in interpretation of the game events and the lack of a digital program …

Schedule & Program Booklet, English Department, Kutztown University

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

The program for the 2024 Kutztown University Composition Conference.

Adaptation Production Plan For “Cardigan, Betty, And August” From Taylor Swift's Folklore, Carlie Hillhouse

FUSION

This multimodal project creates a production plan for a fictional movie adaptation of Taylor Swift's popular songs "cardigan, betty, and august" from her 8th studio album, folklore. The production plan consists of details and descriptions for each cast member, filming locations, soundtrack, and key scenes to film for the movie.

The project was created in response to an assignment prompt that asked students to analyze how adaptation affects the way stories are told in different genres. Students had to consider audience reception, the portrayal of heroism, how mode affects a story's point-of-view, and how elements like key scenes and …

Adaptation Production Plan For Taylor Swift's "No Body, No Crime", Emma Coley

FUSION

Focused on creating a music video for Taylor Swift’s “No Body, No Crime” song, this detailed production plan encompasses specific plots, settings, characters, and even casting choices. This plan dives into the song’s origins on the Evermore album, presenting a murder mystery narrative involving infidelity, revenge, and a lack of conclusive evidence, raising questions of guilt and justice. The intricate details involving casting are listed and justified based on their suitability for the respective plot, and the chosen locations to film bring forth the mysterious atmosphere that Taylor Swift lyrically created. Overall, the plan demonstrates a thoughtful and comprehensive approach …

Adaptation Production Plan For Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Aman Bhayani

FUSION

The Adaptation Production Plan is a proposal that explores the idea of taking an existing piece of work and adapting it into a live version of a TV show or film. Particularly, for my adaptation, I chose the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This paper provides a summary of novel's key events and the purpose behind selecting the novel. Then, focusing on the adaptation, just like any other TV show, the proposal presents the selection of actors, locations, specific plot points and music in order to film the show and the reasoning behind them.

The project was …

Wallpaper Yellow, Jasmine Aust

FUSION

The short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a significant piece of American literature published in 1892. This submission intends to capture its essence musically by adapting the prevailing themes of its narrative into song. Through the use of dynamics, delivery, and diction, the song conveys the evolution of Gilman’s piece. The composition includes deliberate tonal shifts and lyrical choices to reflect the story's progression and the protagonist's descent into madness. Selective adaptation was employed, consciously omitting certain narrative elements while prioritizing key thematic events. The musical piece intends to accurately represent core themes and properly adapt …

Adaptation Production Plan For Love In The Time Of Serial Killers, Jimena Arias

FUSION

This Production Plan will describe the different details needed to create a movie adaptation of the novel Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson. This plan includes a summary of the plot and an analysis of mode and genre in this novel. Included also are photos and descriptions of the cast, filming locations, key scenes, and a list of songs for the soundtrack of my film, followed by a rationale for all of my choices. The goal of this plan is to create an overview of how to turn the novel into a successful film.

The project …

Human Rights In The News, Joseph Thorpe

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This honors thesis contains thirteen hard news stories that focus on human rights issues in the United States. The United Nations defines Human rights as including, but not limited to, “the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.” Human rights, the U.N. continues, “are essential for making life worth living and are the basis for a just and fair society.”

What's The Deal With Conspiracy Theories?, Blake Ross

Transformations: Research Papers

The usage of the word Conspiracy Theory isn't anything new. In fact it is a word used widely in today's society. But what is a conspiracy theory, how are conspiracy theorists and believers viewed in the public eye, and what about conspiracy theories do people find so alluring?
The common notion of conspiracy theories are that they are inherently wronged, that history just happens. That people are wrong for trying to connect dots that aren’t there and are a result of un-informed, ill-educated people lacking skeptical and critical thinking skills. In testing this notion I examined two conspiracy theories, one …

Phantasma, Grace Wright

ALL - Honors Theses

This project, titled Phantasma, can be described as a queer retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which Brutus is the central focus. It will interrogate the question of what draws readers back to that fateful day at the Roman Senate time and time again. It will also question what drew Shakespeare and his audience to it, as well as deconstruct the nuances of his recreation. The narrative will be greatly influenced by the structure of Shakespeare’s play, but will take on new forms as scenes are added in places where Brutus would ordinarily be “offstage”. Using queer theory as well …

Asexuality In Science Fiction: A Study Of Non-Sexual Queer Intimacy In Short Stories By Ursula K. Le Guin, Samuel Delany, And Theodore Sturgeon, Mik Dressler

Honors College Theses

The study of asexuality is still a relatively new concept in queer studies, and the rarity of asexual literature poses questions about how media can help further develop this study. This question takes unique shape in the genre of science fiction, one deeply and intrinsically tied to queer storytelling but very often hypersexualized. This essay evaluates the asexual themes of four sci-fi short stories which predate modern vocabularies and frameworks of asexuality: “The Widget, The Wadget, and Boff” by Theodore Sturgeon, “Unchosen Love” and “Mountain Ways” by Ursula K. Le Guin, and “Aye, and Gomorrah” by Samuel Delany. Referencing queer …

0887: Gwenyth E. Hood Collection, 1889-2023, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Gwenyth Elise Hood was born on December 10, 1955, to Thomas Arthur Hood and Marion Louise Snee Hood in White Plains, NY, but moved with her family to Brandon, Vermont at the age of seven. She developed a love of reading and writing at an early age, discovering some favorite authors—Rudyard Kipling, Shakespeare, and J.R.R. Tolkien—at roughly the same time, in early adolescence. Then came Dante. Dante drew her to learn Latin and Italian; she had already started on French due to family heritage and the availability of the language in High School. In 1979 she won a University of …

Prose By Any Other Name: Analyzing Changes To Translated Book Titles In Japanese And English, Angela Griffin

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This research analyzed the ways in which book titles are changed in translation from English to Japanese and Japanese to English. The titles of one hundred books, fifty in Japanese and fifty in English, were sorted into three main categories of translation based on Tsukawaki’s research on translated sci-fi movie titles (2009): those using the Japanese katakana script, literal, and semantic. For Japanese to English titles, literal translations accounted for 68% of the data and semantic translations for 20%, while Japanese to English titles were literally translated only 48% of the time but semantically 34%. The changes made to translated …

Between Pages And Politics: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Of Book Bans, Hannah Morrison

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Across the United States, school boards are being inundated with requests to ban books. While these conversations are often localized, what the rise in censorship across the country suggests is that there is a fierce movement behind censoring young adult literature. What is frequently erased in these campaigns are stories of people of color and queer communities, alongside topics such as sexuality, drugs, or violence. The presiding conclusion within childhood studies on how we have reached a point where censorship is abundantly common in American schools is that public discourse views children as less than or not fully formed, thus …

Plath Fostered It, Women Are Nurturing It: Cycles Of Existential And Confessional Women's Writing In The Mid-20th Century And Beyond, Sophie Elisabeth Conrad

Senior Theses

During the mid-20th century, a wide-ranging yet topically focused genre of women’s writing began to emerge in earnest, currently categorized as existential and confessional. Works like Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) offer explanations of why an ineffable feeling of malaise permeated the lives of 20th-century women and led them to adopt these methods of writing and thinking. However, existential feelings akin to that of the 20th-century female malaise have returned to stake their claim on the minds of 21st-century women, evidenced in popular contemporary works such as Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year …