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2009

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Phonation Production And Synchrony In The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Caitlin M. O'Brien Jan 2009

Phonation Production And Synchrony In The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Caitlin M. O'Brien

Theses & ETDs

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have a complex system of acoustic communication that includes several broadly constructed categories of phonations: echolocation clicks, whistles, burst pulses, and jaw claps. The structure of this system is still largely mysterious to humans. Social organization among these large brained mammals is also complex. For example, calves' period of dependency on their mothers is protracted, and adults maintain varied-strength associations with many individuals across a wide community. Understanding these multifaceted relationships is of ongoing interest. One measure of social relationships in the dolphin is synchronous behavior. Although never previously studied, an understanding of the way in …

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Film-Poetry Synthesis And The Birth Of Experimental Cinema In France, Scott Ross Jan 2009

Film-Poetry Synthesis And The Birth Of Experimental Cinema In France, Scott Ross

Theses & ETDs

French poet Guillaume Apollinaire’s 1917 lecture “L’Esprit nouveau et les poètes” announced the beginning of the Parisian poets’ sincere engagement with cinema: in the following decade, the French literary community became increasingly involved in the development of film theory and criticism, and France’s young generation of experimental filmmakers began to consider modern poetry as a potential inspiration for their work. Some theorists and filmmakers even proposed the widely interpreted concept of a cinépoème: a cinematic poem. This thesis examines the presence and influence of French poetry in three such cinépoèmes made in the late 1920s. In Emak-Bakia, Man Ray employs …

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Smiling Inside: Routinization, Representation, And Rat Race, Eric Jakobsen Jan 2009

Smiling Inside: Routinization, Representation, And Rat Race, Eric Jakobsen

Theses & ETDs

While theme park characters are recognized throughout the world, the people playing them remain largely hidden due to express corporate policies. This thesis investigates emotional labor, representation, routinization, and other social issues at play in theme park work. These issues are addressed in an analysis of informal interviews conducted with theme park workers and also in a theatrical piece that derives most of its text from the same interviews and was created using techniques of Anna Deavere Smith, Tadashi Suzuki, and Anne Bogart/SITI Company. The final piece presents the workers' stories and experiences, while simultaneously engaging the difficult issues surrounding …

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Eighteenth-Century London And The Birth Of Consumer Culture, Lisa Fisher Jan 2009

Eighteenth-Century London And The Birth Of Consumer Culture, Lisa Fisher

Theses & ETDs

This thesis considers the birth of consumer culture in eighteenth-century London and explores the changes witnessed by society in response to the mass production of consumer goods. Maintaining that the eighteenth century witnessed the birth of the "modern world", this study considers the growth of industrial capitalism and the expansion of global markets as catalysts for the restructuring of British society. This transitory period was wrought with many difficulties, as progress of a civilization often entails a reorganization of social hierarchies and values. The growth of fashion, communications, advertising and print culture forever changed not only the structure of the …

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"A" Is For Asthma: Asthma In Elementary School Children In Alachua County, Fl, Molly Burges Jan 2009

"A" Is For Asthma: Asthma In Elementary School Children In Alachua County, Fl, Molly Burges

Theses & ETDs

This purpose of this study is to evaluate the rates of asthma in public elementary school children as a function of the school's free/reduced lunch rate, the school's age, proximity to an interstate (I-75), as well as distance and nitrogen oxide (NOx) contribution levels from a 225 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power generating plant in Alachua County, FL. The asthma data for this study were obtained from the parentreported health cards at the twenty-four public elementary schools located in Alachua County. The data were statistically analyzed to determine if these factors are correlated to school asthma rates. The rate of students …

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Exploring Abram's Animism As An Approach To Environmental Activism: The Importance Of Relating To The Other-Than-Human World, Montana J. Ikemire Jan 2009

Exploring Abram's Animism As An Approach To Environmental Activism: The Importance Of Relating To The Other-Than-Human World, Montana J. Ikemire

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis I explore David's Abram's Animism as a mode of relating to the other-than-human world, and aim to encourage its use as an environmental activist program. In the first portion, I introduce Animism through Abram's personal experience. After providing an experiential illustration of how one might develop Animism, I broaden the discussion to place Animism in the larger scope of environmental activism. I discuss the Deep Ecology Movement as one contemporary form of environmental activism that emphasizes individualized approaches within a structured framework. I also apply Naess' understanding of deep ecology and long-term activism to Animism. Analyzing the …

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Enriching Music With The Sound Of Life, Enriching Life With The Music Of Sound: Synthesizers, Nature And Listening, Jimmy Schaus Jan 2009

Enriching Music With The Sound Of Life, Enriching Life With The Music Of Sound: Synthesizers, Nature And Listening, Jimmy Schaus

Theses & ETDs

This main purpose of this project was to develop electronic musical systems that generated sound based on environmental changes (light exposure and temperature) rather than the preferences of a human performer, and then to use these systems to create sonic environments in both natural and gallery settings. The work addressed the usual emphasis on the self in the artistic process and sought to open this process up to factors beyond our immediate control or understanding. The project was important to me as a musician accustomed to prioritizing my creative control in artistic creation. I felt a stronger connection to the …

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Domestic Scale Aquaponics: The Form, Function, And Economic Viability Thereof, Ravi Banerjee Jan 2009

Domestic Scale Aquaponics: The Form, Function, And Economic Viability Thereof, Ravi Banerjee

Theses & ETDs

Aquaponics is the integrated production of plants and marine organisms in closed recirculating systems. The integration of fish and vegetable growth systems creates a more efficient production environment. Aquaponics systems offer numerous economic benefits stemming from many sources including nutrient reuse, decreased space and water usage, and a reduction in combined infrastructural costs. Aquaponic farming methods have been in existence for thousands of years. However, as societies develop, the benefits offered by this field of agricultural science become more applicable. Aquaponics is a viable means of enabling not only commercial farmers to increase their production but for the individual to …

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Crisis Of Confidence: Cinematic Environmentalism Of The Seventies, Jacob Scott Starks Jan 2009

Crisis Of Confidence: Cinematic Environmentalism Of The Seventies, Jacob Scott Starks

Theses & ETDs

In the 1970's, film played a reflective and contributory role in American environmental culture. Many films of the decade reflected a cultural environmentalism driven by a crisis of confidence in government and industry's ability to ensure a viable and natural environment. This project examines six films' content, cultural context of production, and reception, which indicate a notion of American uncertainty concerning government and industry's protection or conservation of the environment. The opening chapter provides a context for the economic and political conditions of the 1970's, explaining the American “crisis of confidence.” The second chapter examines the public‟s lack of faith …

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Diving Into A Mirror Of Light: A Diachronic Exploration Of Cenotes, Jessica Anne Wheeler Jan 2009

Diving Into A Mirror Of Light: A Diachronic Exploration Of Cenotes, Jessica Anne Wheeler

Theses & ETDs

According to Miriam Kahn, space has been “relegated to a static physical backdrop, a kind of stage-setting removed from human action and interaction” (2000: 8). Rather than taking this avenue, I attempt to examine cenotes as specific settings of human action and interaction. This thesis attempts to deconstruct the powerful concepts of place imposed by outsiders and the perspectives of places held by their inhabitants. My thesis examines uses, perceptions, and conceptions of cenotes during the prehispanic period and contemporarily. In order to do this, I synthesize and interpret the material deposits from caves and cenotes dating to the prehispanic …

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In Defense Of Passion, Anyelle Johanna De León Jan 2009

In Defense Of Passion, Anyelle Johanna De León

Theses & ETDs

In Western philosophy, the traditionally set dichotomy of reason and sentiment as modes by which we human beings approach our world seems to set limitations to the way we understand our choices and actions that might find some relief in a more unifying conception. This work proposes the notion of ‘Passion’ as such a unifying conception, which rather than attempting to eliminate our experiences of these approaches to the world, offers a re-description of them by way of a continuum. Extractions from the works of Aristotle, Hume, and Kant are used to present instances of complications with a dichotomous view …

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Transience, Fragmentation, And Fruit: Modernizing Vanitas Still Life Paintings, Angela Faustina Kramer Jan 2009

Transience, Fragmentation, And Fruit: Modernizing Vanitas Still Life Paintings, Angela Faustina Kramer

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is to reinterpret still life vanitas paintings and prints for the twenty-first century through the context of abstracted fruit pulp. Depicting fragments of fruit pulp allows for the exploration of contemporary formal and aesthetic qualities like color and close up images while still maintaining a connection with the historical paintings through similar source imagery, which served as symbolic reminders of the ephemerality of life and the futility of pleasure. In some ways my paintings and prints more directly correlate to the body than traditional vanitas paintings because the deconstructed fruit fragments more readily suggest viscera …

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Into The Primitive, Alejandra Ferreyros Jan 2009

Into The Primitive, Alejandra Ferreyros

Theses & ETDs

In my thesis, I utilize the conventions and methodologies of art and science, and reappropriate its language to examine the ways in which institutions like Natural History Museums or National Geographic magazine shape our understanding of history and the natural world. Through various creative formats including drawing, diorama, and collage I draw attention to how these institutions construct stories about otherness and objectify other cultures. I hope that my thesis encourages my audience to re-evaluate the way they perceive other cultures.

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America's Agricultural Industry: Chemical Consequences And Sustainable Alternatives, Jillian Walker Jan 2009

America's Agricultural Industry: Chemical Consequences And Sustainable Alternatives, Jillian Walker

Theses & ETDs

Due to a number of historical factors such as a constant influx of immigrants, new technology, and sociopolitical and environmental circumstances, America faced a number of agricultural challenges from the 18th to the 20th century. These problems were met with innovative technological and scientific solutions, which, while producing initial bountiful yields, ultimately resulted in the simplification of land management. This simplification was largely centered on chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The environmental and anthropogenic consequences resulting from widespread use of these substances has resulted in an economically and ecologically unsustainable method of food production in the United States. This thesis …

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Behavioral Lateralization In The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris), Kara Tyler Jan 2009

Behavioral Lateralization In The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris), Kara Tyler

Theses & ETDs

Throughout the lateralization literature many species of animals ranging from fishes to primates show population-level and individual-level behavioral lateralization. This study examined behavioral lateralization in the Florida manatee using observations of 47 wild and 26 captive manatees. Flipper uses were used to determine behavioral lateralization of flipper preferences and scar patterns (N=46) were used to determine lateralization of evasion behavior. Overall for both captive and wild manatees combined, the manatees displayed a tendency to prefer the left flipper at the population level (p=0.07). Manatees display different preferences for different tasks, which may be affected by the complexity of the task. …

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Killing Pearl: When Hester Chooses Infanticide--Confronting Motherhood And The Redemptive Fantasy Of The Scarlet Letter In Suzan-Lori Parks's The Red Letter Plays, Alison Reid Jan 2009

Killing Pearl: When Hester Chooses Infanticide--Confronting Motherhood And The Redemptive Fantasy Of The Scarlet Letter In Suzan-Lori Parks's The Red Letter Plays, Alison Reid

Theses & ETDs

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hester Prynne enforces the faulty notion of the good mother and the redemptive fantasy when she chooses not to kill Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. Socially and culturally, infanticide invokes a highly emotional response. The media deals with this response by constructing models of the "murderous mother" to rationalize the actions of women such as Andrea Yates and Casey Anthony. These models depend on a specific model of motherhood in which only the unnatural mother kills her child. Within the slave narrative, there are examples of empathetic infanticide in which a mother kills her child due to the …

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The Ethnobotany Of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens (Bartr.) Small) In Florida, Bethany Highsmith Jan 2009

The Ethnobotany Of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens (Bartr.) Small) In Florida, Bethany Highsmith

Theses & ETDs

Serenoa repens (Bartr.) Small, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a rhizomatic palm of the Arecaceae family that grows throughout the southeastern United States. Palms, in general, are acknowledged for their utility as construction materials, food, clothing, medicine and more (Balick and Cox, 1997). This local shrub in particular has not only served as such to the Seminole Indians and pioneers, but has generated its own growing industry. Every summer freelance workers scour the south Florida scrublands for ripe saw palmetto berries that sell by the pound in Immokalee (Thorner, 2003). Harvesting the fruit is an arduous and dangerous (albeit …

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Confronting Japan's Past: Nostalgia And Abandonment In Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Laura Mohai Jan 2009

Confronting Japan's Past: Nostalgia And Abandonment In Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Laura Mohai

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the cultural significance of the characters, aesthetics and values presented in Spirited Away with a special focus on Shinto and Japanese history in the 20th Century. The atrocities committed by Japan in beginning of the 20th Century have made the director, Hayao Miyazaki, ashamed to be Japanese, especially since his family was directly involved in the war industry of airplane building. Spirited Away, more than any of Miyazaki's other films, explores the themes of national and personal identity, memory and reconciliation with the past. While Miyazaki wishes to inform the youth of Japan of "the richness of …

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Social Learning In Cats, Emily Brockmeier Jan 2009

Social Learning In Cats, Emily Brockmeier

Theses & ETDs

Social learning occurs in many species, however, research on social learning in cats is scant and outdated. This study explored social learning in the domestic cat (Felis catus). A demonstrator cat learned to retrieve food from the side of a puzzlebox. An experimental group of observer cats watched the demonstrator retrieve food, and a control group of observer cats only watched the researcher drop treats into the box. Both groups of cats were then freed to explore the area including the puzzlebox. Cats in the experimental group paid more attention during the observation phase, interacted more with the box and …

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Balance In Herodotus' Histories, Ana Mcgrath Jan 2009

Balance In Herodotus' Histories, Ana Mcgrath

Theses & ETDs

Balance is an important concept in Herodotus' Histories. I use it in my thesis as a broad umbrella term, which covers changes of fortune, mirroring, opposition and retribution. Balance is a cosmic law within the Histories, where every action has a karma-like reaction in order to maintain this balance. Herodotus sets up this theme in his preface to the Histories when referring to cities, "For most of those which were great once are small today; and those which used to be small were great in my own time. Knowing, therefore, that human prosperity never abides long in the same place, …

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Bcl-2 Mediated Apoptosis: The Role Of Noxa In The Removal Of Mucous Cells From The Metaplastic Human Airway Epithelium The Role Of Noxa In The Removal Of Mucous Cells From The Metaplastic Human Airway Epithelium, Andrew Cory Sokolow Jan 2009

Bcl-2 Mediated Apoptosis: The Role Of Noxa In The Removal Of Mucous Cells From The Metaplastic Human Airway Epithelium The Role Of Noxa In The Removal Of Mucous Cells From The Metaplastic Human Airway Epithelium, Andrew Cory Sokolow

Theses & ETDs

The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induces Bcl-2 mediated cell death in epithelial cells. Disruption of this process leads to mucus hypersecretions in the human airway epithelium. Apoptosis by IFN-gamma is essential for the removal of the inflammation-induced mucous cells causing the excess mucous. This buildup of mucus is the underlying cause for airflow obstruction and death caused by asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study demonstrates that the BH-3 only protein Noxa sensitizes human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) to IFN-gamma induced apoptosis. Noxa promotes apoptosis by interfering with transcription factor NF-kappaB. A single line of HAECs (AALEBs) …

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Genetically Modified Food Aid: Context And Consequences, Evan D. Axelrad Jan 2009

Genetically Modified Food Aid: Context And Consequences, Evan D. Axelrad

Theses & ETDs

The recent rise of the US as the world's major producer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) creates new and important implications for the national aid program and its recipients, making it critical to revisit the "old" assumptions of US food aid as self-interested. The role of GMOs in affecting food aid policy has not been addressed by much of the existing literature, a serious shortcoming when one considers that the practice of using GM crops as aid is already widespread; each year the US delivers an estimated 3.5 million tons of GM food aid worldwide. In this paper I provide …

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A Review: Incorporating Entomopathogenic Fungi Into Integrated Vector Management Programs To Diminish Tropical Disease, Carli Janelle Cooper Jan 2009

A Review: Incorporating Entomopathogenic Fungi Into Integrated Vector Management Programs To Diminish Tropical Disease, Carli Janelle Cooper

Theses & ETDs

Tropical diseases sicken millions of people annually. Insect vector control is imperative for improving the quality of life for those at risk of contracting tropical diseases by reducing incidences of tropical disease. However, current vector control programs could be at the brink of failure because chemical insecticides provide a substantial portion of modern-day control measures, but incidence of insect resistance completely threatens their effectiveness (Kuile et al. 2003; Gullan and Cranston 2005; O'Reilly et al. 2006). New control methods and agents must be discovered, researched, and implemented, or the number of tropical disease cases will likely soar (Lacey et al. …

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Europe: A Brief Walking Tour, Melissa Soforic Jan 2009

Europe: A Brief Walking Tour, Melissa Soforic

Theses & ETDs

"Europe: A Brief Walking Tour" is based on a three week trip I took through five countries in summer of 2007. While abroad I kept a journal detailing my experiences and immediate observations; the work in this exhibition stems from observations made in the journal, and is enhanced by my previous studies in foreign language and landscape painting. Classic European landscape paintings by Claude Monet and Claude Lorrain are influential, as are the word images of Ed Ruscha and Barbara Kruger. The character and identity of these foreign locations vary significantly, yet certain similarities are inherent; themes of travel, language, …

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The Ecological Role Of Cattle Grazing In Montane Meadows Of Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Jenna M. Ervin Jan 2009

The Ecological Role Of Cattle Grazing In Montane Meadows Of Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Jenna M. Ervin

Theses & ETDs

The Californian Sierra Nevada Mountains contain a unique ecosystem that supports a high diversity of endemic species. Meadows comprise only a tiny portion of the Sierras, however, their importance to the Sierra Nevada ecosystem far outweighs their size. Grazing has occurred in Sierras for over 100 years. Historically overgrazing has lead to detrimental changes in Sierran meadow vegetation. Today a cattle grazing in the Sierras meadows remains controversial. In this study, I examined the impact of grazing in 10 montane meadows in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Plant biodiversity and exotic species cover was compared across grazed meadows and …

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Food Literacy All Organic Food Is (Not) Created Equal, Lauren Shulman Jan 2009

Food Literacy All Organic Food Is (Not) Created Equal, Lauren Shulman

Theses & ETDs

The language of certified organic food lacks clarity. As the organic industry has blossomed, so has the myriad of available organic products, yet the term "organic" has remained the label to describe all of these items. Since these items are certified "organic" in accordance with regulated standards, it is assumed that all organic industry participants mean the same thing when using the term "organic." By examining the founding organic ideals and comparing these ideals to the manifestations of certified "organic" practices, this analysis suggests that not all organic foods are produced, processed and distributed equally. The term "organic" has environmental, …

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Taking Perspectives: Imaginary Friends And Shared Meaning, Christina Rogers-Hehr Jan 2009

Taking Perspectives: Imaginary Friends And Shared Meaning, Christina Rogers-Hehr

Theses & ETDs

The current study investigated the abilities of children with and without imaginary companions to utilize verbal and behavioral techniques intended to share meaning with a play partner. Thirty preschoolers and their parents were interviewed about their imaginary friends. The two groups (children with and without imaginary friends) completed a problem solving task with the experimenter using a parachute game and a 10-minute free play session with a peer using pre-selected fantasy toys. The behavior and speech of the participants in both activities were coded for shared meaning techniques. It was found that the children without imaginary friends made significantly more …

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Determination Of Functional B Cell Defects In Hiv-1 Infection, Common Variable Immunodeficiency And Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Through The Flow Cytometric Analysis Of Naive And Memory Subsets, Stephanie Hudey Jan 2009

Determination Of Functional B Cell Defects In Hiv-1 Infection, Common Variable Immunodeficiency And Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Through The Flow Cytometric Analysis Of Naive And Memory Subsets, Stephanie Hudey

Theses & ETDs

There is a common misconception that HIV-1 infection affects only T cells, but the reality is that it has a drastic impact on both the cell-mediated and humoral arms of the immune system. B cell defects have been well described in the literature for systemic lupus erythematosus and common variable immunodeficiency, two diseases that have similarities to HIV-1 infection in terms of B cell dysfunction, such as aberrant B cell activation and differentiation resulting in maturation arrest and lower memory B cell proportions. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of expression of activation and differentiation markers …

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The Eu Political System Under Stress: Managing Political Uncertainty In Genetically Modified Organisms Policy, Diana Hinova Jan 2009

The Eu Political System Under Stress: Managing Political Uncertainty In Genetically Modified Organisms Policy, Diana Hinova

Theses & ETDs

How does the EU system deal with competing claims about the appropriate basis for decision-making? Are all claims equal in the EU arena? Do policy outputs match original objectives? This study examines the case of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) policy as a base for considering these questions. It undertakes an assessment of the EU policy machine from beginning to end. There seems to be room for diverse claims in the EU system, but only in times when the system is seeking a broader range of inputs to bolster its legitimacy. Policy outputs match policy objectives only loosely in the cases …

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The Homeric Hymn To Hermes And Archaic Iambography, Justin Boner Jan 2009

The Homeric Hymn To Hermes And Archaic Iambography, Justin Boner

Theses & ETDs

The Homeric Hymn to Hermes is often marginalized in considerations of the Homeric Hymns and archaic Greek poetry in general on the basis of its anomalous diction and content. This thesis aims to restore some centrality to the hymn by situating it in relation to archaic iambic poetry and the archaic Greek concept of blame more generally. This thesis argues that iambic poetry's verbal invective and obscenity account for much of the hymn's non-epic diction and playful tone. The first chapter provides a reconstruction of iambic poetry and details its poets, conventions, and principal characteristics. The second chapter highlights iambic …

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