Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Fisher Of Men, Ashley N. Moore

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Fisher of Men tells the story of an ancient and secretive group of supernatural balance keepers. When God goes missing, it is up to them to locate him before the armies of Heaven and Hell lay siege to the earth, but they have their own problems. When knowledge of a secret weapon surfaces, they are tasked to find it and destroy it before it falls into the hands of either side. The secret weapon is Charitie Newman, a young woman from rural Indiana who moved to New Orleans with her sister. Charitie has special abilities that have no limits, and …

Black Policemen In Jim Crow New Orleans, Vanessa Flores-Robert

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Although historians have done in-­‐depth researched on Black police in the South, before the Civil War and during Reconstruction, they seldom assess black policemen’s role in New Orleans between the Battle of Liberty Place and 1913. The men discussed here argue that despite the hardening racial attitudes in Post-­‐ Reconstruction South, in New Orleans opportunity still existed for Blacks to serve in positions of authority, perhaps a heritage of the city’s earlier tri-­‐partite racial order. The information obtained from primary sources such as police manuals, beat books, and newspapers, counters the widely held belief that African American presence in the …

The Romani Place In Kosovar Space: Nationalism And Kosovo’S Roma, Melissa Hughes

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

On February 17, 2008,Kosovo declared its independence. The path to independence and the claim to Kosovo was a long process that developed in three primary phases: A) the fostering of territorial solidarity under direct rule and an emphasis on historical ties to the territory; B) the foundation of the national idea within the realms of proto-nationalism; and C) the emergence of peripheral and mass nationalism. This research seeks to define the development of nationalist ideologies in Kosovo and to explore where Roma fit within those ideologies. An historical and sociological approach to nationalism in Kosovo is critical in understanding the …

Milneburg, New Orleans: An Anthropological History Of A Troubled Neighborhood, Betty A. Smallwood

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

For nearly 200 years, there has been a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana named Milneburg, which has been constantly reimagined by its inhabitants and others. From its inception as a port of entry in 1832 until the 2011, it has been called a world-class resort, the poor-man's Riviera, a seedy red-light district, a cradle of jazz, a village, a swath of suburbia and a neighborhood. It has been destroyed eight times due to storms, fires, and civic or governmental neglect. Each time its residents have rebuilt it. In its last iteration as a post-Katrina neighborhood, the residents reestablished the Milneburg …

A Long Low Whistle In The Distance, Blair C. Runion

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Erin is returning to her childhood home on a Native reservation in New Mexico. She hopes to see her father one more time before he dies, but she has other motives as well. Her relationships with her family, and with her lover Maddie come under pressure through this change in her life. Between the looming dream of reuniting with her father, and coming to terms with the new stage in her life Erin is learning how to accept herself and others.

Extra Meat, Ryan P. Harris

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I will detail the process that went into the making of my thesis film, Extra Meat. The areas I will cover include: Writing, Directing, Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, as well as Technology. Special emphasis will be given to new casting and directing styles I have developed to encourage the strongest possible performances. I will then evaluate the success of the decisions I made.

Home Abroad, Sheila Madary

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Comprised of four essays, this collection of creative nonfiction focuses on facets of daily life and culture in Germany. The author recounts her experiences as she and her family assimilate into a foreign culture and adapt to using its language. The first essay tells of the family’s unexpected but rewarding sojourn in Germany after losing everything to Hurricane Katrina. The subsequent essays display a broader range of experiences and cultural observations upon the family’s return to Germany four years later. These include a narrative of the family’s move to a small town in central Germany, an interview with a local …

Close To The Source, Meghan E. Mccormack

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Close to the Source is comprised of a series of nonfiction vignettes about the artisan, agricultural, and culinary methods of Italy. In Close to the Source the human relationship with nature, food, and art is reexamined while a series of rich characters help bring the material to life. Through interviews, research, and first-hand experiences, the author attempts to archive fading artisan and food-related techniques and rituals. In the process, a cultural critique about the importance of the practical arts in contemporary times emerges. The thesis contains four sections: Terra/Land; Art and Artisans; Pane/Bread; and Compagnia/Company.

Racism Recognized And The Reformation Of The South In Ernest Gaines‘, La Toya Session

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

According to Ernest Gaines‘ personal experiences as a Southerner, without addressing the history of slavery, the quest for human dignity becomes meaningless. The discourses and the ideologies of the characters in AGathering of Old Men represent a call for social change. A Gathering of Old Men is however, more than just a novel about whites dominating blacks; it is a novel about the fight for humanity in spite of the threat of a new social order. The social repercussions of slavery and the denial of black manhood are central issues in A Gathering of Old Men, but Gaines also exhibits …

Investing In Citizenship: Free Men Of Color Of Color And The Case Against Citizens Bank ~ Antebellum Louisiana, Hannah J. Francis

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Despite the popularity of free people of color in New Orleans as a research topic, the history of free people of color remains misunderstood. The prevailing view of free people of color is that of people who: engaged in plaçage, attended quadroon balls, were desperately dependent upon the dominant population, and were uninterested or afraid to garner rights for themselves. Contemporary historians have endeavored to amend this stereotypical perception; this study aims to be a part of the trend of revisionist history through an in-depth analysis of the co-plaintiffs in Boisdoré and Goulé, f.p.c., v. Citizens Bank and …

Whistling Dixie, Zac Sutherland

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper I will analyze the film, Whistling Dixie, as it relates to filmmaking principles such as: development, pre-production, production, and post-production. After evaluating all these aspects of the film, I will then make conclusions based on goals I had and how successful or unsuccessful I was in reaching these goals. I will include notes from unbiased audience members in evaluating this film.

And Then Okay, Summer Dorr

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Restinga, Valerie Harbolovic

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Restinga explores dysfunctional sexual relationships in the familiar context of a love triangle, but it is set in the exotic African landscape of pre-war colonial Angola in 1960, where the author spent her childhood. The Restinga evolved from a short story presented at a graduate fiction workshop led by Joseph and Amanda Boyden at the University of New Orleans’ Madrid campus in the summer of 2007.

Research for this project included:

• Many interviews with the author’s parents
• Compilation and review of family home movies made at the time
• Interview with Richard J. Houk, author of the article: “The Hotel …

New Houston And Other Stories, Danielle J. Gilyot

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Oscar James Dunn: A Case Study In Race & Politics In Reconstruction Louisiana, Brian Mitchell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The study of African American Reconstruction leadership has presented a variety of unique challenges for modern historians who struggle to piece together the lives of men, who prior to the Civil War, had little political identity. The scant amounts of primary source data in regard to these leaders’ lives before the war, the destruction of many documents in regard to their leadership following the Reconstruction Era, and the treatment of these figures by historians prior to the Revisionist movement have left this body of extremely important political figures largely unexplored. This dissertation will examine the life of one of Louisiana’s …

The Tripartite Tributaries Of Ush, Alicia Cognevich

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by Vladimir Nabokov’s metafiction novel Pale Fire and with Joseph Campbell’s research in comparative mythology and religion in mind, I explore the act of mythmaking and the composition of metafictional text in this work of fiction. The myth aspect combines elements of Classical, biblical, medieval, Romantic, and original materials to form a product that should strike readers as both familiar and alien, demonstrating Campbell’s notion of the monomyth as well as the ongoing tradition of mythmaking that continues to captivate both readers and writers. The metafictional portion of the text emphasizes a reader’s relationship to a work of fiction, …

The Dunning Man, Kevin Fortuna

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The French Chair, Roberta Grossi

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This play is a comedy which revolves around the importance of a French Chair (Louis Xiii) in the life of a family. A young newlywed woman discovers that her husband has a "secret" half sister born out of wedlock. Her mother-in-law has had an affair with a French man, but her husband always believed she had been abused. The young lady senses something is not clear and decides to look for her "half" sister-in-law. She does and manages to organize a get-together to bring everyone in the same place and finally understand what really happened. Eventually, her mother-in-law, now a …

Frank And Gala, Heather M. Mcgrail

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through the gossip and rumors in a small town in Minnesota, the townspeople discuss and react to the Levison family's claimed perfection.

The Operation Was Successful But The Patient Died: The Politics Of Crisis And Homelessness In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Evan Casper-Futterman

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

On July 4^th, 2007, a small group of housing activists set up a tent city encampment in a plaza adjacent to New Orleans City Hall. The action resulted in the creation of Homeless Pride, a small group of politicized Plaza residents. Six months later, hundreds of homeless people were moved from the park, and it was fenced off. Using archival videos, interviews, and news media, this thesis analyzes the opportunities and constraints that activists, service providers, and local officials faced in light of two intersecting and overlapping contexts. The first context is the immediate crisis of the levee …

Prodigal, Jonathan R. White

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Following a similar pattern of the classic Biblical story of “The Prodigal Son”, the play allows for a modernization of the characters and setting. Set in 1968, the playwright takes a look at what happened after the “Prodigal Son” returned home as well as the effect the return had upon the Son that stayed as well as the Father. How can family relationships survive in the midst of lies and turmoil of a time of great change in America’s history.

N'Awlins Po Boy, Warren J. Graffeo

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

N’Awlins Po Boy draws heavily on the author’s memories and recollections of growing up in the New Orleans of the 1940s and 1950s, but it is a work of fiction. Although the settings and scenes are rendered as accurately as memory allows, the circumstances, situations and people are entirely fictional. During the immediate post-WWII decade, the city went through a rapid series of changes, some calm and nearly unnoticed, others turbulent and upsetting to the natural order that had prevailed for more than two centuries. This is an account of those changes as they might have been seen through …

Playing House With Coward’S “Hay Fever”, Sarah M. Klocke

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A retired actress and her quirky family trap four guests in elaborately woven games in Noel Coward’s Hay Fever. Within the concept of “playing house,” the glamour of Coward’s work lives on through scenery, costumes, and lighting, while his quirkier side is highlighted in hopes of making his Comedy of Manners accessible to a new audience.

Wisteria And Other Stories, Michael Clayton

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

We are forever shaped by the worlds we live in. The following stories are musings on the importance of time and place and on the conflicts that arise for characters who are born into and who live with or rail against those forces. The stories are set in and around Laurel County, Georgia over a period of decades. They look at the people who are made there and the lessons they learn or fail to learn as they work to make their way there.

Dark Consciousness: Theory Of Mind And Henry James’S The Golden Bowl, Adam Maillet

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Using the psychological concepts of Theory of Mind and embodied cognition, the author explores and questions the traditional readings of Henry James's novel, The Golden Bowl, and its protagonist, Maggie Verver. Although the majority of critics view her as a positive character, James takes great effort to subvert her thoughts and mislead the reader. Despite lacking a modern technical vocabulary, James remains acutely aware of how human cognitive structures both process a text and function within a social setting.

The King's Speech: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Shakespeare's Henry Iv, Part I, Chance Sweat

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Recent scholarship has explored the “Machiavellian” actions of Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 ; yet the classical rhetorical pedagogy of Renaissance Britain suggests that the speeches in the play lead to a transformation in Hal that is antithetical to the emergent understanding of Hal as a great manipulator. Falstaff uses the ruse of rhetoric instructor in order to construct a classical rhetorical argument for his own ends, and Henry IV gives a passionate yet formally adept (and classically rhetorical) plea to his son in order to incite change. An analysis of Falstaff and Henry’s arguments as well as …

Swift And Stewart: The Societal Background And Influence Of Satirists In Turbulent Times, Jon Nathan Raby

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I consider the success of Jonathan Swift’s The Drapier’s Letters and Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show in changing the political climate of the world around them. By analyzing the political background of America in the 2000s and the Irish reaction to William Woods’ patent in the 1720s, I prove the influence of Stewart and Swift’s satire. I then analyze the specific tactics each employs in order to achieve an audience and influence change, concluding by comparing the similar tactics that each use, including persona, irony, and humor as a veil of serious intent.

“Emancipation From That Degrading Yoke”: Thomas Jefferson, William Eaton And “Barbary Piracy” From 1784 To 1805, Stacy Meyers

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following essay examines the image of "Barbary piracy" created by two prominent political figures, Thomas Jefferson and William Eaton, and by the American public from 1784 to 1805, and how those images shaped the policy of the American-Barbary War. Eaton‟s Orientalist approach to describing piracy and the North African population limited his views of this region, thus reducing the American conflict to the annihilation of animalistic "brutes." Jefferson‟s practical approach to describing piracy and the North African population focused on emancipating the region from the corrupting influence of greed, allowing him the necessary flexibility to solve the conflict by …

Will All Of You Stop Being A-Holes, Please?, April Blevins

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

None

Lily Bart And Isabel Archer: Women Free To Choose Lifestyles Or Victims Of Fate?, Heidi Elizabeth Braden

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that Isabel Archer of Henry James’s novel The Portrait of a Lady and Lily Bart of Edith Wharton’s novel The House of Mirth were nineteenth-century characters struggling to assert their social and sexual independence in a male dominated society. Although Isabel inherits a fortune that allegedly enables her to have more autonomy than Lily, both characters are negatively affected by their inability to conceive of their lives outside of social convention.