English Language and Literature Commons^™

Jane Austen's Use Of The Epistolary Method, Barbara Tavss Bender

Master's Theses

There is . . . a prominent use of letters within the novels of Jane Austen. It has been shown that she wao influenced by Samuel Richardson and Fanny Burney and that she had a long experimental period of almost exclusive use of the epistolary method. It is from their influence and from her experimentation that the six major novels evolved; this supreme achievement was to give their creator a prominent place in the history of the English novel. No one factor can be cited as Miss Austen 's outstanding contribution, for each novel is a synthesis of many superior …

Chaucer's Pandarus : A Character Study, Phillip Valentine Daffron

Master's Theses

Chaucer 's Pandarus has been an intriguing character for me ever since my first exposure, as an undergraduate, to Troilus and ­Criseyde. Pandarus interests me because he is true to human nature in that he is not consistently one way all of the time. Like most human beings, Pandarus has many facets to his nature; therefore, I find it distressing that many critics and students of Chaucer will not acknowledge this complexity but rather tend to want to stereotype him. If Pandarus were a simple, transparent character, then his rank in English literature would be considerably less significant. It is …

The New British Drama 1956-1966 : A Critical Study Of Four Dramatists: John Osborne, Brendan Behan, Arnold Wesker, And John Arden, Jeanne Fenrick Bedell

Master's Theses

In the history of England, as well as in the history of the English stage, 1956 was a momentous year. It was the year of the Suez, the year that saw the destruction of the myth of the British empire. And it was the year of the Hungarian Revolution, which crushed liberal illusions about Soviet Russia. In 1956 the old idols were crumbling fast, and defense of tradition was fast becoming not only impossible but ludicrous. The bankruptcy of the older generation was apparent; it was time for the new to speak out.

Marlowe's Cosmology, William H. Caldwell

Master's Theses

A general study of Marlowe 's cosmology may by no means be original, for numerous critics have mentioned the subject in varying degrees; however, there is a wide disparity or opinion concerning the relative importance of the subject in relation to the playwright. This study is not exhaustive; it is significant, however, because it attempts to prove by means of biographical and historical backgrounds the idea that Mar­lowe had an intellect that was always "climbing after knowledge infin­ite."

In this study there are two obvious omissions: the plays Dido, Queen of Carthage, and The Massacre at Paris. …

Herbert's Household Imagery, Christina Hillquist Halsted

Master's Theses

The apparent simplicity of George Herbert's poetry has caused much comment and much misunderstanding of both the man and his poetry. The popular nineteenth-century picture of Herbert as the simple, tranquil country priest is being discarded, however, as twentieth-century scholars of metaphysical poetry re-exa mine both the works and life of George Herbert and find little simple about his life and a magnificent craftsmanship in his poetry.

Both the simplicity and the depth of Herbert's poetry lie in his imagery, in which concrete everyday objects and actions become high abstractions usually difficult to express. Of course, the presentation of abstractions …

The Depression Years As Depicted By The American Theatre In The 1930'S, Lois Robinson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to show how various plays written in the 1930's reflected economic, political, religious, social, psychological, moral and ethical attitudes of the depression years. To achieve this and, the writer gathered material from the ten Pulitzer Prize winning plays of the 1930's, as well as other significant works of the decade as mentioned in secondary sources. No effort has been made to fit these plays into the time in which they were written. Instead, the writer has attempted to show the times as they were presented by the dramatists of the thirties.

Shelley's Prometheus Unbound : A Critical Analysis And Interpretation, Emily Carol Braxton

Master's Theses

As a basis for Prometheus Unbound, which he completed in 1819 and which is his masterpiece, Shelley used Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. Shelley used the Prometheus myth to express his own ideas about present evils and his hopes for man's future as a result of his belief that man was capable of perfectibility.

Continents Of Light : A Novel, Robert P. Arthur

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Joyce Menagerie : Animal Imagery In The First Three Novels, David A. Dewitt

Master's Theses

If James Joyce l:ad written novels with largely rural settings, like many written by Lawrence and Faulkner, it would not be particularly unusual to find many references to animals and birds. However, Joyce's novels take place in Dublin, which certainly is not the ideal habitat for large numbers of animals; and yet the number of references to animals and birds in his novels is astounding. The brief portion of Stephen Hero contains nearly fifty primary references, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man has ninety-four, and there are more than eight hundred in Ulysses. Not only is the …

Dryden's Adaptations Of Shakespeare, Massie C. Stinson Jr.

Master's Theses

It is the purpose of this study to discuss Dryden's adaptations of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, and Troilus and Cressida. As a background for this study, Restoration drama will be discussed from the standpoint of the following criteria: relationship to Elizabethan drama; Restoration audiences, theaters, and fashion; adaptations, primarily of Shakespeare; D’Avenant, Dryden, and heroic drama; and finally, English opera in the Restoration period. The first of the five chapters in this discussion will be concerned with the items listed above. Succeeding chapters in order will discuss Dryden's adaptations of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, Troilus and …

An Evaluation Of The Autobiographical Interpretation Of Samson Agonistes, Edward P. Crockett

Master's Theses

Certainly, every reader of Samson Agonistes who is at all familiar with the circumstances of Milton's life, his thought, and the history of his times has been attracted by obvious parallels between 'the poet and certain aspects or his dramatic creation, and he may understandably assume that the presentation or the sufferings of Samson constitute intentional, hidden autobiography. To assume even the obvious, however, is something too blithely done. A little research into this area of Miltoniana will reveal to him that scholarly opinion concerning Samson Agonistes and autobiography is greatly varied and that some scholars are inclined not only …

The Theatre Of The Absurd, Edith Beirne Brooks

Master's Theses

An introduction to the Theatre of the Absurd confronts the viewer with a meaningless, chaotic situation. Ludicrous people mouth meaningless dialogue, and the "plot" seems to move in ever diminishing concentric circles. One is stunned by the nothingness and the void which accompanies the termination of stage action. Why was it written? What was the author trying to convey? These are questions which fill the minds of the audience. The purpose was not monetary, nor was it sensationalism, because both of these could be achieved in a more expedient manner. Thoughtful study and exploration are demanded to answer one's questions …

A Comparative Study Of The State Of Innocence And Paradise Lost, David Everette Blythe

Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the extent to which John Dryden actually copied Paradise Lost in writing his "opera," The State of Innocence and Fall of Man.

The Problem Of Satan In Milton's Paradise Lost, Jeanne Saunders

Master's Theses

By 1641 John Milton had prepared a rather detailed outline for a tragic drama, Adam Unparadised. The design was to take form and grow, not as a religious drama, but as a magnificent epic poem which would "assert Eternal Providence,/And justify the ways of God to men" (I.25-26). In the original design for the drama the character and person of Satan did not constitute a basis for sustained interest. However, when Paradise Lost was finished in 1665, this was no longer the case; Satan, as an historical figure treated by the poetic and religious imagination of Milton, emerged as one …

Character And Theme In Romeo And Juliet And Troilus And Cressida : A Comparative Critical Study, Charlotte H. Oberg

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Rhetorical Patterns In The Poetry Of Andrew Marvell, Elizabeth Hughes Pole

Master's Theses

The two-fold insight that derives from this study is, on the one hand, the increased understanding of Marvell's use of language in both early and late poems and, on the other, the increased understanding of the rhetorical movements. The reader of Marvell's poems is possessed of a sensitivity to his poetry that is based on an awareness of his rhetoric as idiosyncratic and as reflective of the habits of the age.

Washington Irving: Artist Of The Picturesque, Dana Dewey Woody

Master's Theses

Living in the period of romanticism in art and literature, Irving reflects the spirit and taste of the times. His choice of subject matter and his attitude toward it were romantic. He wrote about things that were old, unusual and strange-Spanish castles, English churches and manor houses, Hudson River area legends and traditions. He found nature delightful and was sympathetic toward humble creatures, such as the noble savage and animals.

Art of the romantic period pleased without disturbing and pictured common human situations, painted sentimentally and with a touch of humor. The beauty of primeval nature was painted with tenderness …

Shakespeare's Use Of Letters In Twelve Representative Plays, Clara Beery Mcilwraith

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study of Shakespeare's use of letters is twofold. First, representative plays will be examined to determine some of the ways in which letters contributed to such important elements as plot structure, character delineation, creation of atmosphere, heightening of suspense, or a combination of two or more of these and possibly other uses. In addition, the letters will be studied for the evidence they may furnish in themselves, of the development of Shakespeare's dramatic technique and artistry.

The Method In Beckett's Madness : A Critical Study Of Samuel Beckett's Drama, Robert Grattan

Master's Theses

This paper presents an argument for a better under­ standing of Samuel Beckett's drama, a type of drama which is typical of our modern world, a drama of experimenta tion, of revolt, and of paradoxes. This is the Theater of the Absurd.

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight And The Chivalric Ideal Of The Fourteenth Century, Nancy Lenz Harvey

Master's Theses

The fourteenth-century alliterative, metrical romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one or the most brilliant examples or medieval verso. In spite of persistent study, scholars have been unable to identify the poet, but the genius of the man is easily realized. The Gawain poet, as he must be called, combines brilliant realism with the fabulous, elements of the Christian ideal with pagan folklore, as the nuances of mood balance on the exactness of wording and description.

The following pages will attempt to show how the poet shaped his numerous resources to present a poem vital and alive with …

Henrik Ibsen And Thomas Hardy : A Sociological Comparison, Garland Karr Linkous Jr.

Master's Theses

Although much has been written about the plays of Henrik Ibsen and the novels of Thomas Hardy, there have been no notable comparisons of the works of the two men, perhaps because they wrote in the two different media. Another possible explanation is the fact that Ibsen is universally regarded as the father of modern drama, but Hardy's status-whether he is the last Victorian novelist or the first modern one-is disputed. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate, by comparison, that Hardy should very definitely be classed with the modern, realistic writers.

The final Chapter of this paper …

Revolt And Compromise : Steinbeck's Characters And Society, James Randolph Fitzgerald

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Milton And The Doctrine Of The Synod Of Dort Arminianism In Christian Doctrine And Paradise Lost, Robert James Fagg

Master's Theses

In order to understand the similarities or areas of agreement between Milton's theology and that of the Arminians one not only has to understand thoroughly the five Arminian articles but also must be familiar with the theologies which produced them. [I] will attempt to show why a few scholars and theologians refer to Milton's Christine Doctrine and Paradise Lost as being Arminian by simply comparing the two theologies and pointing out the areas of definite agreement between them.

Transcendentalism In The Private Journals Of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rachel Sherwood

Master's Theses

This paper is designed to interpret Transcendentalism by showing its origins and influences and to give the reader a view into the private journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The first chapter is devoted to a study of Transcendentalism and the question of its taking root in the Boston area in the 1830's. The second chapter presents a study of Emerson as he debated the forces of his universe and formulated a philosophy to explain the vicissitudes of life. It is necessary to relate Emerson's views with the events of his life. The years covered in the second chapter are 1820-1835.

Hart Crane : An Explanation Of His Poems, Van C. Wall

Master's Theses

Like so many writers of the twenties, Hart Crane was born in the Midwest--Garretsville, Ohio, to be exact, on July 21, 1899; and, again like his fellow artists, he matured in a society which he seemed to have already outgrown by virtue of his sensitive temperament. The amoral world of burgeoning American business was a place where no writers belonged. Main Street crowds disliked them as much as they disliked crowds. And, in finding his own path through that world, he, like many of them, permanently lost his direction.

The Village Revolt In American Literature, Gerald Kerr Wells

Master's Theses

This thesis will concern three facets of small town life: (1) The communities in thelr development have assumed certain general characteristics which apply to the small town regardless of its location and which are unique to a small town. (2) Within the community certain members have obtained social promenence because of their professional position. Their training in most instances was taken outside the town, and their statue was assured by the needs of the community. Among these are the minister, the teacher, the doctor, the newspaper editor, and the town magnate. (3) In small-town literature certain "characters" often appear. They …

Orwell's Warnings : A Study Of George Orwell's Purpose In Writing, Ruth Anne Kurani Nuwayser

Master's Theses

Although George Orwell requested that no books be written about him, it is not difficult to glean a considerable amount of autobiographical material from his novels. His autobiographical works and several essays shed much light on his life and personality.

He was born in Motihari, Bengal, in 1903, of Scottish parents and christened Eric Blair. His father was a minor official in the Indian Civil Service and retired to England before his only son was eight years old.

At the age of eight, Orwell received a scholarship to study at a preparatory school, St. Cyprian's, on the south coast of …

Through A Glass Darkly : The Literary Reputation Of Henry James, Linda Goodman Lewis

Master's Theses

In the course of any artist's career there usually are changes in the attitudes towards him. If he is developing, the changes should be a fact, especially if the times are changing also. If the artist does not show any differences during his career, there is little point in his creating the first product.

William Butler Yeats' Contribution To The Celtic Renaissance In Ireland, Marian Marsh Sale

Master's Theses

The story of Ireland's Literary Revival is the story not only of the life and death of the Gaelic language in Ireland and the attempt to revive it as the national medium of speech, but also of the rise, during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, of modern Anglo-Irish literature, which gave to Irish letters the right to be judged independently of English literature. The formation of this new medium of national literary expression was the result of the interaction of the work of certain translators and folklorists with that of those writers who sought to restore the Gaelic …

Clerical Portraits In The Nineteenth Century British Novel, Doralee Forsythe Richardson

Master's Theses

Because there were only four recognized professions which a nineteenth century respectable English gentleman could enter and still maintain his family reputation--the army, the navy, and church, and the bar-- it is natural that clergymen should appear frequently in the novels of the period. Through the eyes of numerous novelists one can come to understand better the roles and the personalities of the men of cloth during the 1800's.

By way of limiting myself to a reasonable amount of material, I have chosen to concentrate on those novels in which a clerical scene provides the major characters and action. In …