English Language and Literature Commons^™

Great Day. An Edition Of Great Day : The Autobiography Of Emma Speed Sampson, John Letcher Fugate

Master's Theses

Other than a reference to Emma Speed Sampson in a sentence to the editorial in a recent Saturday Evening Post and two informative articles about her by Gay Friddell in the Commonwealth and Lillian F. Trimmer in the Richmond Times Dispatch virtually no criticism has been done on this outstanding Southern local colorist. Although she wrote books in the "Carter Girs" series, the "Molly Brown" series, and the "Campfire Girls" series, the sequence of books for which Emma Speed Sampson will be best remembered is the "Miss Minerva" series, twelves books whose humorous pages reveal the way of life in …

Chaucer's Ecclesiastics In The Canterbury Tales, Helen Lee Coleman

Master's Theses

It is thought that Chaucer began composing The Canterbury Tales as a dramatic whole around 1387. This is his last and by f ar his best known work. In this final. masterpiece Chaucer undertakes the tremendous task or presenting in poetic form a whole society. However, he does not merely explore society in general; he also develops the theme or the individual's relation to the community and the integral part that each person plays in making up the whole. The Canterbury Tales is, as George Lyman Kittredge so aptly puts it, "a micro cosmography" or a little image of a …

Chaucer's Ecclesiastics In The Canterbury Tales, Helen Lee Coleman

Master's Theses

It is thought that Chaucer began composing The Canterbury Tales as a dramatic whole around 1387. This is his last and by far his best known work. In this final masterpiece Chaucer undertakes the tremendous task of presenting in poetic form a whole society. However, he does not merely explore society in general; he also develops the theme or the individual's relation to the community and the integral part that each person plays in making up the whole. The Canterbury Tales is, as George Lyman Kittredge so aptly puts it, "a micro cosmography" or a little image of a great …

The Image Of The Jew In James Joyce's Ulysses, Phyllis Joyce Cohen Levy

Master's Theses

Since the beginning of English literature, the Jew has been portrayed as a villain. Edgar Rosenberg and Montague Frank Madder most affirmed the conviction in each of their studies of the Jew in English literature. However, the conclusion that the Jew is still portrayed as a villain is invalid because the image has changed. It is my intention to examine this change, focusing particularly on the character of Leopold Bloom in James Joyce 's Ulysses.

In The Mind's Eye : A Study Of Shakespeare's Imaginative Use Of Stage Properties In Six Representative Plays, Margaret Hart Glenn Tinsley

Master's Theses

The unity, or stylistic oneness, that is the most salient characteristic of Shakespeare's style has been achieved with such consummate ease that the underlying pattern of workmanship is imperceptible at a casual reading. Upon analysis, however, the ingenious means which the playwright has employed, perhaps unconsciously, to create this effect of unity easily may be discerned.

This paper is an analysis of the stage properties in six plays and their function in the plays' overall design. In this study it may be seen that within each play each stage property is so imaginatively used that it seems at once both …

The Individual And The Problem Of Self-Definition In Faulkner : Isolation And Gesture In Light In August, The Sound And The Fury, Absalom, Absalom!, And As I Lay Dying, Betty Jean Seymour

Master's Theses

Perhaps the primary task of the writer is the communication of that which is most significant in human experience. This paper has grown out of an interest in contemporary literature as an expression of this function. Literature, like other art forms, can appraise, analyze, reflect, and, sometimes, provide direction for, the plight of modern man.

Characterization Of Stephen Dedalus In James Joyce's Stephen Hero And A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, Reuben L. Musgrave

Master's Theses

Our main interest is in showing the new light given Joyce's works by the study of Stephen Hero, the new light in particular on the character of Stephen Dedalus.

Sherwood Anderson, Dramatist, Brenda H. Renalds

Master's Theses

Sherwood Anderson published only a few plays and, beside his lasting contributions to American literature (such as Winesburg, Ohio), these plays are of little literary value. To the student of Anderson, however, they are important not only because they reflect one of the many facts of Anderson's interest in literature but also because, near the end of his life, his dramatic attempts reflect concern for his literary career. Although his interest in the theater began early, he turned to the writing of plays later when suffered through long periods of time in which he could not crate the kind of …

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 …

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 …

An Annotated Bibliography Of English And American Authors And Related Literary Topics Based Upon The Bulletin Of Bibliography, 1897-1965, Muriel Sanderow Friedman

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

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.

Wallace Stevens' Search For A "Supreme Fiction", John H. Thissen

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

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 …