English Language and Literature Commons^™

Turning `The Angel Of The House' Out Of The House: Privacy In The Nineteenth Century Sensation Novel, Ashley Crider

All Theses

This thesis explores nineteenth-century transatlantic sensation fiction. My examination of George Lippard's The Quaker City: Or the Monks of Monk HallThe Quaker City: Or the Monks of Monk Hall (1845) and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret investigates the construction of the Angel of the House in both the domestic and public spheres. I pay particular attention to `feminine' spaces such as the boudoir, and how the sensation novel represents physical space and commodity culture to comment on female sexual agency and how nineteenth century classes constructed womanhood. In addition to Braddon and Lippard, my thesis explores such American texts …

An Examination Of The Life And Work Of Gustav Hasford, Matthew Samuel Ross

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While Stanley Kubrick's film Full Metal Jacket has remained in the national consciousness twenty years after its release, the author of its source material, Gustav Hasford, has not. Few people know or remember that the Oscar-nominated film was not an original work but was adapted by Hasford, Kubrick, and Dispatches author Michael Herr from Hasford's 1979 novel The Short-Timers. Fewer people remember that following the well-reviewed The Short-Timers Hasford published a sequel, The Phantom Blooper, as well as one final novel A Gypsy Good Time, a frenetic parody of detective fiction. To say that Gustav Hasford is primarily remembered as …

Perilous Pilgrimage: A Lady’S Flight Into The Rocky Mountain Wilderness, Jane Koerner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

“Perilous Pilgrimage: A Lady’s Flight into the Rocky Mountain Wilderness” is comprised of four thematically linked essays set in the Colorado Rockies. In these essays I probe my fascination with masculinity at an early age, the impact of my rape at age twenty-two, the dependency and resentment that undermined my marriage after the rape, and my quest after my divorce fifteen years later to define myself on my own terms. The link joining these strands is the tension between my drive for independence and my disassociation from my mind and body as a result of the rape.

“Perilous Pilgrimage” revisits …

Hold, Hold, My Heart, Andrew Berthrong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis consists of a traditional introduction followed by a first-person, fictional story told in seven chapters. The story begins with the protagonist in his apartment preparing to write, a brief account of his stalling, and then his beginning to write. Those chapters taking place in the vicinity of the apartment are in the present tense and those relating past adventures are written in third person, one chapter for each adventure: Africa, sailing, and Navajo Mountain. After each adventure, the narration returns to the apartment.

This piece is the embodiment of both the vigorous internal work in search of understanding …

Re-Working Digital Identity/Man As A Metaphor That Escapes Itself, John Schell

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Hues, Tresses, And Dresses: Examining The Relation Of Body Image, Hair, And Clothes To Female Identity In Their Eyes Were Watching God And I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Alisha Priolo Castaneda

Masters Theses

Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings convey powerful relations between body image, hair, and clothes. Because a proper understanding of the theory of womanism provides a basis for comprehending the African American female's relation to herself and the world around her, a working definition and description of the term and its general significance to African American critical theory is provided in chapter two. The third chapter focuses on the general topic of body image in relation to black female identity and includes a more specific analysis of the …

Movement Without Motion: The Rhetoric Of Conservative Counter-Claims To Global Warming Theory, William Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

Many U.S. conservatives view government mandates to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as a threat to the economy of the developed world. Conservative think tanks have adopted a common rhetoric to instill doubt about proposed mandates in the minds of elected officials, the media, and the public. Using a survey of the websites of 14 conservative think tanks, this thesis analyzes counter-claims to global warming theory to identify rhetorical artifacts that typically characterize conservative responses to issues, and to show how rhetorical theory can help anticipate the nature of such responses. The research identifies unifying speech codes – such as …

Why We Love Dusk, Scott C. Kratochvil

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is a collection of original poems written at the University of Nebraska while studying literature. The introductory essay briefly explores what "truth" might mean at this time in history and whether or not we can do without it. The poems that follow are arranged like a chapbook so that they might influence each other and affect a reader together in ways that they could not otherwise.

It's Always Somebody's Paris: An Examination Of Place In Nonfiction Writing, Jessica Sculthorpe

Theses and Dissertations

IT’S ALWAYS SOMEBODY’S PARIS: AN EXAMINATION OF PLACE IN NONFICTION WRITING By Jessica E. Sculthorpe This thesis examines the importance of place in nonfiction writing, using both the author’s personal experience as a student in Paris and the writings of other Americans in Paris, including members of the Lost Generation. The first two chapters examine the author’s experience as a young student in Paris. The third and fourth chapters contain the author’s reflection on the process of writing the thesis and an examination of the ways in which other writers have written about Paris in their own nonfiction writing.

Satirizing Society: The Dangers Of Dressing The Part, Tia Hensley

Undergraduate Research Conference

The eighteenth century in England conjures up stately images of high society, gay balls, frequent entertainment, and a heavy emphasis upon social conduct and propriety. In reality, however, the people of that time lived much varied degrees of this lifestyle,dependant greatly upon the social standing into which they were born. Not surprisingly, those writing in the eighteenth century often dealt with issues regarding the social classes. One such writer was the eighteenth century female novelist, Frances Burney. As a woman writing in a time strongly characterized by its patriarchal nature, Burney also offers a uniquely feminine critique of her life …

Narrative Distance In The Works Of George Gordon, Lord Byron, And Jonathan Swift, Or "A Digression In Praise Of Digressions", Samantha M. Cash, E. Derek Taylor Ph.D.

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis reviews and discusses narrative distance in the works of George Gordon, Lord Byron, and Jonathan Swift or “A Digression in Praise of Digressions.” Byron takes on multiple roles in his poetry. Swift provided Byron a model for how to negotiate the boundaries of fictional self-fashioning and biographical revelation. Bryon’s technique of presenting a version of himself while simultaneously maintaining narrative distance is a distinct characteristics of Swift’s work. The thesis adapts to an important fact in that Byron, although writing in the age of Romanticism, significantly and unflinchingly sought distance between himself and Romantic figures.

Unravelling The Rebozo: The Effects Of Power On The Body In Sandra Cisneros’S Caramelo, Guadalupe V. Linares

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is a literary, cultural, and theoretical analysis of Sandra Cisneros’s novel Caramelo. Caramelo traces the coming-of-age of its young protagonist, Celaya. Through this character, Cisneros reveals the impact of living between cultures. Born of a Mexican immigrant father and a working-class Mexican American mother, Celaya finds herself asked to choose sides. Celaya’s grandmother, Soledad, is the central secondary character on whom all others react. She embodies the effects of colonialism on this family. Through Soledad’s struggles, readers come to see the psychological damage caused by power relationships that privilege part of the self over the whole. In combination …

Mythology Redefined: A Creative Thesis, Tracy Carlin

English Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Tent For The Sun, David Mcfarlane

English Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Anxiety De La Historia: Understanding The Roots Of Spanglish In The Texts Of Junot Díaz, Kelsey A. Shanesy

English Honors Projects

In exploring Junot Díaz’s use of Spanglish, I propose that Díaz is driven by the anxiety of history—a phenomenon similar to the anxiety of influence, as articulated by Harold Bloom, but which focuses on the role of the Latino minority in this postmodern moment. I compare Díaz’s texts to Piri Thomas’s autobiography Down These Mean Streets, one of the original texts to utilize Spanglish, and Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed, a satirical novel about minority culture. Díaz’s vision of a future, Spanglish-speaking America is revealed to be the ultimate outcome of the anxiety of history’s influence on Díaz.

Passing Through The Impasse: The Figure Of Aporia In The Works Of Coleridge, Tennyson, And Stevens, Matthew Vetter

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Humanities at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Matthew Vetter on April 16, 2010.

J.R.R. Tolkien's "Leaf By Niggle": An Allegory In Transformation, Marie Nelson

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

Nelson demonstrates that Tolkien’s allegorical short story, “Leaf by Niggle,” owes a debt to the medieval play Everyman as its primary spiritual ancestor, and discusses changes Tolkien makes to its message in the light of concepts he developed in “On Fairy-stories,” along the way touching on the differences between works meant for performance and silent reading.

Phantastical Regress: The Return Of Desire And Deed In Phantastes And The Pilgrim's Regress, Jeffrey Bilbro

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

Examines the close link between George MacDonald’s Phantastes and C.S. Lewis’s first post-conversion fiction The Pilgrim's Regress, born out of the “baptism” of Lewis’s imagination by MacDonald’s seminal work. Both feature pairings of seekers initially led by desire with knight-like figures, and takes the characters through journeys with many important parallels, including learning lessons showing that desire and deed must work in harmony to bring about successful spiritual quests.

"Dwarves Are Not Heroes": Antisemitism And The Dwarves In J.R.R. Tolkien's Writing, Rebecca Brackmann

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

This challenging paper on mythology in Tolkien’s depiction of Dwarves brings some much-needed definition to the ongoing discussion of Tolkien and race. Quotes China Miéville’s observation that “racism is true” in Tolkien’s works, “in that people really are defined by their race,” but demonstrates how Tolkien’s conception of the racial characteristics of Dwarves changed over his lifetime. Yet we come back in the end to the inescapable fact, with all its implications, that the Dwarves continue to have a set of recognizable racial characteristics.

Editorial, Janet Brennan Croft

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

No abstract provided.

The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell? Philip Pullman, C.S. Lewis, And The Fantasy Tradition, Marek Oziewicz, Daniel Hade

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

Closely scrutinizes Pullman’s frequent denials of his quite obvious debt to C.S. Lewis, finding the hidden nuances in Pullman’s statements by separating out his responses to Lewis as a reader, author, and critic. The inescapable conclusion is that not only is Pullman writing classic fantasy, he is in close agreement with Lewis on many points as a reader and critic.

C.S. Lewis's "The Meteorite" And The Importance Of Context, Joe R. Christopher

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

Contrasts two readings of C.S. Lewis’s poem “The Meteorite”: first reading and explicating it out of context in the Formalistic manner, and then demonstrating the added layer of meaning gained by considering its use as the envoi to Miracles, and the implications this has for Formalistic critical approaches to literature.

Fairy And Elves In Tolkien And Traditional Literature, Helios De Rosario Martínez

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

Explores the linguistic heritage of the terms elf and fairy, and shows how Tolkien eventually adapted them for his own purposes. Discusses the indistinguishable nature of early folkloric references to elves and dwarves, and how Tolkien picked out the characteristics he wished to use for his elves to suit the purposes of his stories.

Rethinking Shylock's Tragedy: Radford's Critique Of Anti-Semetism In The Merchant Of Venice, Frank P. Riga

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

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is not usually thought of as one of his more mythically resonant plays (aside from the Belmont casket scene), yet it is ultimately based on prevailing contemporary Christian myths about Jews and the way these myths defined Christians’ beliefs about themselves. This paper examines film director Michael Radford’s masterful use of myths and symbolism in his production of this play. Includes a reproduction of a painting which Radford duplicates in the final scene of the film, resolving the multiple themes of the play.

Totemic Reflexes In Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Yvette Kisor

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

A close look at Tolkien’s incorporation of traces of shamanism and totemism in his depiction of Gandalf and other characters; yet another indication of how Tolkien created historical depth in his tales by reproducing the way traces of early mythic and religious themes survive in later tales and folklore.

The Voice Of Saruman: Wizards And Rhetoric In The Two Towers, Jay Ruud

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

Examines one aspect of Tolkien’s wizards—their skill in the art of rhetoric. Provides a useful exercise in recognizing fallacious reasoning in persuasive speech by defining and demonstrating classical rhetorical methods employed by Saruman and Gandalf.

Reviews, David Bratman, Joe R. Christopher, Edith L. Crowe, Kim Coleman Healy, David D. Oberhelman, Richard Tuerk

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

Where the Shadows Lie: A Jungian Interpretation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Pia Skogemann. Reviewed by Edith L. Crowe.

Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story. Evan I. Schwartz. Reviewed by Richard Tuerk.

Out of My Bone: The Letters of Joy Davidman. Ed. Don W. King. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

Collected Poems. Mervyn Peake, edited with an introduction by R.W. Maslen. Reviewed by David Bratman.

C.S. Lewis on the Final Frontier: Science and the Supernatural in the Space Trilogy. Sanford Schwartz. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

Death and Fantasy: Essays on Philip …

The Shire Quest: The 'Scouring Of The Shire' As The Narrative And Thematic Focus Of The Lord Of The Rings, David M. Waito

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

Urges us to take a step back from the well-known and thoroughly examined Ring Quest in The Lord of the Rings and consider its frame, the beginning and ending chapters set in the Shire, as representing an important Quest in their own right. The ‘Shire Quest’ is ultimately seen as the real focus of the book, with the ‘Ring Quest’ providing the necessary maturing experiences that allow the hobbits to succeed in reclaiming their homeland.

What Humans Sound Like, Lauren Browning

English Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Only Dull Readers Escape: Navigating Contextual Frames In Stephen Crane's The Black Riders, Andrew Dorkin, Michael Theune, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.