English Language and Literature Commons^™

Call For Submissions: Volume 73: Issue 2

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 6, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 6, Issue 2 (Fall 1987), continues its dedication to showcasing a diverse array of literary voices through poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. Although this issue is labeled as Volume 6, Issue 1 within the journal itself, it is officially recognized as Volume 6, Issue 2 in the Nebo archive. Featuring contributions from writers such as John Gery, H.L. Hix, and Katharyn Machan Aal, this issue explores themes of war, memory, identity, and the craft of storytelling. Highlights include poetic reflections on personal and historical trauma, introspective explorations of human relationships, and critical essays on contemporary literary works. …

Volume 6, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 6, Issue 1 (Spring 1987), continues its tradition of showcasing a rich array of literary voices through poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. This issue presents a mix of evocative storytelling and thought-provoking verse, featuring works by authors such as Grace Cash, Jim Finley, and Paul Lake. The selections engage with themes of history, place, love, and existential reflection, capturing both the personal and the universal. With its roots in Arkansas Tech University, Nebo remains a vibrant platform for emerging and established writers, offering a compelling collection of creative expression.

Volume 5, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 5, Issue 1 (Spring 1986), showcases a diverse range of literary works, including poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. This issue features compelling short stories that explore themes of identity, memory, and transformation, while the poetry selections capture moments of personal and collective experience. Highlights include works by Jack Butler, Marian Motley-Carcache, and other contributors, as well as critical reviews of contemporary literary works. Published by Arkansas Tech University, Nebo continues its tradition of providing a platform for emerging and established writers.

Volume 4, Issues 1 & 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 4, Issues 1 & 2 (Spring 1985), represents another milestone in Arkansas Tech University’s biannual literary journal, continuing its tradition of publishing exceptional poetry, fiction, and literary reviews. This double issue brings together a wide array of voices, styles, and themes, reflecting both the emerging and established literary talents that Nebo seeks to amplify.

This edition features works from a diverse lineup of writers, including Barbara Eckstein, Jack Butler, Janet McCann, Vernon Frazer, Marvin Schwartz, and Daniel Mark-Epstein, among many others. Their works explore human relationships, memory, place, and transformation, offering readers a compelling mix of …

Volume 2, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Fall 1984), continues Arkansas Tech University’s tradition of publishing exceptional poetry and fiction through its biannual literary journal. Edited by students with faculty guidance, this issue features a compelling selection of works that explore themes of memory, transformation, identity, and the intricacies of human experience.

This issue includes poetry and fiction from a diverse group of writers, including John Gery, Wyatt Prunty, Laura McLaughlin, David Mason, and many more. Their works range from deeply personal reflections to broader cultural commentaries, showcasing a wide variety of literary styles.

Additionally, Nebo proudly celebrates the achievements of …

Nebo: Volume 2, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Arkansas Tech University’s literary journal, continues its tradition of showcasing innovative and thought-provoking creative writing in its Spring 1984 issue. This volume brings together poetry, fiction, and essays from a diverse range of voices, reflecting the evolving landscape of contemporary literature. Featuring work from both emerging and established writers, this issue delves into themes of memory, transformation, and the human condition. Readers will discover a collection rich with narrative depth, poetic experimentation, and critical literary discourse. As Nebo enters its second volume, it reaffirms its role as a space for artistic expression and literary excellence.

Nebo: Volume 1, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Fall 1983 edition of Nebo (Volume 1, Issue 2) continues the journal’s commitment to showcasing compelling poetry and fiction that push the boundaries of literary expression. This issue brings together a diverse collection of works, exploring themes of human experience, memory, relationships, and artistic interpretation. With contributors ranging from emerging to established voices, the selections in this issue offer a wide spectrum of poetic lyricism and narrative depth. Featuring works from Lawrence Millman, Warren Hope, Turner Cassity, and many others, this volume engages with the complexities of storytelling and the power of the written word.

As Nebo maintains its …

Nebo: Volume 1, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo Literary Journal is a dynamic collection of contemporary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction that highlights emerging voices in literature. Curated by Arkansas Tech University, this issue features a diverse range of storytelling, lyrical expression, and thought-provoking essays that explore themes of identity, human connection, and the power of narrative. With contributions from talented writers across genres, Nebo serves as a creative space for literary exploration and artistic expression. Whether through evocative poetry or compelling short stories, this issue invites readers to immerse themselves in the richness of modern literature.

The Metaphysics Of Frank Herbert's Dune And God Emperor Of Dune: On Time And Language, Garrett J. Busshart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies the metaphysics of time and rhetoric in the science fiction novels Dune (1963) and God Emperor of Dune (1981) by Frank Herbert. The first chapter critiques the protagonist’s sense of temporality, an ideology in which the future consists of multiple possible choices while each decision of one forecloses a still larger set. Jean-Pierre Dupuy calls this a “supermarket” model of temporality, as if the future were a contingent-free menu of possibilities a subject is free to pick between. My assertion is that this sense of temporality—the Western norm—matches the protagonist’s, Paul Atreides’s, rhetoric. In disclosing Paul’s sense …

Wizard, Demon, Cat; Reformer, Satanist, Bureaucrat: A Diachronic Analysis Of Three Modes Of Sauron In The Legendarium In Light Of The Book Of Lost Tales, Cameron Bourquein

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper argues that Sauron is a metatextual shape-shifter. Through diachronic analysis it identifies and charts three distinct “modes” of Sauron coexisting in Tolkien’s legendarium. While Sauron’s most robust First Age appearance (in the tale of Beren and Lúthien) remained relatively unchanged from his introduction in the 1920s until Tolkien’s death, Sauron’s role in the Legendarium expanded significantly across Tolkien’s lifetime as Sauron became the primary antagonist of two additional Ages of Middle-earth. Some of the evolutions that accompanied this expansion are not retroactively reflected in the tales already written, hence these “modes” of Sauron could be said to remain …

“Time Is Our Only Ally!”: Indigenous Heroism And Native Slipstream In Turok, Son Of Stone, Justin Wigard

Heroism Science

In this article, I draw on Frederick Luis Aldama’s framework of Graphic Indigeneity to revisit the long history of an Indigenous hero figure in comics: Turok, a pre-Columbian Mandan warrior lost in a prehistoric space known as the Lost Valley. First appearing in Dell’s Four Color Comics #596 (1954), Turok has appeared throughout comics history for nearly 70 years, primarily written and drawn by white creative teams, yet a visually, narratively prominent Indigenous hero in the comics page, one who has periodically been a top-selling popular character in the comics industry. To this end, I argue that Turok is a …

“Walk No More In The Shadows, But Awake!”: Faramir’S Journey From Family Dysfunction And Grief To The Intimate Space In J.R.R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, Rachel Crane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Examines Faramir's relationships--namely with Denethor, Boromir, and Éowyn--and role in Gondor via Yi-Fu Tuan's intimate space lens.

Negotiating Home In The Long Poem: Amatoritsero Ede’S Transpatiality, Mathias Iroro Orhero

Faculty Publications

In this paper, I argue that Amatoritsero Ede uses the long poem to negotiate the idea of home in an African diasporic context. As a form that carries the implications of length, time, and space, the long poem has been used by poets to interrogate the way we structure the world and to deconstruct grand narratives. The figure of the Black immigrant is one that destabilizes grand narratives of nationalism. This makes the form important in its capacity to ask important questions about nation and tradition even as it transgresses them. As a writer from the Niger Delta, a marginal …

Marking Their Sacrifice: Headstones And History For Usct Veterans In Jacksonville, Florida, Christian Merkley

Dean's Leadership Council Library Research Prize

The project’s aim is to consolidate military and pension records to identify and honor United States Colored Troops (USCT) by providing them headstones for their unmarked graves.

These soldiers fought for the Union in the Civil War in 1863 and 1864. They were almost always denied pensions during their lifetimes. One notable case is William Johnson, who was denied five times, only for his family to receive the pension posthumously.

We are working to establish a memorial site on the Jacksonville University campus. Currently, our main goal is to secure military headstones for these soldiers, many of whom were buried …

Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) (1741-1821) An Annotated Bibliography Of Her Published Works Together With Biography, Criticism, And Appearances In Fiction (Third Edition), Lisa Berglund Ph.D.

English Department Faculty Publications

There is no such field as “Piozzi Studies”—at least, not yet. For 250 years, scholarship on Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) has been desultory at best and at worst non-existent. Scholars who first undertook to analyze her life or edit her works were generally interested only in her relations with Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. Once feminist scholars began to champion the Bluestocking Circle, of which Mrs. Thrale was a peripheral member, Piozzi’s life and writings came to be taken more seriously. A significant milestone was reached in 2021 with the conference Celebrating Hester Thrale Piozzi (1741–1821). Still, while …

The Monday Manure, Zachary David Berston

Journalism

For my senior project, I wanted to create a new section of Mustang News that includes satire and cartoons. The section is called the Monday Manure to fit with the horse themed titles of other sections. This idea began as a project in the Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship class. While I initially had the idea to have a section that included games, I realized that it was a bit too ambitious after discussing that with the team at Mustang news. Over the course of this project, I have created several satire articles and cartoons, as well as organizing a team …

Monstrous Feminine, Deviant Mother: Tolkien’S Shelob And The Grotesque Maternal, Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s menacing character of Shelob embodies the ultimate danger that faces Frodo on his journey to destroy the Ring of Power. Her actions, in combination with the language that Tolkien uses to describe her, invite the reader to view Shelob with revulsion and horror, designating her as Other. However, Shelob is also undeniably a mother, a term laden with social and cultural expectation. This paper explores Shelob as a representation of what Barbara Creed, in her article “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, has termed the ‘monstrous-feminine’, examining Shelob’s presentation within the text as not only identified as …

Celebrating Tolkien’S Legacy: Essays (2024), By Nancy Bunting, Seamus Hamill-Keays, And Toby Widdicombe, Douglas Charles Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas Charles Kane, of Celebrating Tolkien’s Legacy: Essays (2024), by Nancy Bunting, Seamus Hamill-Keays, and Toby Widdicombe

He Is The Master Of Wood, Water, And Hill: Is Tom Bombadil The True Key Keeper Of The Old Forest?, Noelia Ramos

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tom Bombadil, with his iconic singing―”Hey! Come merry doll! Derry doll and merry-o!―has captivated scholars worldwide, due to the enigmatic nature Tolkien intentionally left unexplained. This deliberate mystery has fuelled extensive debate, leading many to explore possible mythological and cultural frameworks that might decode Bombadil’s origins. Among these hypotheses, a Celtic interpretation has often been dismissed despite its potential relevance. This paper, thereby, seeks to analyse Bombadil’s function within the Old Forest and his interactions with the hobbits during their forest episode, presenting fresh insights into his role as a Celtic-inspired guide and druidic figure.

To support this analysis, primary …

The English Apocalypse: A Fourteenth-Century Translation Of The Book Of Revelation From Columbia University, Ms Plimpton Add. 03, Ethan Campbell

TEAMS Middle English Texts

Before the Wycliffite Bible in the 1380s, one of the only complete books of the Bible to be translated into Middle English was the Book of Revelation. The English Apocalypse, translated from the French sometime in the early 14th century, must have been well known to the later translators, since it appears in 18 extant manuscripts, sometimes alongside Wycliffite material. This edition reproduces, for the first time, a copy of the English Apocalypse, which actually replaced the Book of Revelation at the end of a Wycliffite New Testament. Whether the manuscript compiler simply preferred this version or meant it to …

Reading The Rainbow: Exploring Themes And Identities In Lgbtqia+ Picture Books, Amanda Melilli, Alicia G. Vaandering, James W. Rosenzweig

Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation shares an analysis of over 275 picture books featuring LGBTQIA+ identities, providing evidence that the depiction of queerness in children’s literature is complex and varied. Tools for defining narrative themes and LGBTQIA+ identities will be shared as well as data on queer characters with intersecting identities. By exploring the nuances of LGBTQIA+ representation in picture books, attendees will gain a better understanding of novel research inquiries into representation.

“Where War Is God And God Is War:” Women’S Religious Great War Poetry And Homefront Lines, Faith Ellington

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project seeks to redefine war’s poetic landscape. Through a focus on women’s Great War poetry, I argue against a dichotomous home front | front line poetic barrier and instead explore the intermingling of wartime spaces. Women’s WWI poetry, I argue, exists within a space I call the homefront lines, a space in which women produce writing from their full experiences of war regardless of combatant status. The homefront lines must be included in World War I literary canons in order to fully recognize the humanity of women during wartime and to fully grasp the war’s impact on poetry …

An Illusion Of Choice: An Analysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer's Gender Politic, Katelyn Dunn

JSU Student Symposium 2025

Please note: no video is available for this video.

Male anxieties are the culmination of reactions that men project upon women when the patriarchy is subverted by female means. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer illustrates how patriarchal rule determines the interactions between both men and women by developing complex figures who submit or rebel to the overwhelming societal expectations that dictate the performance of gender. Whereas characters such as Emilye of “The Knight’s Tale” are rewarded for their virtuousness and willingness to obey the demands of masculine society, characters such as the Wife of Bath in “The Wife of …

Media Literacy: College Admissions Standards And Covid-19, Greenlee Orman

JSU Student Symposium 2025

This presentation describes how admission standards have changed after COVID-19 and the impact of those changes for community colleges, four-year universities, and students. Looking at the admission standards for colleges in the State of Alabama pre-COVID, during COVID, and post-COVID-19 to illustrate how the relaxed admission standards have leveled the playing field for all students. Hard work has become the priority over ACT test scores. The focus is more on how the skills learned through the media literacy courses, student events, and resources offered at JSU allows one to develop the skill set to understand what sources are credible and …

Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration Of Bilingual Trauma Expressions, Amira Mahmoud Othman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with …

Antiphons Of Iron And Blood: The Inspirations Of Tolkien's Poetry, Patrick J. Lyon

Journal of Tolkien Research

The new book, The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond, is a fascinating new look into a trove of previously unpublished Tolkien poetry. One of these new poems, “Ferrum et Sanguis,” includes an interesting series of addenda and subtitles written by Tolkien that give insight into the origins and inspirations for the poem. Furthermore, the interpretation given by the editors in their commentary on the poem misses the specific reference and applies it to a different source. The real source for the poem is very likely found in the Advent Vespers of the …

Returning To The Beginning Place: Le Guin’S Forgotten Anti-Fantasy Four Decades On, Timothy S. Miller

UKL: The Journal of Ursula K. Le Guin Studies

Ursula K. Le Guin's 1980 portal fantasy The Beginning Place has received a fraction of the critical attention that most of her other novels have attracted over the years. This short book's many enigmas, often structured by self-consciously Jungian symbolism, are best understood as operating in service not to a strict Jungian framework, but rather to a broader metafictional evaluation of fantasy and an articulation of Le Guin's own preferred approach to the reading and interpretation of fantasy. At times, The Beginning Place moves beyond meta-fantasy to become an anti-fantasy that does not shy from critiquing some dimensions of both …

The Mirror Of Desire Unbidden: Retrieving The Imago Dei In Tolkien And Late Medieval English Literature (2024) By Giovanni Carmine Costabile, Łukasz Neubauer

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book Review, by Łukasz Neubauer, of The Mirror of Desire Unbidden: Retrieving the Imago Dei in Tolkien and Late Medieval English Literature (2024) by Giovanni Carmine Costabile

How Do Literary And Cinematic Monsters Reveal The Fear Of The Instability Or Distortion Of Human Identity?, Arya Kc

CAFE Symposium 2025

Throughout history, monsters have both disturbed and captivated humanity. Initially defined by their grotesque physical forms, monsters have evolved to symbolize deeper psychological fears, often reflecting the instability or distortion of human identity. This project examines the shifting portrayal of monstrosity in literature and film, focusing on works like Frankenstein, Dracula, and Alien. By blurring the line between human and monstrous, these stories reveal the fragility of human identity and expose our profound fears of psychological and existential instability, challenging us to confront what it truly means to be human.