Modern Literature Commons^™

Courageous Cuentos Production Spring 2019

CouRaGeouS Cuentos: A Journal of Counternarratives

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

CouRaGeouS Cuentos: A Journal of Counternarratives

No abstract provided.

The Disenchantment Of History And The Tragic Consciousness Of Chinese Postmodernity, Alberto Castelli

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Magic Realism brings fantastic events into the frame of the narration. Yet it cannot quite be defined. At the very start of the process of definition, there is a question: Magic Realism is a mode of narration, or rather a post-colonial movement rising sociological issues alternative to the logic of power? The paper parallels and juxtaposes Latin American Magic Realism and the literary experience of Chinese literary Avant-garde in the 80s, similar apocalyptic thematic, but different narrative structures. Relating to the fictional universe of Can Xue and Yu Hua, the aim is to illuminate an exclusive mode to narrate history: …

Kentuckiana, And A Dash Of Cambodia: A Collection Of Short Stories, Brodie Lee Gress

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The following is a collection of five short stories set in regions familiar to me: “Dewberry Park,” “YouLead,” and “The Color Violet” in Indiana; “Mens Rea” in Kentucky; and “Tory Ride” in Cambodia. Gay identity plays a role in many of these stories, and other themes explored include family, region, socioeconomics, gender, mentality, and change. These stories are concerned with people on the brink, failing and surviving all the same. Some of them are intended to weigh, and some to satirize. I hope they all nick their readers.

Imitation And Creation: Bing Xin’S Fanxing (A Maze Of Stars) 繁星And Chunshui (Spring Water) 春水, Xiaoqing Liu

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Fanxing (A Maze of Stars) and Chunshui (Spring Water) are two poetry collections of modern Chinese woman writer Bing Xin (1900–1999). Because they stand at the beginning of a new genre, xiaoshi (short poetry), and are commonly regarded as representative works of this genre, people use the epithets “Bing Xin style,” “Fanxing style,” or “Chunshui style” to refer to xiaoshi writing. Nevertheless, viewed from their intimate relationship with Rabindranath Tagore’s Stray Birds, I argue that Fanxing and Chunshui are products of both imitation and creation. Imitation is not plagiarism. Dryden defines imitation as a form …

Explaining The Vampire Legend Through Disease, Cydney J. Christner

Undergraduate Research Journal

Vampires have continually been depicted in literary and cinematic works as pale, undead human beings that consume the blood of the living .^4,7,19 Evidence that vampires were a part of culture before they grew in fiction has been observed in ancient burial rituals known as apotropaic observances, which consisted of practices to prevent evil.⁸ Excavation of a cemetery in Poland dated between the 17^th and 18^th centuries uncovered several abnormal burials in which apotropaic practices were used. These burials included sickles placed over the neck or abdomen of the deceased, large stones placed under the chin …

Teatro, Ciencia Ficción Y Distopía En La España Tardofranquista: Sodomáquina (1970), De Carlo Frabetti, Miguel Carrera Garrido

Alambique. Revista académica de ciencia ficción y fantasía / Jornal acadêmico de ficção científica e fantasía

La ciencia ficción no es uno de los géneros más practicados en el teatro español del siglo XX. Ello no obsta para que exista algún que otro título merecedor de atención y estudio. El presente artículo se centra en Sodomáquina, del italiano afincado en España Carlo Frabetti (Bolonia, 1945). Publicada en 1970 en las revistas especializadas –en ciencia ficción y en teatro, respectivamente– Nueva Dimensión y Yorick, constituye uno de los más dignos intentos de aclimatar el género en las tablas, con todo su potencial imaginativo y discursivo. En nuestro análisis, valoramos su condición de distopía crítica, …

How Dumbledore Saved Europe: A Comparison Of Fascist Rhetoric In European History And In The Harry Potter Franchises, Emma Pederson, Natalie Rice

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

In recent years, the popularity of the Harry Potter franchise has seen a resurgence with the release of the first two Fantastic Beasts films and accompanying screenplays. As parallels have been drawn between Voldemort’s Death Eaters and Nazis, it is time to examine the relationship between Gellert Grindelwald and real-life fascists. Through such a comparison, we can see common rhetoric in both real and fictional fascism.

Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore have not only a Nazi-like goal of racial purity, but employ Nazi-like language to defend themselves. Related fascist rhetoric is woven throughout other European history, particularly in the dialogues …

The Redemptive Qualities Of Gottfried Von Cramm, Reinhard Andress

Modern Languages and Literatures: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Beetle, Monty Reid

The Goose

Poetry by Monty Reid.

James Joyce Run: Why Are We On The Move Again If It's A Fair Question?, Barry Sheehan

Academic Articles

I write a blog www.jj21k.com which looks at the works of James Joyce, the environment which he wrote about and changes that have taken place since he wrote about them. The blog posts are predominantly about Dublin.

During a time of injury, instead of running I was able to cycle. This blogpost describes the journey James Joyce made through houses in Dublin that he lived in whilst growing up. This is paralleled with a cycle I made and narrative I wrote.

You can see more background information and other posts on www.jj21k.com.

Posthuman Heroes, Joanna Pascoe

Heroism Science

This article explores whether narrative texts may help learners grapple with what it means to be human or indeed posthuman in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) world inclusive of biotechnology and developing artificial intelligence (AI). Narratives with a posthuman hero may provide access to a post-anthropocentric view described by Braidotti (2016) as life-force egalitarianism inclusive of all human, non-human, geo, cross-species, and transversal alliances. Definitions are broad – narrative includes novels, film, television series, visual art; hero is beyond gender, accessible and encompassing all with life force; posthumanism refers to popular culture and critical theory, with links to transhumanism. …

Hawk On Wire: Ecopoems By Scott T. Starbuck, Vivian M. Hansen

The Goose

Review of Scott T. Starbuck’s Hawk on Wire: Ecopoems

For The Wild: Ritual And Commitment In Radical Eco-Activism By Sarah M. Pike, Alda Balthrop-Lewis

The Goose

Review of Sarah M. Pike's For the Wild: Ritual and Commitment in Radical Eco-Activism

Looking At Shadows: Four French Texts In English Translation, Kalena M. Hermes

World Languages and Cultures

This project present four French texts in English translation that share the theme of loss. This theme is perhaps one of the most poignant and relevant; loss is an experience that every human will encounter, and as people we continue across time to grapple with what it means for us and how to deal with it. These four texts will bring the perspectives of four authors to light in English. When we study how other countries and cultures deal with common human issues, we are able to gain new views on these issues. This project will make these texts accessible …

Review Of Song For The Unraveling Of The World, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Creando Cultura A Través De La Comida: Un Cuento De La Perseverancia Y El Ingenio Cubano, Gabriel Hatcher

World Languages and Cultures

This project analyzes the cultural impacts of Cuban culinary history starting with the 16th-century Spanish colonization. Cuba is an incredible case example for culinary adaptations due to its tumultuous history of population demographic shifts, political uprisings, and economic downturns. I will begin by analyzing the culinary shifts brought about the importation of African and Asian workers associated with the sugar cane industry. I then discuss the impact of the fall of the Batista government and the rise of the Cuban Revolutionary government. The Revolutionary government brought about standardization of available ingredients and helped popularize specific Cuban dishes until the fall …

Dramatizing The Void: Crime Fiction's Journey To Forgetting, Kylene N. Cave

Andrews Research Conference

Scholars often cite the transition from the golden age to the hardboiled tradition in the 1920s and 1930s as the most radical shift in crime fiction. By 1945, crime stories regularly exhibited destabilized language, increased interest in psychology of the mind, and a blatant rejection of conclusive endings as a means of exploring the unreliable nature of memory and eye-witness testimony. Whereas the crime fiction narratives preceding 1945 embodied a clear sense of logic and order, and established hermeneutics and signifying practices as the keys to unlocking the mysteries behind human behavior; post-45 crime fiction not only rejects these notions, …

John Gardner’S Grendel: The Importance Of Community In Making Moral Art, Catherine C. Cooper

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

John Gardner’s Grendel examines the ways in which humans make meaning out of their lives. By changing the original Beowulf monster into a creature who constantly questions the conflicting narratives set before him, Gardner encourages us to confront these tensions also. However, his emphasis on Grendel’s alienation helps us realize that community is essential to creating meaning. Most obviously, community creates relationships that foster a sense of moral obligation between its members, even in the face of the type of uncertainty felt by Grendel. Moreover, community cannot exist without dialogue, which perpetually stimulates the imagination to respond to the tensions …

“To Be Men, Not Destroyers”: Developing Dabrowskian Personalities In Ezra Pound’S The Cantos And Neil Gaiman’S American Gods, Michelle A. Nicholson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Kazimierz Dabrowski’s psychological theory of positive disintegration is a lesser known theory of personality development that offers an alternative critical perspective of literature. It provides a framework for the characterization of postmodern protagonists who move beyond heroic indoctrination to construct their own self-organized, autonomous identities. Ezra Pound’s The Cantos captures the speaker-poet’s extensive process of inner conflict, providing a unique opportunity to track the progress of the hero’s transformation into a personality, or a man. American Gods is a more fully realized portrayal of a character who undergoes the complete paradigmatic collapse of positive disintegration and deliberate self-derived self-revision …

The Color Of Invisibility, Bryan A. Vanmeter

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an analysis of Ralph Ellison’s use of color terminology in his novel, Invisible Man. By taking an in depth look at the circumstances in which Ellison uses specific color terms, the reader can ascertain the author’s thoughts on various historical events, as well as the differences between characters in the novel such as Ras, Dr. Bledsoe, and Rinehart.

Secret Selves: Surveillance And Twentieth-Century African American Literature, Kelsey Kiser

English Theses and Dissertations

Black writers, thinkers, and artists found themselves on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s watch list for radicalism and sedition as early as 1919. Secret Selves explores how twentieth-century African American writers, namely Claude McKay, Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Ishmael Reed, and Gloria Naylor responded to a surveillance state that monitored their lives and works for radicalism and sedition. By recrafting the African American künstlerroman—a genre that birthed the African American literary tradition—these writers embedded codes into their works that concealed personal details from Bureau agents and simultaneously articulated a new narrative: that to be black and to …

Does Money Indeed Buy Happiness? “The Forms Of Capital” In Fitzgerald’S Gatsby And Watts’ No One Is Coming To Save Us, Allie Harrison Vernon

English (MA) Theses

Looking primarily at two critically acclaimed texts that concern themselves with American citizenship—F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Stephanie Powell Watts’ No One is Coming to Save Us—I analyze the claims made about citizenship identities, rights, and consequential access to said rights. I ask, how do these narratives about citizenship sustain, create, or re-envision American myth? Similarly, how do the narratives interact with the dominant culture at large? Do any of these texts achieve oppositional value, and/or modify the complex hegemonic structure? I use Pierre Bourdieu’s “The Forms of Capital” to investigate the ways in which economic, cultural, …

To Speak Ghosts And See Echoes: Longing In Lolita, Emily Aucompaugh

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

Underneath the plot of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, which focuses on the musings of a pedophile and murderer who attempts to “confess” actions and impulses of which he feels no guilt, a secondary motif emerges of a man motivated, guided, and consumed by longing, which he cannot assuage due his fixation of desire on a subject that does not exist. Longing embodies Humbert’s greatest joy and deepest pain, a feeling of anxiety and anticipation which eclipses the necessity of completion. Lolita invokes longing, the desire towards absent things, in two ways. Firstly, Nabokov alludes to a cornucopia of other poetic, …

Under The Bridge - Vol. 4, Issue 1 (Spring 2019), Tim Hendrickson

Under the Bridge

1 - Dr. Clay Carson - Convocation, 2018:

Our Shared Calling Special Section: 24 Hour Theatre

5 - James Beyer - Lucky Stars / 11 - Dr. Mark Peters - Group Work / 17 - Leah Taylor - The Old Man Who Never Slept

Poetry: 23 - Marissa Buhman - The Tangled Road of Art (Heart) / 24 - Alexis De Vries - November 15th / 25 - Alexis De Vries - Let’s Be Mermaids / 26 - Professor Christine Scholma - Stripped Down / 27 - Cassidy Buss - Fly on the Wall / 28 - Cassidy Buss - …

Review Of The History Of Living Forever, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Coming To Terms With Gonzo Journalism : An Analysis In Russian Formalism., Beau Kilpatrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gonzo journalism is notoriously difficult to define because of its ambiguous nature. To date, scholarly definitions focus on historical interpretations of Gonzo’s content, its connection to social and political contexts, or the biography of Hunter S. Thompson. These definitional attempts neglect the formal devices of the composition. This thesis aims to redefine Gonzo as its own genre by using the nearly forgotten methods of Russian formalism—specifically the works of Victor Shklovsky, Vladimir Propp, and Boris Tomashevsky—to analyze the formal devices and components of its form. The results are twofold; first, it acts to rejuvenate an unpopular literary theory by illustrating …

“Whispers Out Of Time”: Memorializing (Self-) Portraits In The Work Of 
John Berryman, John Ashbery, Anne Carson, And Nan Goldin, Andrew D. King

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis documents four distinct post-WWII North American writers and artists—the poet John Berryman, the poet John Ashbery, the classicist and writer Anne Carson, and the photographer Nan Goldin—who expanded traditional definitions and practices of portraiture. Their works—The Dream Songs, “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror,” Nox, and The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (and “The Cookie Portfolio”)—developed new ways of representing human subjectivity and the self that integrated the influences of Romanticism, Modernism and Postmodernism, but were not defined by these movements. In an era when notions of autonomous art and human identity became fractured, they picked up the …

Transfigurations Of The News: True Fictions, Strange Thresholds, Jeffrey Peer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation compares twentieth-century literary journalism from the U.S. and Mexico, with a focus on the nonfiction novel and the Mexican chronicle. The dissertation considers the two genres both historically and theoretically, in order to distinguish the borders between literature and unscrupulous journalism. North American journalism is at the heart of a crisis over the epistemological status of facts and their place in our political discourse. Some have argued that works of literary nonfiction can damage social norms like journalistic objectivity. Others argue that forms like the chronicle and the nonfiction novel can describe experience better than news reports. This …

The Subject Of Jouissance: The Late Lacan And Gender And Queer Theories, Frederic C. Baitinger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Subject of Jouissance argues that Lacan’s approach to psychoanalysis, far from being heteronormative, offers a notion of identity that deconstructs gender as a social norm, and opens onto a non-normative theory of the subject (of jouissance) that still remains to be fully explored by feminist, gender, and queer scholars. Drawing mostly on the later Lacan, The Subject of Jouissance shows that by locating the identity of the subject in the singularity of its bodily mode of enjoyment (that Lacan calls “jouissance”), and not in the Imaginary illusions of the ego, nor in the Symbolic social structures, Lacan fosters thinking …