English Senior Honors Theses (MU): Recent submissions
Now showing items 21-40 of 93
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Loudly Lydia: a look at the modern Lydia Bennet in “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” and what she implies about Austen in contemporary social debates
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)Pride and Prejudice has captivated audiences for nearly two centuries and its adaptations have given insight to Austen's social commentary in each generation. When The Lizzie Bennet Diaries premiered in 2012, the Bennet ... -
A soldier's world
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)Historical fiction as a genre inherently contains both truth and falsities. While the falsities are a natural consequence of any piece of fiction, the truth held within a novel can exhibit the values of the writer and the ... -
The yanks are coming
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)As a young middle schooler growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri I had the opportunity to watch a performer whose specialty was keeping several china plates spinning on poles simultaneously. The performer would rush to ... -
Bats in the high culture belfry : presentations of madness in Euripidean and Shakespearean tragedy
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)Crazy is a word that is taken lightly and tossed around in everyday conversation. You call a parent breaking out in screaming fits over a youth soccer game crazy. You call the elderly woman single-handedly causing a ... -
Becoming majestic : theater and the paradox of individuality in the House of the Seven Gables
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)Most of the criticism on the writings of Hawthorne focus on his family, religion, and class. Each of these themes has a direct connection to Hawthorne's life: his ancestors were involved in the Salem Witch Trials, something ... -
Time, prolepsis, & narrative voice in the construction of linked short fiction : an examination of Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)Prolepsis is a writing technique that reveals future events in the context of the present narrative. On its most basic level, it allows the reader a glimpse into the future without causing significant disruption to the ... -
All quiet on the disillusioned front : the effects of World War II on American literature
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2018)World War II created a noticeable cultural shift across the globe, the effects of which are still being felt today. What needs to be addressed is that an entire ocean separated one of the major contributors to the war—the ... -
Romantic friendships in Shirley and Wives and daughters
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice is an often quoted phrase ... -
Behind the blue shutters
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)Throughout western history, people feared what they did not know; anything considered different made society feel uncomfortable. Humans have been conditioned to dislike differences and stay away from them. Because of this, ... -
Rape and censorship in Tess of the D’Urbervilles in the late 1800s
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)In my thesis I argue that the limitations of the publishing environment during the late-Victorian era led Thomas Hardy to practice self-censorship when writing the rape scene in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Though a close ... -
Eliza Haywood unmasks female sexuality in masquerade novels
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)The essence of the masquerade ball is one of secrecy and fantasy. As a uniquely 18th century phenomenon, the masquerade was an environment where one can transform into anything imaginable. One of the most prolific female ... -
The role of the first-person narrator when dealing with mental illness
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)This thesis examines how the first-person narrator alters reader perception in a story about mental illness. The role genre plays with the first-person narrator when talking about mental illness is also important when ... -
Maiden vs. monarch : the roles of Elizabeth I in contemporary depictions
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)People have been creating popular culture depictions of historical figures since forever. We, as a species, love telling stories, especially stories about people whose legacies have lasted for centuries. We create narratives ... -
From Humayun Khan to Kamala Khan : ambivalence towards the Muslim super hero
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)The 2016 Democratic National Convention saw the emergence of an unlikely national hero: Humayun Khan. Khan had passed away long before the Democratic National Convention while on duty as an American soldier in Iraq, but ... -
Fearing the unknown : mental health in current day America
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)Throughout American history, the issue of mental health has ebbed and flowed with importance and acceptance. Even though there is a consistent record of mental illness in history, stigma toward those with mental illnesses ... -
Reimagining history : writing poems about early exploration
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)Historical poetry is a valuable way to engage with the past. It not only allows readers to gain a better understanding of a prior time period, but it also gives them the opportunity to connect with historical figures, ... -
Rewriting the story : videogames within the Post-Gamergate Society
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)Staring through the scope in Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2007), as you navigate through the boggy swamps of some exotic jungle, there is never any doubt that you are in control. The operator's thumbs roll over the toggles ... -
You’ve got mail : epistolography, mapping, and authenticity in early literature of Alexander the Great
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2017)The Alexander Romance is a conglomerate of many different stories and traditions mingling the historical life of Alexander the Great with fantastic legends. It is not wholly historical, but it is also not wholly legendary; ... -
Not a comeback : the persistence of decadence in film noir
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2016)In this thesis, I will argue that the decadent movement survives in twentieth-century America through noir films, or what I refer to as "noir decadence." However, noir films make decadence more accessible to a wider audience ... -
Parody and media literacy in "Nathan For You" and [creative final] "Adrift"
(University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 2016)Concluding paragraph from Parody and media literacy in "Nathan For You": Over three decades after The Simpsons broke onto the primetime scene, Nathan For You harnesses a brand new form of comedy that makes similar use of ...