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Chico
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English
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- Creator:
- Collins, Nathan Joshua
- Description:
- This thesis is built on the assumption that in order to be a serious Thoreau scholar, one must move away from Walden (1854) and read his other works. Walden is, to be sure, Thoreau’s most studied book and remains an iconic example of 19th-century American transcendentalism. As I come to terms with this foundational text, I argue that Walden is a product of Emerson’s influence and mentorship, and as such, is an amalgam of Emersonian and Thoreauvian transcendental aesthetics. Emerson gave Thoreau the raw materials for his philosophical development, but ultimately Walden is an outlier in Thoreau’s progression as a writer. Fundamentally, young Thoreau and his mentor Emerson are divided by an epistemological disagreement the likes of young Aristotle and his mentor Plato. Is knowledge, thereby transcendence, to be found in the experience of nature itself? Or is nature merely a reflection of innate truths, that the physical world must be transcended to glimpse? In order to get at a more true sense of Thoreau’s project, I turn to his final and least studied work, Cape Cod (1865). My position is that Cape Cod is an important transcendental work that deserves further study. As it stands, it is a singularly unique example of American phenomenology. For Thoreau, knowledge is found in the experiential journey toward nature, to see our limits transgressed through consideration of the sublime, but not, in fact, to transgress those limits ourselves. For to transcend the boundaries of the natural world necessitates death, physical and spiritual.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Proctor, Victoria
- Description:
- We are in need of a more subversive reading of past and present literature and film that allows not only for a feminist literary history, but also for a feminist future in which men are more comfortable responding to and accepting women as equal to them and women are more comfortable exercising that equality. I will argue in this thesis that various authors and filmmakers allow for models on how this relationship should exist, as well as cautionary tales for how it should not exist. These models also show how that negotiation between self and state, as well as interpersonal relationships, should be allowed to occur and flourish. By starting at mid-19th century domestic tales and moving forward into modern film and literature, we can track not only the course of where our stories have taken us, but also where we can take them in order to get to where we need to go in the future.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Murphy, Athena
- Description:
- This thesis argues that, in key nineteenth century texts, humor is a means of fostering group identity and a mode of social critique. The chapter “Boundary Maintenance in Early American Humor” looks at humor as a form of boundary maintenance in both Augustus Baldwin Longstreet’s “Character of a Native Georgian” (1835) and Mark Twain’s The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894). In “The Character of a Native Georgian,” humor is primarily an inclusive force, as it is used to promote solidarity within the group and promote assimilation without, while in Pudd’nhead Wilson humor is an exclusive force used to strengthen divides among groups by lending itself to the maintenance of the rigid structures in place that limit social mobility. “Missing the Mark” explores the consequences of humor that fails in some way by looking at two recent, comedic television shows: the Fox News Channel’s news program parody The Half Hour News Hour (2007) and Comedy Central’s sketch comedy program Chappelle’s Show (2003-2006). Both shows had difficulties controlling their audiences’ reaction to their attempts at humor. “‘Inappropriate’ Humor” considers the potential benefits of “inappropriate” humor by looking at an episode of Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s South Park entitled “Death” (1997). There appears to be value in offending audiences, as it invites discussion. The chapter also considers the role satirists play in disrupting the status quo and giving voice to marginalized viewpoints.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Bogan, Geoffrey
- Description:
- This thesis both outlines and tests the limits of a methodology that can be used to make sense of references to certain literary genres as they appear in contemporary narratives. While much of my argument refers to literature, as I will note this methodology is valid in reference to visual narratives as well and perhaps even more relevant. Employing both text world and possible world theory, I analyze Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man and Bharati Mukherjee’s novel The Holder of the World for their references to literary genres that are participating in conversations that additionally exist outside of the texts themselves. By referencing these genres, I argue that the authors are attempting to further a dialogue on certain thematic issues they address beyond their respective narratives. I claim that by engaging in these post-narrative conversations readers are able to better extract meaning from the novels and further their overall comprehension of what is actually taking place. Furthermore, I will address the broad nature of my methodology by discussing how it functions differently depending on medium and application. Citing examples from a variety of genres that aim to step outside both mainstream and academic discourses, I will argue that one’s comprehension of how a reference to a specific genre functions in any given narrative depends on their willingness to trace the initial conversation back to its roots and in some cases reframe the way they approach it. In outlining this methodology, my hope is to provide a new perspective on how academic discourses pertaining to literary genre might effectively navigate the nuances of newly entering conversations that have long existed outside of its realm and their potential reasons for existing as such.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Villaescusa, Sable
- Description:
- Within William Shakespeare’s works the women characters range from being independent and outspoken to submissive and obedient. Throughout the plays, despite their natural personalities, the women are often faced with social institutions that regulate their behavior, which generally forces them to be compliant to the men in their lives. Furthermore, even when they do conform to social standards, there is often a preconceived notion that women are inherently untrustworthy, and in some cases, ironically because of their obedient actions. Primarily, this thesis will focus on the attributes of the women in three plays; Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing. In each play the women are judged based on their actions or regulated to act in a certain way based on societal standards and conceptions about women. My first chapter examines the women in Othello and in particular the impossible positions Desdemona is placed in by being required to be obedient while navigating a divided duty. This forced obedience inevitably sets her up for failure, making her obedient nature the cause of Desdemona’s vulnerable situations. In my second chapter I focus on The Taming of the Shrew and how the male characters dominate the play itself, forcing the women into diminished roles and a compliant nature. The only way women are given power is by acting in a socially acceptable way by exhibiting submission to their male counterparts. The third chapter looks at Much Ado About Nothing and the way deception is a primary theme specifically in regards to the obsession with women’s sexual fidelity. The women then are left defenseless against men’s prejudices; leaving them with no other solution that to maintain patience or a good sense of wit.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Kinkle-Wirz, Amanda L.
- Description:
- Walking the line between historical autobiography and analysis of Communities of Practice and Situated Learning theories, this thesis simultaneously conducts a close examination of my own personal journey in the writing program at California State University, Chico, how my identity shifted, and stories, obtained through interviews, of current faculty members. I examine the transition I made in forming an identity in the University Writing Center, arguing the residue we bring with us from old learning environments and roles can act as an impediment or a productive collection of practices aiding in the creation and negotiation of identities. It can weigh heavily upon you, not allowing you to progress forward, or it can be beneficial practices you have developed over time that can transfer from one community to another. I analyze the mutuality of engagement I experienced as a teaching assistant and a member of the Town Hall Meeting faculty, examining the complications that arise when newcomers and old-timers view each other differently than they view themselves, further complicating the task for newcomers to establish an identity. I attempt to answer the questions: What does it mean if you consider yourself a newcomer when others see and treat you as an old-timer or equal? How does a newcomer gain acceptance in a community of old-timers? I analyze the interview responses of four members of the writing program community to see how they negotiated their identity, what new roles and identities they have taken on in doing the work of the writing program, and see how their past experiences can inform my future choices. In some ways, it acts as an analysis of the program itself and how identity negotiation is left untaught and unspoken.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Haydon, Amanda
- Description:
- The purpose of this research is to observe and document the learning practices of affinity groups known as guilds and their functions within collaborative virtual spaces. This ethnographic study follows a guild known as Acta nøn Verba as they progress during the “Warlords of Draenor” expansion. The primary methodology used when conducting this research included utilizing participant-observation structures to document and analyze the affinity group during the gameplay and conducting semi-structured interviews with members of the guild. The data that was collected while observing the gameplay of the guild illustrated the ways in which affinity groups function within massive virtual spaces like World of Warcraft. Since the scale of this virtual space was so extensive, the researcher relied on Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT) in order to show the relationship between the learning networks that both individual members and the affinity group engaged in, and the central actors that were observed within these networks including language and literacy development, cultural norms, cognitive distribution, digital trust and respect, outside research methods, and the importance of leadership roles. The work that came out of this study has implications for the ways in which affinity groups are structured within virtual spaces, and the ways in which learning practices and literacy are constructed and maintained within these groups.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Arriola, Francisco J.
- Description:
- This study examines the idea of cultural hybridity in the United States by using Brando Skyhorse’s The Madonnas of Echo Park (2010) and Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical novel Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (1982). First, this thesis explores the effects of cultural dislocation of Mexican immigrants and the hybridity of language in the U.S. as it relates to identity. By studying Skyhorse and Rodriguez’s texts we are presented with an examination of Spanglish in the U.S. and how it contributes to a hybrid identity. Also, this thesis examines two films, Spanglish (2004) by James L. Brooks and A Better Life (2011) by Chris Weitz, which contribute to the study of linguistic identity and give us a better understanding of contemporary immigrant experience in America.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Gill, Catherine
- Description:
- The intention of this thesis is to discuss the ideas of narratology in reference to different disciplines, and to show how the topic of narratology moves through to help people develop and understand the world around them. To start the discussion, there will be a literature review that covers the theories around the structure of narrative followed by the cognitive development in making meaning in narrative. These theories will be used to discuss how story and the working memory aid in writing development, how meaning making is derived from classic tales such as Cinderella and lastly, how these different disciplines become tangible in areas like legal discourse.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Sandoval, Nathan
- Description:
- Over the past two years, I have researched the complexities of e-textbooks and how the rise of new digital media has influenced the network of the textbook industry. My research traces various connections and disconnections within this network that affect the educational practices of both student and professors within the university. My findings show a fundamental disconnect between students and the rest of the network of the textbook industry. This disconnect stems from students’ lack of choice and authority in the final textbook product and needs to be understood by educators in order to address student needs. Textbooks have been used for several decades as the primary references for many students and professors/instructors within the university. With Web 2.0, the organization of the used book market, and the proliferation of new digital media, the textbook industry has shifted its approach to the university student market. This shift requires further exploration.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- English