Matching Items (5)
Description
In fan fiction, fans utilize different elements in an original work and incorporate them into their fanfics; elements such as the characters and setting of an original work are frequently used in fan fiction. A different element is investigated: time travel. The physics behind time travel is not yet understood, so authors have to create their own time travel physics in their works to account for this lack of understanding. Therefore, for fan authors to incorporate time travel into their fanfic, they must study the time travel physics in the original work the same way that characters from an original work are studied. Three original works and three fanfics are examined: the television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and its fanfic "The Fall and Rise of the Alicorn", the Harry Potter book series and its fanfic "Back to the Time of the Unknown", and the webcomic Homestuck and its fanfic "Like a Bug on a Windshield".
ContributorsClark, Michael Robert (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Scott, Suzanne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series has revolutionized the young adult publishing industry. So popular are the Potter books that they have managed to spawn an empire of merchandise, scholarly literature, movies, and even a theme park, suggesting that Harry Potter is more than just a children's book. In fact, The Harry Potter books, although often categorized under children's literature, contain many elements that make a book distinctly young adult; therefore, by conducting a rhetorical analysis of Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, this thesis will delve deeper into the specifics of theme, literary elements, rhetorical devices, plot, marketing, and characterization to analyze, on a basic level, why Rowling's books appeal to so many, and why they are quintessentially young adult.
ContributorsMarshall, Haley Jung Ae (Author) / Hattenhauer, Darryl (Thesis director) / Fazio, Marsha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In this essay we will explore how five female characters are defined as "bad" or "good" girls based on their interaction and relationship with the patriarchal figures of their text. We will be looking at Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia in Shakespeare's King Lear and Bellatrix Lestrange and Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. In order to analyze these five characters in relation to their texts we must first understand what a patriarchal society looks like. Moreover, how a patriarchal society is in the very foundations of both King Lear and the Harry Potter series, which is a result of the culture that each text was published in. By analyzing the actions and words of all five female characters we will be able to see how a patriarchal system is reflected in each text in determining the female characters' fate at the end of those texts.
ContributorsUphoff, Samantha Diane (Author) / Fazio, Marsha (Thesis director) / Mann, Annika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This paper focuses on feudalist structure and values within this system in George R. R. Martin's fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and Shakespeare's play King Richard the Third. The paper is structured into three arguments that focus on different characters from each work. The first argument is focused on Tyrion Lannister and Richard III's deformity, and how they violate feudalist values. This argument ultimately comes to the discussion of whether or not these characters are monstrous and by what values. The second argument is focused on Daenerys Targaryen and Margaret, discussing why both authors give these women a supernatural power. The authors give women these powers because they believe that women should have power. Martin argues that women need to remake the structure, while Shakespeare believes women can change their place in the structure through collective action. The last argument focuses on Petyr Baelish and Richard III, and how they both represent a chaos attacking feudalism. Petyr is a chaos that comes outside the system, exploiting the values of the system, while Richard is a chaos within the system because he violates feudal values, while trying to hold positions where he needs to embody feudalist value. The authors come to different conclusions of what is trying to take down feudalist structure and how this could be fixed. Martin finds feudalism cannot be fixed and that other systems are not much better because they still create violence. Shakespeare comes to the conclusion that feudalism cannot be fixed because people continue to violate its values, so a new system must be put in place.
ContributorsPittaro, James Vincent (Author) / Mann, Annika (Thesis director) / Kirsch, Sharon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In examining the popular culture of the United States today, one would find themselves hard-pressed to avoid mentions of texts and films that fall within the fantasy genre. In fact, many works within this genre find themselves amongst the ranks of the best-selling books and movies of all time (Moor; Harding and Thompson). Outside of their economic success, these stories have become an integral part of American culture. Extending from the domination of the entertainment industry, the characters and stories of the fantasy genre have influenced the collective ideals and perspectives of the United States population. Websites such as DeviantArt and Archive of Our Own serve as testament to how these stories inspire their fans, boasting thousands of pieces of artwork and writing that have been inspired by various fantasy texts and films. Beyond this, characters featured in these stories find themselves being applied elsewhere, ranging from their prevalence in online meme culture to their use during times of political strife. A notable example of this is a photograph of a protestor holding up a large sign boasting the claim that “Dumbledore wouldn’t let this happen,” which later became viral and was posted across several media platforms (whiskey-tango). The importance and impact of the fantasy genre can clearly be seen to take on many forms, and can be observed as playing a larger role than simple entertainment in the lives of the American public. While all of these examples highlight the deeply embedded nature of these tales in popular culture, it begs the question as to how and why these stories got to this status.
ContributorsKrolick, Samantha Rae (Author) / Cruse, Markus (Thesis director) / Fong, Benjamin (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Dean, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05