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Repetitions in the Most Popular Works of Mark Twain
This paper is a study of the repetitions in the works of Mark Twain.The author has chosen repetitions which are most nearly alike and most representative of Mark Twain. The study was limited to repetitions of his own experiences repeated in his works, to repetitions of descriptions of the beautiful and the horrible, and to repetitions which are a result of his humor and a desire to save man from himself.
Contemporary Women Poets of Texas
As a teacher of American literature in high school, I have become conscious of the importance of teaching students of that age level the lore and poetry of their native state. Poems of nature or local color in their own country will hold their interest when material from more distant points seems dull and uninteresting. Through my teaching I have become interested in the poetry of the Southwest and have enjoyed reading the poetry and knowing the poets through personal interview or correspondence.
Satire on American Life as Portrayed in the Novels of Sinclair Lewis
Since 1920, Lewis has written only novels in which he has ridiculed the leading phases of American life. He has given an exact picture; he has left no faults uncovered. He loves America and he hates to see her in a state of degeneration. He has tried to appeal to the human side of his public in order to open the eyes of America to her own defects. He has been cynical, satirical, and humorous in his attempt to picture America as she really is. I have chosen the novels that Lewis has written since the year 1920 to show that he has satirized America in her various phases of life. I have not explored the fields of poetry and drama nor the earlier novels; for beginning with Main Street in 1920 and ending with the Prodigal Parents in 1938, Lewis has depicted the faults of a nation struggling for peace and security in a world of materialistic ideals.
The Gothic Elements in Shelley's Writings
The purpose of this thesis is to give a basic understanding of Percy Shelley's introduction to Gothicism and to explore the Gothic elements found within his writings.
Structural and Thematic Development in the Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald
In dealing with the individual works, I have attempted to analyze the structural element first, and then to deduce the novel's meaning, or theme, making use, wherever it is possible, of the results of the analysis of structure. In addition, I have attempted to reveal the development of certain themes from one novel to another, and certain developments in characterization and general design. I have attempted to reveal the relationship of the structure and thematic aspects of the individual works to Fizgerald's work as a whole. Finally, I have attempted to demonstrate Fitzgerald's relationship with certain of this peers and forebears in the American novel.
Plot Structure in the Novels of Mark Twain
Mark Twain was not only a wit but a literary man. He could paint a scene and he could make a character live, but could he plot a novel? It is the purpose of this study to analyze his methods and his products, with emphasis upon the building of plots.
Persons and Places in Mark Twain's Fiction
This paper focuses on Mark Twain's writing style and characterization in his fiction. The settings and characters of his fiction are in particular focus, specifically how Mark Twain draws on personal experiences and memories to make his characters and settings more relatable and realistic. A brief biography of Twain's life is given before the author goes into the specifics of characterization and settings.
A Study of the Treatment of Time in the Plays of Lyly, Marlowe, Greene, and Peele
Because Shakespeare borrowed so many ideas and devices from other writers, we wonder whether he also borrowed the trick of double time from some of his predecessors; therefore one of the purposes of this study is to discover whether or not this device was original with Shakespeare. In this study I have considered the works of John Lyly, Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, and George Peele because these four seem to have influenced Shakespeare more than did any of the other of his immediate predecessors. To discover what influence, if any, these men had upon Shakespeare ts treatment of time is not, however, the only purpose of this study; for I am also interested in the characteristics of the works of these men for their own values, independent of any influence which they may have had on the works of Shakespeare.
Hawthorne's Use of Symbolism in Four Romances
This thesis is a study of the four long romances, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun, with emphasis upon Hawthorne's use of symbolism as a means of presenting the basic moral and spiritual truths of human life. The first chapter explains the nature of symbolism and the reasons why Hawthorne used it so extensively. In each of the last four chapters, the symbolism in a single romance is considered for the purpose of discovering the manner and effectiveness of its use in exemplifying the central theme of that particular story. Although Hawthorne's short stories are extremely rich in symbolism, it was not possible to include them in the present study.
How Shakespeare Used His Sources in Richard II
The subject of this investigation is how Shakespeare used his sources in Richard II. The sources to be investigated are Edward Hall's History of England, Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Ireland and Scotland; The Civil Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and York, by Samuel Daniel; and The First Part of the Reign of King Richard the Second: Or Thomas of Woodstock, an anonymous manuscript play.
Charles Dickens's Conceptions of America as a Result of His Two Visits
This is a study of Charles Dickens's conceptions of America as a result of his trips to America from January to July, 1842, and from November, 1867 to April, 1868.
Hawthorne's Use of the Supernatural in Three Romances
This thesis is a study of three of Hawthorne's long romances, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, and The Marble Faun, with particular attention to his use of phenomena having the appearance of the supernatural as a means of exemplifying the theme of his romances.
The Moral Philosophy of James Boswell
It is the purpose of the author to outline briefly some of the intellectual ideas relating to the nature of man, his conception of religion, his social manners and customs, and to reveal, through the "Hypochondriack" essays, that James Boswell was a peculiarly eighteenth-century figure in certain aspects of his moral philosophy.
Emerson's Representative Men: a Study of Emerson's Six Representative Types
The purpose of this thesis is to relate the six personalities dealt with by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his Representative Men to such proportions of the essayist's ideas as may be applied to these six representative types, to the end of arriving at an understanding of Emerson's aim in writing about these six men and about great men in general.
The American in the Novels of Henry James
For the purpose of analyzing James' interpretation of the American character, it is first necessary to study his individual Americans.
The Influence of Dorothy Wordsworth on the Poetry of William Wordsworth
The purpose of this thesis is to show, through a study of the letters and a comparison of the journals and poems, the extent of the influence of Dorothy Wordsworth on the poetry of William Wordsworth and to bring together for the first time evidence of her influence.
Madness in Elizabethan Drama
Insanity, which has long been a favorite theme of Elizabethan drama, summoned the dramatist's imagination to wonderful creations -- creations that were fantastic and grotesque, but unforgettable.
The Development of the Heroine in the American Novel from 1850 to 1900
There are many heroines in American fiction, and in this thesis I have tried to show the development of the characterization of women in the American novel.
Emersonian Ideas in Whitman's Early Writings
This thesis will be an attempt to gather together the important ideas set forth in Whitman's early writing which are to be found also in Emerson's lectures, essays, and poems written before 1855. It will attempt to show what Whitman might have gained from Emerson if he had had no other source, and if a creative intellect had not the power of originating its own ideas.
Social Problems in American Drama from 1930 to 1940
My purpose in this work is to examine the major social problems with which the playwrights of the decade between 1930 and 1940 have dealt.
The Conflict between Individualism and Socialism in the Life and Novels of Jack London
The fact that Jack London's novels seem to fall into two classes--those which he wrote for money and those which he wrote to deliver a social message--has led to this study of his life and novels. It is the aim of this thesis to show that his life was one of conflict between individualism and socialism and that this conflict is reflected to a varying degree in his novels.
The Religion of Dr. Samuel Johnson
Johnson was a rationalist in everything except religion, which, to him, was an adherence to the established Church with its traditional forms. His efforts to maintain his orthodox views in the midst of the controversial beliefs of his age will be the subject of subsequent chapters in this study.
A Critical Study of The Cenci
Consciously or unconsciously an author's literary work reflects his experiences and his reaction to these experiences. Because the personal history of the author is inseparable from his works, a study of The Cenci would be incomplete without a review of the background of Shelley's life, some of the philosophies which interested him, and the political and social movements with which he concerned himself.
Anglo-Saxon Charms
The charms are among the oldest extant specimens of English prose and verse, and in their first form were undoubtedly of heathen origin. In the form in which they have been handed down they are much overlaid with Christian lore, but it is not difficult to recognize the primitive mythological strata. The charms have points of contact with medieval Latin literature, both in form and spirit; and yet they afford us glimpses of the Germanic past, and pictures of the everyday life of the Anglo-Saxons, not found in other Old English poetry.
The Murder Theme in Elizabethan and Stuart Domestic Drama
In this thesis an attempt will be made to trace briefly the development of the domestic tragedy of blood on the English stage to the end of the first decade of the seventeenth century.
The Early Criticisms of Shelley in England and America
It is the principal purpose of this study of the early criticisms of Shelley to contrast the opinions of him in England and America and to find reasons for the widely divergent attitudes of the reviewers in the two countries.
The Moral Philosophy of Samuel Johnson
The purpose of the author is to give a resume of Johnson's England and by examining The Rambler and Boswell's Life of Johnson, to determine what the Doctor thought concerning the prevailing conditions, social practices, and ideas of his time.
George Washington Cable as a Critic of the South
This thesis examines the work of writer George Washington Cable as it relates to the South. The focus is on the way Cable portrayed three types of people: the Southerner, the Creole, and the Negro.
A Study of the Stressed Back Vowels in the Speech of Parker County, Texas
It is the purpose of this thesis to contribute a small part to the large picture of Texas dialect by describing the use of certain stressed sounds in one locality, Parker County, Texas, which lies in the General American speech division of the United States.
A Study of the Social Background of the Characters in O. Henry's New York Short Stories
The problem of this research is to determine whether or not O. Henry pictured the existing social conditions of the period in his New York stories and whether his characters are representative of people who actually lived at that time.
American Background in Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha"
The background for "The Song of Hiawatha" is explicitly American, for Longfellow has preserved many legends, traditions, and customs of the aborigines with fidelity. As a whole, "The Song of Hiawatha" is a successful delineation of the aborigines of North America. Longfellow preserved the most interesting legends and supplemented them with accounts of Indian life.
Henry David Thoreau: a Study of Character
This thesis looks at the characteristics of Henry David Thoreau through his writings rather than through what other critics have written.
Wordsworth as a Citizen
William Wordsworth was not the civic-minded public servant who is often thought of when good citizenship awards are given. However, it can be said that through his writings, he did much to arouse others to an awareness of political, religious, and educational needs of his country. This thesis examines his views in these areas and how they contributed to him as a citizen.
The Use of the Bible in Longfellow's Poetry
This thesis presents a brief biography of the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, then follows with a discussion of the influence of the Bible in Longfellow's poetry.
A Study of the Revolutionary War Novels of William Gilmore Simms
This thesis is a study of William Gilmore Simms' novels that deal with the Revolutionary War.
Sentimentalism and the Survival of the Comedy of Manners as Reflected in the Farces of the Eighteenth Century
A farce, insofar as this study is concerned, is any afterpiece which has plot, dialogue, and characters. This embraces such widely scattered varieties as burlesque, dramatic satire, pastoral, comedy, and opera. This study embraces more than a hundred farces, the most popular ones of their day.
The Authorship of 1 Henry VI Considered in Relation to the Sources of the Play
Through an investigation of the problem of the authorship of 1 Henry VI, the author endeavors to present some new evidence concerning the play's authorship. The problem is examined from the standpoint of the relationship between authorship and sources.
Symbolism in Leaves of Grass
This thesis discusses the symbolism found in Walt Whitman's second poetic period, as found in the collection Leaves of Grass.
Nature in William Cullen Bryant's Poetry
The purpose has been to discover from the study of Bryant's life and poetry the extent to which his work was influenced by nature and how he interpreted it.
Religion in the Poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson
This thesis examines the work of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and the treatment of religion in his works during the increasingly scientific Victorian Era.
Mary Austin's Contribution to the Culture of the Southwest
An examination of Mary Austin's works and how she contributed to the culture of the Southwest.
The Maturing Emotion of George Eliot
This study has been made in an attempt to illustrate how the genius that was George Eliot developed, how a magnificent intellect was driven first to achievement by emotional frustration and then was coupled with emotional maturity in person, developing emotional maturity in the creative artist and producing at last the supreme and delicate balance of intellectual and emotional maturity in the philosopher who found her medium in creative art.
An Analysis of Six Representative Women Characters in Edith Wharton's Novels
For this study, an analysis will be made of six of Edith Wharton's heroines: Lily Bart, the luxury-loving, aristocratic heroine of The House of Mirth, who was destroyed by her own class; Ellen Olenska, who neither lost nor sought an established place in New York society, since it belonged to her, and she stayed there by the sacrifice of instinct and happiness; Anna Leath, a typical product of puritan New York, who suffered from having learned so thoroughly the rules of her generation; Halo Tarrant, who took love into her own hands and defied society but felt the strength of the social convention which shuts out the woman who does not play the game according to the rules; Undine Spragg, the social adventurer, who represents ambition, which Mrs. Wharton had come to recognize as the dominant characteristic of the new woman of America; and Sophy Viner, an American girl who, yielding to temptation, is plunged into insecurity because she comes into contact with Anna Leath and the rules of her world.
Dramatic Experiment in the Plays of Eugene O'Neill
This survey of Eugene O'Neill's works attempts to establish that fact that he used a number of dramatic experiments in his plays and that he used them successfully.
Social Problems Found in Edith Wharton's Novels
The purpose of this thesis is to discover the extent of Edith Wharton's use of social problems in her novels.
Thomas Wolfe and Walt Whitman
This study compares and contrasts the work of Thomas Wolfe and Walt Whitman.
Mark Twain as a Social Critic
The author attempts to show in this thesis that Mark Twain was a serious observer and critic of life.
Henry David Thoreau as a Social Critic
A study of Henry David Thoreau's opinions on religion, economics, politics, government, and major political issues of his time.
Aspects of Reform in Certain Novels of Charles Dickens
A study of aspects of reform in certain novels of Charles Dickens.
The Technique of Effect: a Study of Poe's Narrative Method
It is the purpose of this paper to try to show the various methods used by Poe for securing a single unified effect in each of his stories. To facilitate the work, I shall divide his short stories into four groups: stories of effect, stories or ratiocination, stories of pseudo-science, and stories of satire and humor. It is inevitable that the chapters overlap in many instances because some methods are used in more than one type of story. Often a story may be placed in more than one group, since the divisions are so broad. Notwithstanding these difficulties, it is possible to find many methods used by Poe to develop the narrative style, so peculiarly his own, by which he seldom failed to produce a compelling story.
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