Current Search: Fantasy fiction (x)
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- Title
- The Traveling Burrito King.
- Creator
- Stephens, Jason, Schwartz, Jason, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
The Traveling Burito King is a novel split into two narratives that work to compare the virtual to the real world and push against the politic climate created by anonymity It is a novel centered around the development of Denver and his avatar Dovim The novel demonstrates a confrontation with the fantasy of change and how that culminates in little more than a shift and an impossibility to turn back time
- Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004767
- Subject Headings
- Fantasy fiction, Realism--Fiction, Shared virtual environments--Fiction
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Dark Heart of Azeroth: The Deep Rooted Colonialist Ideologies of Popular Fantasy.
- Creator
- Lang, Austin R., MacDonald, Ian, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Popular fantasy is often populated by members of different species, such as dwarves, elves, and orcs. Much of the narrative structure of the genre comes from the interactions and conflicts between these species, with many of them serving as stand ins for real world culture. This has become the underlying fabric of fantasy fiction and has deep resonance in our contemporary pop culture. However, many of these depictions are founded on colonialist constructions of race and otherness, turning the...
Show morePopular fantasy is often populated by members of different species, such as dwarves, elves, and orcs. Much of the narrative structure of the genre comes from the interactions and conflicts between these species, with many of them serving as stand ins for real world culture. This has become the underlying fabric of fantasy fiction and has deep resonance in our contemporary pop culture. However, many of these depictions are founded on colonialist constructions of race and otherness, turning the genre into a medium for reproducing racist ideologies, often unconsciously. This thesis examines the origins and trajectory of this trend by looking at one of the most well- known examples of contemporary fantasy: Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013174
- Subject Headings
- World of Warcraft (Game)--Fiction, Popular fictions, Fantasy fiction--History and criticism, Racism
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Creating a Religious Divide: Journeys Through Hell in British and American Science Fiction.
- Creator
- Sachdev, Advitiya, McGuirk, Carol, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Science fiction, like any other genre, is sub-divided into categories. Yet scholars in the field have long debated the existence of multiple, regional sf genres. The most critiqued of these classifications is between sf produced in Britain, and America. Though Britain remains the birthplace of sf, American author have undoubtedly left a mark on the genre. Scholars mark this difference in the writing styles and themes of authors in these regions. To examine this difference, I analyze two...
Show moreScience fiction, like any other genre, is sub-divided into categories. Yet scholars in the field have long debated the existence of multiple, regional sf genres. The most critiqued of these classifications is between sf produced in Britain, and America. Though Britain remains the birthplace of sf, American author have undoubtedly left a mark on the genre. Scholars mark this difference in the writing styles and themes of authors in these regions. To examine this difference, I analyze two authors that have worked on a common theme: religion and in particular, the concept of hell. Evaluating the arguments put forth by critics such as Peter Kuczka, Cy Chavin, Franz Rottensteiner, and others; I examine works by Scottish author Iain m. Banks, and American author Cordwainer Smith to determine the validity of this classification.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004785, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004785
- Subject Headings
- Science fiction--Religious aspects., Religion and literature--English-speaking countries., Science fiction, English--History and criticism., Science fiction, American--History and criticism., Fantasy fiction, English--History and criticism., Fantasy fiction, American--History and criticism.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Theorizing the Goddess in Feminist Mythopoeic Fantasy.
- Creator
- Taylor, Taryne Jade, Martin, Thomas L., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
In my thesis, I examine the function and treatment of goddesses in six modern feminist mythopoeic fantasy novels by Y olen, Shinn, and Harris. In these novels, the goddesses and their worshippers serve as the agents of socio-political change within the secondary world, inducing changes that end with the ultimate transformation of oppressive social structures. Acknowledging these goddesses and incorporating them into the fabric of communal life, the protagonists, and ultimately entire...
Show moreIn my thesis, I examine the function and treatment of goddesses in six modern feminist mythopoeic fantasy novels by Y olen, Shinn, and Harris. In these novels, the goddesses and their worshippers serve as the agents of socio-political change within the secondary world, inducing changes that end with the ultimate transformation of oppressive social structures. Acknowledging these goddesses and incorporating them into the fabric of communal life, the protagonists, and ultimately entire societies, are able transcend issues of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and religion, in order to create a peaceful and prosperous society. These novels work through many of the issues troubling modern day feminist theorists and make important contributions to the discourse of feminist spirituality and feminist theory as a whole. Extrapolating both a theory and praxis from the texture of these fantasy narratives, I suggest that these stories offer a way to transcend dichotomous thinking and escape the current stagnation of spirituality based approaches to feminism.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000968
- Subject Headings
- Myth in literature, Feminism in literature, Fantasy fiction, American--Criticism and interpretation, Spirituality in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Journey of Art Doll: World-Building in Contemporary Narrative.
- Creator
- Taber, Robin E., Bargsten, Joey, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
-
Games, movies, television, and interactive media make use of World-Building. World-Building essentially creates an elaborate invented universe in order to give a story context. In other words it generates a back-story designed to enhance the cathartic experience and promote engagement by the reader, viewer or participant. Some examples of World-Building include Halo, World of WarCraft and Game of Thrones. Stories need context to be fully understood and experienced. One describes a situation,...
Show moreGames, movies, television, and interactive media make use of World-Building. World-Building essentially creates an elaborate invented universe in order to give a story context. In other words it generates a back-story designed to enhance the cathartic experience and promote engagement by the reader, viewer or participant. Some examples of World-Building include Halo, World of WarCraft and Game of Thrones. Stories need context to be fully understood and experienced. One describes a situation, the environment, sensations, smells, sounds and sensory perception to give the audience a fuller, richer experience. World-Building provides context through history, textures, laws, physics and motivations. The written portion of this thesis describes the process of generating a fantasy world. The visual portion uses a character-driven narrative to examine larger themes such as psychological transformation and pursuing one’s dream against the odds.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004909, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004909
- Subject Headings
- Interactive multimedia., Fantasy fiction--Authorship., Fantasy literature--History and criticism--Theory, etc., Imaginary places in literature., Languages, Artificial.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- John Crowley’s New Fantastic Space: Reconstructing the Realm of Faerie in Little, Big.
- Creator
- Beveridge, Pami, Martin, Thomas L., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
John Crowley’s Little, Big is an innovative piece of fantasy writing. This thesis aims to prove that Crowley’s innovation lays the groundwork for new avenues in which fantastic space can be manipulated and constructed. Deep study in Euclidean geometry, modern physics, and occult astronomy reveal a new fantastic space, and a new concept for the threshold of Faerie. Crowley’s fantastic space is constructed as infundibular; with layers of concentricities that funnels his characters to their...
Show moreJohn Crowley’s Little, Big is an innovative piece of fantasy writing. This thesis aims to prove that Crowley’s innovation lays the groundwork for new avenues in which fantastic space can be manipulated and constructed. Deep study in Euclidean geometry, modern physics, and occult astronomy reveal a new fantastic space, and a new concept for the threshold of Faerie. Crowley’s fantastic space is constructed as infundibular; with layers of concentricities that funnels his characters to their final destination of self-actualization and the heaven-like realm of Faerie. Crowley amalgamates the boundaries of Faerie and the primary world in an unusual fashion that is noted as Coalesced Fantasy: a fantasy wherein there is ultimately no dichotomy between Faerie and the primary world, as there is no division between the fantastic and science. This deliberate aim to blend boundaries is to establish an All in One theory. Faerie and the primary world oppose each other as antithetical conical space, and Crowley’s Edgewood house serves as the threshold to allow man to access the divinity and vastness of Faerie. Faerie (Divinity/macrocosm) and man (microcosm) exist in and amongst one another; everything is connected and every path intersects, spinning on a hyperbolic plane in this new, quantifiable space.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004570, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004570
- Subject Headings
- Crowley, John,--1942-.--Little, big--Criticism and interpretation., Fantasy fiction, American., Fantastic literature--Criticism and interpretation., Space perception.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mhysa or Monster: Masculinization, Mimicry, and the White Savior in A Song of Ice and Fire.
- Creator
- Hartnett, Rachel, Swanstrom, Elizabeth, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Song of Ice and Fire is unarguably one of the most popular fantasy series of all time. Notwithstanding its success, the series has only recently begun to be analyzed critically. George R.R. Martin’s books are often celebrated for breaking many of the tropes common in fantasy literature. Despite this, the series is nonetheless a product of a genre that has been shaped by white, male authors. Using such prominent postcolonial scholars as Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Homi Bhabha, and...
Show moreSong of Ice and Fire is unarguably one of the most popular fantasy series of all time. Notwithstanding its success, the series has only recently begun to be analyzed critically. George R.R. Martin’s books are often celebrated for breaking many of the tropes common in fantasy literature. Despite this, the series is nonetheless a product of a genre that has been shaped by white, male authors. Using such prominent postcolonial scholars as Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Homi Bhabha, and Albert Memmi, I analyze the five published books of Martin’s series. I argue that although Martin seems to be aware of the theoretical background of postcolonial studies and attempts to present a story sensitive to issues of colonization, the book series fails to present a Western representation of the East outside of orientalist stereotypes and narratives that reinforce imperialism.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004673, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004673
- Subject Headings
- Fantasy fiction, Game of thrones (Television program), Imaginary wars and battles, Kings and rulers, Martin, George R. R. -- Song of ice and fire -- Criticism and interpretation
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The sui generis in Charles G. Finney’s The Circus Of Dr. Lao.
- Creator
- White, Adam J., Martin, Thomas L., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Charles G. Finney’s 1936 novel The Circus of Dr. Lao was published to enthusiastic reviews, but fell into relative obscurity shortly thereafter. Since its publication, it has been the subject of one peer-reviewed critical essay, a number of reviews, one non-peer-reviewed essay, and a master’s thesis. It was published in a world where the fantastic and unique found only barren desert soil, with no scholarly tradition for the fantastic, nor a widely receptive lay audience for something truly...
Show moreCharles G. Finney’s 1936 novel The Circus of Dr. Lao was published to enthusiastic reviews, but fell into relative obscurity shortly thereafter. Since its publication, it has been the subject of one peer-reviewed critical essay, a number of reviews, one non-peer-reviewed essay, and a master’s thesis. It was published in a world where the fantastic and unique found only barren desert soil, with no scholarly tradition for the fantastic, nor a widely receptive lay audience for something truly unique, or sui generis. The concept of the sui generis, meaning “of its own kind,” provides a useful lens for examining the novel, as Finney develops not only creatures, but people, which are truly of their own kind, borrowing from existing mythologies, traits of humanity, and aspects of nature, recombining them in a singular way which resists classification.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004073
- Subject Headings
- Fantasy fiction, American -- Criticism and interpretation, Finney, Charles G. -- (Charles Grandison) -- 1905-1984 -- Circus of Dr. Lao -- Criticism and interpretation, Individualism (Philosophy), Knowledge, Theory of, in literature, Meaning (Philosophy), Symbolism in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao: an epistemological fantasy.
- Creator
- Creed, Daniel B., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao, published in 1936, has been widely read in the last eighty years and has influenced significant authors in the field of fantasy, yet it has been examined in just three critical studies in that time. This study examines Finney's novel as an epistemological fantasy, a heretofore undefined term that precipitates an epistemological crisis of knowing and certainty. The novel opens a way for fantasy literature to establish itself in a Modernist landscape by...
Show moreCharles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao, published in 1936, has been widely read in the last eighty years and has influenced significant authors in the field of fantasy, yet it has been examined in just three critical studies in that time. This study examines Finney's novel as an epistemological fantasy, a heretofore undefined term that precipitates an epistemological crisis of knowing and certainty. The novel opens a way for fantasy literature to establish itself in a Modernist landscape by foregrounding the marvelous and extraordinary knowledge that lies just outside the realm of human experience. Finney presents Dr. Lao's circus as a surrogate model of success, and while many of the characters in the novel are unable to accept the truth offered them by the beings of fantasy, the author uses their experiences to satirize the complacencies he witnessed upon returning to America from the Far East in the 1930s.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2683122
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Symbolism in literature, Knowledge, Theory of, in literature, Fantasy fiction, American, Criticism and interpretation, Postmodernism (Literature)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Magic words: illuminating the role of language in Lord Dunsany's fictional prose.
- Creator
- Cervone, Skye T., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
It is a great deficit to Fantasy scholarship that Lord Dunsany has remained largely ignored. Despite the lack of critical attention Lord Dunsany's work has received at the hands of critics, his fiction has been immensely important to other Fantasy authors. Dunsany's prose is highly stylized and is an intricate aspect of his world building. While many critics agree that Dunsany's prose style is unique and masterful, no detailed analysis of it exists. This study focuses primarily on Dunsany's...
Show moreIt is a great deficit to Fantasy scholarship that Lord Dunsany has remained largely ignored. Despite the lack of critical attention Lord Dunsany's work has received at the hands of critics, his fiction has been immensely important to other Fantasy authors. Dunsany's prose is highly stylized and is an intricate aspect of his world building. While many critics agree that Dunsany's prose style is unique and masterful, no detailed analysis of it exists. This study focuses primarily on Dunsany's prose style in The King of Elfland's Daughter, widely agreed to be Dunsany's finest novel, and certainly characteristic of his early fiction writing. I then discuss Dunsany's profound influence on J.R.R. Tolkien's critical and fictional work. Both authors embrace Dryden's "fairy way of writing" within their respective works, embracing the old and romantic, as well as nature's creations, as precious treasures in our realm and in the imaginative realm of Faery.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3174505
- Subject Headings
- Aesthetics in literature, Fantasy fiction, English, Criticism and interpretation, Realism in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The compass of human will in realism and fantasy: a reading of Sister Carrie and The King of Elfand's Daugher.
- Creator
- Stone, Tracy., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
As realist and naturalist writers at the turn of the twentieth century adopted a scientific spirit of objectivity, they reflected the emphasis many contemporary scientific studies laid on the forces of the natural world in shaping the character, behavior, and ultimate destiny of man. In this literary mood of "pessimistic determinism," fantasy literature began to experience a resurgence, providing a marked contrast to naturalism's portrayal of the impotence of man to effect change in his...
Show moreAs realist and naturalist writers at the turn of the twentieth century adopted a scientific spirit of objectivity, they reflected the emphasis many contemporary scientific studies laid on the forces of the natural world in shaping the character, behavior, and ultimate destiny of man. In this literary mood of "pessimistic determinism," fantasy literature began to experience a resurgence, providing a marked contrast to naturalism's portrayal of the impotence of man to effect change in his circumstances. I examine fantasy's restoration of efficacy to the human will through a study of two representative works of the opposing genres: Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie and Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter. As I demonstrate, the former naturalistic novel emphasizes the impotence of its characters in the face of powerful natural world, while the latter contemporary fantasy novel uniquely showcases man's ability to effect change in his world and his destiny.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/221950
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Realism in literature, Naturalism in literature, Literature and science, Life change events in literature, Fantasy fiction, English, Criticism and interpretation
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Snowflakes out of fire: J.R.R. Tolkien's anatomy of joy.
- Creator
- Minnerly, Natasha., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
In "On Fairy Stories" J.R.R. Tolkien writes that joy is the "mark of the true fairy- story." Tolkien believed that joy was the defining characteristic of the genre. This joy is not just apparent in the happy ending of the fairy tale, but also in the manner in which the plot and characters show theories of joy, and the way the text itself creates joy in the reader. This paper will explore Tolkien's creation of brightness, hope, and wonder, and how these instances express a theory of joy. First...
Show moreIn "On Fairy Stories" J.R.R. Tolkien writes that joy is the "mark of the true fairy- story." Tolkien believed that joy was the defining characteristic of the genre. This joy is not just apparent in the happy ending of the fairy tale, but also in the manner in which the plot and characters show theories of joy, and the way the text itself creates joy in the reader. This paper will explore Tolkien's creation of brightness, hope, and wonder, and how these instances express a theory of joy. First I will look at the different types of joy in Tolkien's work, then the more general theories that these types express, and finally the effect the joy in the story has on the reader.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3360961
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Fantasy fiction, English, Criticism and interpretation, Symbolism in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)