View All Items

Title: Tomorrow is yesterday: protoscience from the medieval manuscript to the golden age of science-fiction.
Creator: Leivers, Robert James., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: Protosciences, or new sciences trying to establish their legitimacy, are ubiquitous in literature. In the old stories we hear of alchemists who can only dream of the discoveries that modern chemists take for granted, and in the new stories we hear of travelers moving faster than light as our greatest physicists attempt to make that fantasy a reality. Limiting our viewpoint to the modern scientific reductionist view of the universe not only makes little sense if we consider Michael Polanyi's...
Show moreProtosciences, or new sciences trying to establish their legitimacy, are ubiquitous in literature. In the old stories we hear of alchemists who can only dream of the discoveries that modern chemists take for granted, and in the new stories we hear of travelers moving faster than light as our greatest physicists attempt to make that fantasy a reality. Limiting our viewpoint to the modern scientific reductionist view of the universe not only makes little sense if we consider Michael Polanyi's theories of emergence and 'personal knowledge', but it robs medieval scholars for the conceptual credit they are due for theories they could not satisfactorily explain by the future's standards, and stifles the sorts of fantastic possibilities that are opened by the great science-fiction authors. Medieval authors' expositions of protoscientific thought laid the ground work for our own modern disciplines, and by reexamining how this happened we can develop a new appreciation for the power of the imagination.
Show less
Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362480
Subject Headings: Science fiction, History and criticism, Literature and society, Science, Renaissance, Philosophy, Medieval, Influence, Science and civilization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An ecocritical and metaphorical analysis of "Cereus Blooms at Night".
Creator: Kaleel, Rhonda A., Florida Atlantic University, Furman, Andrew
Abstract/Description: Nature is an important symbol in Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo. The metaphorical comparisons are interlaced within the colonial usurpation which fuels the novel into becoming an ecocritical statement, because without the health of the environment, both human and non-human species alike decay and die because of colonial encroachment. Shani Mootoo illustrates the ecological clash between the wetlands and the tropics through an intricate narrative involving people who are dominated by...
Show moreNature is an important symbol in Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo. The metaphorical comparisons are interlaced within the colonial usurpation which fuels the novel into becoming an ecocritical statement, because without the health of the environment, both human and non-human species alike decay and die because of colonial encroachment. Shani Mootoo illustrates the ecological clash between the wetlands and the tropics through an intricate narrative involving people who are dominated by their environments and cultures, or lack thereof, which create great chasms to overcome. Through critical nature symbols such as the town of Paradise versus the wetlands, the cereus plant, the bugs, the birds, and the cat, important ecocritical connections can be made as to the survival of the characters and the island.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13205
Subject Headings: Mootoo, Shani,--1957---Cereus blooms at night, Nature in literature, Philosophy of nature in literature, Ecocriticism, Ecology in literature, Literature and science--Caribbean Area
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Ubiquitous entropy and heat death in Philip K. Dick and Pamela Zoline.
Creator: Kasdorf, Krista., Florida Atlantic University, Scroggins, Mark
Abstract/Description: My scientifically informed readings of Philip K. Dick's Ubik (1969) and Pamela Zoline's "The Heat Death of the Universe" (1967) consider entropy's multifarious meanings from both thermodynamics and information theory. Additionally, rather than relying upon overarching assumptions about the texts' cultural moment, I explore each fiction's presentation of entropy as negative or positive. For Dick, the loss of female mothering accelerates the heat death of late-capitalistic society, with entropy...
Show moreMy scientifically informed readings of Philip K. Dick's Ubik (1969) and Pamela Zoline's "The Heat Death of the Universe" (1967) consider entropy's multifarious meanings from both thermodynamics and information theory. Additionally, rather than relying upon overarching assumptions about the texts' cultural moment, I explore each fiction's presentation of entropy as negative or positive. For Dick, the loss of female mothering accelerates the heat death of late-capitalistic society, with entropy a negative, destructive force. Zoline, however, recognizes the injurious ramifications of entrapping women within the gender role of self-sacrificing wife/mother; her protagonist purposefully accelerates entropy production to destroy such a closed system.
Show less
Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13359
Subject Headings: Entropy (Information theory), Literature and science, Science fiction, American--History and criticism, Dick, Philip K--Criticism and interpretation, Zoline, Pamela,--1941---Criticism and interpretation
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Mythological backgrounds in Sheri S. Tepper's fiction.
Creator: Carroll, Lonna Pomeroy., Florida Atlantic University, Collins, Robert A.
Abstract/Description: Sheri S. Tepper, using postmodern literary techniques, utilizes ancient story forms to examine our contemporary world in three science fiction novels. Classical Greek mythology in the form of a parodic drama, "Iphigenia at Ilium" is intricately woven into The Gate to Women's Country. European fairy tale characters become metaphors for a postmodern world threatened by overpopulation and the loss of magic in Beauty. An American Indian fable, featuring Coyote, provides the mythic paradigm for A...
Show moreSheri S. Tepper, using postmodern literary techniques, utilizes ancient story forms to examine our contemporary world in three science fiction novels. Classical Greek mythology in the form of a parodic drama, "Iphigenia at Ilium" is intricately woven into The Gate to Women's Country. European fairy tale characters become metaphors for a postmodern world threatened by overpopulation and the loss of magic in Beauty. An American Indian fable, featuring Coyote, provides the mythic paradigm for A Plague of Angels. Each ancient story form is re-worked into Tepper's postmodernist fiction giving a new slant to familiar stories that highlight Tepper's feminist, ecological themes: of the folly of war, the threat of overpopulation, and mankind's interconnectedness to all living creatures.
Show less
Date Issued: 1996
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15317
Subject Headings: Tepper, Sheri S--Criticism and interpretation, Mythology in literature, Science fiction--History and criticism, Fantastic literature--History and criticism
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: Strange time: block universes and strange loop phenomena in two novels by Kurt Vonnegut.
Creator: Altomare, Francis C., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: Einsteinian relativity forever altered our understanding of the metaphysics of time. This study considers how this scientific theory affects the formulation of time in postmodern narratives as a necessary step toward understanding the relationship between empirical science and literary art. Two novels by Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five, exemplify this synthesis. Close readings of these texts reveal an underlying temporal scheme deeply informed by relativity....
Show moreEinsteinian relativity forever altered our understanding of the metaphysics of time. This study considers how this scientific theory affects the formulation of time in postmodern narratives as a necessary step toward understanding the relationship between empirical science and literary art. Two novels by Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five, exemplify this synthesis. Close readings of these texts reveal an underlying temporal scheme deeply informed by relativity. Furthermore, this study explores how relativity manifests in these texts in light of the block universe concept, Gèodelian universes, and strange loop phenomena. Vonnegut's treatment of free will is also discussed. All of these considerations emphasize Vonnegut's role as a member of the Third Culture, an author who consciously bridges C.P. Snow's two cultures.
Show less
Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2684306
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Postmodernism (Literature), Literature and science, Science and the humanities in literature, Space and time in literature
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Would Lord Running Clam wear Wubfur slippers? The ethical imperative of empathy in the alternate ecologies of Philip K. Dick.
Creator: Aaronson, Russell S., Florida Atlantic University, Collins, Robert A., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: Although critics have observed Philip K. Dick's references to empathy throughout his novels, short stories, and essays, no analysis has attempted to examine the role of empathy in his writings. In contrast to the element of ratiocination (or logical extrapolation) widely considered to be the hallmark of science fiction, Dick's fictions are held together by the value they primarily place not on reason, but on an empathic understanding of our actions and their effects upon the lives of other...
Show moreAlthough critics have observed Philip K. Dick's references to empathy throughout his novels, short stories, and essays, no analysis has attempted to examine the role of empathy in his writings. In contrast to the element of ratiocination (or logical extrapolation) widely considered to be the hallmark of science fiction, Dick's fictions are held together by the value they primarily place not on reason, but on an empathic understanding of our actions and their effects upon the lives of other entities. Using two early short stories ("Beyond Lies the Wub" and "Roog"), two non-Earth ecologies (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Dr. Bloodmoney). I will demonstrate that Dick's works are united by an ethical imperative to understand the thoughts and emotions of others, human and nonhuman alike.
Show less
Date Issued: 1996
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15339
Subject Headings: Dick, Philip K--Criticism and interpretation, Dick, Philip K--Ethics, Empathy in literature, Science fiction--History and criticism
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Religious violence in Frank Herbert's Dune series.
Creator: Howard, Kenton Taylor., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the first two novels of Frank Herbert's Dune series, Dune and Dune Messiah, in order to consider these two novels from the framework of postcolonial theory and analyze how religious violence becomes a source of subjugation, military power, and colonialism within the works. The three chapters of this thesis chart the creation of a colonial project through epistemic violence, physical power, and cultural control enabled by religion. This thesis argues that, in the Dune...
Show moreThis thesis examines the first two novels of Frank Herbert's Dune series, Dune and Dune Messiah, in order to consider these two novels from the framework of postcolonial theory and analyze how religious violence becomes a source of subjugation, military power, and colonialism within the works. The three chapters of this thesis chart the creation of a colonial project through epistemic violence, physical power, and cultural control enabled by religion. This thesis argues that, in the Dune novels, religious violence functions as a colonial project that closely resembles the goals of real-world colonial enterprises, and the failure to manage this colonial project by those who initiated it shows that the effects of colonial projects based on religious violence are dangerous and uncontrollable.
Show less
Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355558
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Science fiction, American, Criticism and interpretation, Dune (Imaginary place), Violence, Religious aspects, Violence in literature
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Divine alchemy in Paradise Lost.
Creator: Rutherford, Andrea J., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This study examines the themes of alchemy and transformation in Paradise Lost and seventeenth-century thought. Beginning with an overvieiw of the historical roots of alchemy, this study analyzes the ancient, underlying philosophical concepts that marital union produces the birth of the soul and that destruction is necessary for this birth. Alchemical references identified in Paradise Lost include animal lore and direct alchemical images, which demonstrate Milton's knowledge of alchemy and his...
Show moreThis study examines the themes of alchemy and transformation in Paradise Lost and seventeenth-century thought. Beginning with an overvieiw of the historical roots of alchemy, this study analyzes the ancient, underlying philosophical concepts that marital union produces the birth of the soul and that destruction is necessary for this birth. Alchemical references identified in Paradise Lost include animal lore and direct alchemical images, which demonstrate Milton's knowledge of alchemy and his deliberate use of the alchemical metaphor. These themes support the proposal that Milton, a Christian humanist, uses alchemy as a metaphor described in this study as "divine alchemy," which begins with his belief that Christians, inheriting original sin, must submit themselves to a transformative process similar to transmutation to restore right reason and, ultimately, achieve salvation.
Show less
Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358963
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Influence, Knowledge, Science, Symbolism in literature, Science in literature, Literature and science, History
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: "...At the ear of Eve": hearing, gender, and the physiology of the fall in John Milton's Paradise lost.
Creator: Pollari, Niina., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: The organ of hearing, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, is inextricably connected with both the physical and the spiritual; it is the point of entry through which Satan's words enter Eve's brain, subsequently process, and lead eventually to the fall of mankind. Its symbolic importance is also indisputable, as it is a metaphor for the feminine passivity and penetrability that make Milton's Eve a particularly vulnerable target. There is, however, already a pre-existing connection between the ear...
Show moreThe organ of hearing, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, is inextricably connected with both the physical and the spiritual; it is the point of entry through which Satan's words enter Eve's brain, subsequently process, and lead eventually to the fall of mankind. Its symbolic importance is also indisputable, as it is a metaphor for the feminine passivity and penetrability that make Milton's Eve a particularly vulnerable target. There is, however, already a pre-existing connection between the ear and its role in Paradise Lost. The seventeenth-century medical texts of Milton's contemporaries gender the physiology of the ear and the process of hearing and therefore contribute to its importance in the pivotal temptation scene; that is, the rhetoric surrounding the physiology of the ear is the down fall of humankind in the epic poem. As a result of the dangerous connection between science and language, Milton's characters are already predestined to sin.
Show less
Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11583
Subject Headings: Symbolism in communication, Fall of man, Body, Human, in literature, Literature and science, History
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The post-apocalyptic, the cyborg, and the passage of time: a reading of the parallels of science fiction and the works of Samuel Beckett.
Creator: Pancho, Aaron., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This study is an examination of the several themes and conventions of science fiction that seem to appear in the texts of Samuel Beckett. Expectedly, many of the texts produced by both science fiction and Beckett just before, during, and immediately after World War II share similar concerns; though perhaps less expectedly, these two relatively unlike bodies of work can be used to help better understand and illuminate one another. In Waiting for Godot, nuclear anxieties shed light on the play...
Show moreThis study is an examination of the several themes and conventions of science fiction that seem to appear in the texts of Samuel Beckett. Expectedly, many of the texts produced by both science fiction and Beckett just before, during, and immediately after World War II share similar concerns; though perhaps less expectedly, these two relatively unlike bodies of work can be used to help better understand and illuminate one another. In Waiting for Godot, nuclear anxieties shed light on the play's apparent post-apocalyptic landscape and the profound emptiness that permeates the stage. In Molloy, Hugh Kenner uses Centaur imagery to explain the title character's Cartesian relationship with his bicycle; however, contemporary sensibilities at the time of the novel's publication suggests a cyborg reading of the Molloy/bicycle hybrid can also be productive. And in Krapp's Last Tape, the tape recorder serves as a figurative time machine, which allows readers to consider the ways technology continues to allow for the capture of time and subsequent reflection.
Show less
Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3318674
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Cybernetics in literature, Cyborgs in literature, Literature and science
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Diamonds and Ash: Class and Social Mobility in Seventeenth Century Cinderella.
Creator: Diaz de Arce, Laura, Swanstrom, Elizabeth, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This thesis discusses the intersections of class and the lack of social mobility in three versions of Cinderella from the seventeenth century. The works covered are are Giambattista Basile's "La Gatta Cennerentola" ["The Cat Cinderella"] (c.1634), Charles Perrault's "La Petite Pantoufle de Verre" ["The Glass Slipper"] (1697), and Marie- Catherine D'Aulnoy's "Finette Cendrone" ["Clever Cinderella"] (1697). The seventeenth-century versions of Cinderella all reaffirm the existing class system....
Show moreThis thesis discusses the intersections of class and the lack of social mobility in three versions of Cinderella from the seventeenth century. The works covered are are Giambattista Basile's "La Gatta Cennerentola" ["The Cat Cinderella"] (c.1634), Charles Perrault's "La Petite Pantoufle de Verre" ["The Glass Slipper"] (1697), and Marie- Catherine D'Aulnoy's "Finette Cendrone" ["Clever Cinderella"] (1697). The seventeenth-century versions of Cinderella all reaffirm the existing class system. In each of these versions the message is that the ruling elite must maintain or regain to their status. We can see this by the ways in which the characters gain and lose status in their respective narratives. Ultimately, the early modern Cinderella story is one that supports a hereditary class system.
Show less
Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004585, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004585
Subject Headings: Basile, Giambattista,--1575-1632.--La gatta cennerentola--Criticism and interpretation., Perrault, Charles,--1628-1703.--Petite pantoufle de verre--Criticism and interpretation., Aulnoy,--Madame d'--(Marie-Catherine),--1650 or 1651-1705.--Finette cendrone--Criticism and interpretation., Fairy tales--17th century--Criticism and interpretation, Social classes in literature--17th century., Elite (Social sciences )--17th century--History and criticism.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Hope on the horizon: Mordecai Roshwald, Cordwainer Smith, and James Tiptree, Jr. look into the future.
Creator: Ebert, Valorie., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This project considers the future, and the hope for humanity within three dystopian science fiction works : Mordecai Roshwald's Level 7, Cordwainer Smith's "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," and James Tiptree, Jr.,'s "The GIrl Who Was Plugged In". There are many aspects and different manifestations of hope in science fiction, even in authors who show readers the darkest side of human nature and what will become of humans, and by default earth, if an effort is not made to change the world's...
Show moreThis project considers the future, and the hope for humanity within three dystopian science fiction works : Mordecai Roshwald's Level 7, Cordwainer Smith's "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," and James Tiptree, Jr.,'s "The GIrl Who Was Plugged In". There are many aspects and different manifestations of hope in science fiction, even in authors who show readers the darkest side of human nature and what will become of humans, and by default earth, if an effort is not made to change the world's direction. Though some dystopian stories show horrible possible futures, there is an underlying hope within these stories that the story will change readers' thinking about how the future might unfold. It is because there is a chance to save the world that science-fiction-authors tell stories about disasters, destruction, and post apocalyptic scenarios. It is within the hopeless story lines that hope for humanity manifests itself.
Show less
Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355566
Subject Headings: Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Speculative fiction, American, Criticism and interpretation, Science fiction, American, Criticism and interpretation, Literature and science, Criticism and interpretation, Dystopias in literature
Format: Document (PDF)

FAU Theses and Dissertations (13)	+ -
Honors Student Theses (1)	+ -

Literature and science (7)	+ -
Criticism and interpretation (6)	+ -
Dick, Philip K--Criticism and interpretation (2)	+ -
History (2)	+ -
Influence (2)	+ -

Science fiction, American (2)	+ -
Science fiction--History and criticism (2)	+ -
Aulnoy,--Madame d'--(Marie-Catherine),--1650 or 1651-1705.--Finette cendrone--Criticism and interpretation. (1)	+ -
Basile, Giambattista,--1575-1632.--La gatta cennerentola--Criticism and interpretation. (1)	+ -
Body, Human, in literature (1)	+ -
Cybernetics in literature (1)	+ -
Cyborgs in literature (1)	+ -
Dick, Philip K--Ethics (1)	+ -
Dune (Imaginary place) (1)	+ -
Dystopias in literature (1)	+ -
Ecocriticism (1)	+ -
Ecology in literature (1)	+ -
Elite (Social sciences )--17th century--History and criticism. (1)	+ -
Empathy in literature (1)	+ -
Entropy (Information theory) (1)	+ -
Fairy tales--17th century--Criticism and interpretation (1)	+ -
Fall of man (1)	+ -
Fantastic literature--History and criticism (1)	+ -
Fantasy fiction, American--History and criticism. (1)	+ -
Fantasy fiction, English (1)	+ -
Fantasy fiction, English--History and criticism. (1)	+ -
History and criticism (1)	+ -
Knowledge (1)	+ -
Life change events in literature (1)	+ -
Literature and science--Caribbean Area (1)	+ -

England (2)	+ -
United States (1)	+ -

Paradise lost. (2)	+ -
Dead lady of clown town. (1)	+ -
Dune messiah. (1)	+ -
Dune. (1)	+ -
Girl who was plugged in. (1)	+ -

Search In

Sort Results By:

Narrow results by:

Collection

Topical Subject

Geographic Subject

Temporal Subject

Title as Subject

Genre

Type of Resource

Language

Creator

Format

Owner