Date of Award

5-2007

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Campus-Only Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Advisor

Alexander Irvine

Second Committee Member

Richard Brucher

Third Committee Member

David Kress

Abstract

This is a work of fiction that is both a genre study and a satire. The topics of the satire are as broad as the genres therein, but the story's primary concern is that of sexism and the treatment of femininity in genre fiction. Questions about the genre stereotypes, conventions, and themes that bring this sexism about are confronted during the course of the story. The scope of this thesis is not limited to the playful and satiric use of genres, though; this thesis aims to question the fabric of narrative and character identity in fiction itself, using the lenses of various genres to do so. Through a few narratively conscious characters, the specifics of narrative constructions, character archetypes, and genre conventions are exposed and examined. This story also examines the effects of other mediums, such as theatre and film, on literary interpretation. These mediums are described in the form of fiction and examined with respect to the action of the narrative. There is particular attention paid to the history and form of these mediums, and as such the absurdist and existential works of Kafka, Beckett, and Camus are active in this thesis, as well as the work of Shakespeare and the English Renaissance. Given the wide range of subjects and genres, time and place are both fluid and secondary to character and action.

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