The genre of fantasy contains texts which are unlike, or distance from, the real or empirical world--the world of the reader's experience. Nevertheless, fantasy texts can reveal truths which are relevant to the empirical world, and thus fantasy texts can be said to have cognitive value. The notion of possible worlds, the semiotic theory of metaphor, and a discussion of ambiguity are the three critical approaches used to investigate the cognitive value of fantasy texts. The stories in this collection provide a sampler of fantasy figures--such as mermaids, ghosts and living mummies--and make use of the emotional power of ambiguity.

The purpose of this project was to explore the nature of relationships and the concept of light and dark aspects of personality in a fantasy setting.Sisters of Shadow is the story of telepathically linked twin sisters who study in rival schools of magic. When their unique bond is discovered, they must deal with the hostile emotions it inspires in others. The pivotal event in the story is a test both girls must undergo before they can become apprentices in their respective schools of magic. The test forces them to work together, light magic balancing and harmonizing with dark magic. An assassination attempt also serves to bring the sisters together, body, mind and spirit; this results in a closer examination of the telepathic link and its potential uses, and the ethical issues its use raises.The story, intended as the first book, or section, of a larger work is targeted at young adults. It deals with young characters and their struggles to reach maturity. Its primary theme, that light and dark forces, the power to do good and the power to do evil, reside within every one of us, is somewhat allegorical in nature. As the work progresses, the idea that there can be a balance between the two forces in shadow--the mixture of light and dark--will be developed. In this story, however, the sisters have their first encounter with shadow and it is a terrifying one. It is the first in a series of experiences that will lead them to discover that the shadow realm is a meeting place where both girls can use their skills to their fullest.It should also be noted that this story uses a convention specific only to the fantasy genre. To differentiate mindspeech from regular conversation, colons are used in place of quotation marks and dialogue is italicized. / Department of English

My creative thesis project will be a loosely composed story consisting of fragments of prose, poetry, and possibly random notes and/or letters. In length, my project will be somewhere between fifty and a hundred pages.The premise of my story will be this: Henry Egan is a painter. One day, Henry Egan paints a line that he believes is the first line of his masterpiece. (Henry Egan longs for the immortality afforded to the creators of masterpieces. He has waited, and nearly given up, on the divine luck required to be immortal.) Now, Henry Egan believes he has begun his masterpiece. He believes he is painting with genius and that his genius will be remembered. He is so sure (or, possibly, unsure) that this painting will ensure his immortality that he is documenting its completion.This is my creative project: The journal/study-guide that Henry Egan writes while painting his masterpiece. There is, of course, a problem. Henry Egan's masterpiece is of a woman he is in love with, Kate. She is both the inspiration and subject of his masterpiece. He associates his masterpiece and Kate so strongly that difficulties with Kate create difficulties in painting, and visa-versa. This problem manifests itself in a variety. At any rate, Henry Egan's inability to clearly distinguish artistic creation from reality is an issue, and the major part of the plot and theme revolve around this difficulty.The significance of this problem I do not feel I can accurately-judge, given that my feelings about this problem are of little significance compared to the feelings of the reader. I do not see how a writer can accurately judge (or impose upon) the significance of a problem he or she has invented.For lack of a better phrase, I will say that my project could be categorized as `stream of conscious' writing. / Department of English

This creative project consists of an Introduction and one chapter from an untitled novel in progress.The Introduction includes a brief history of the artistic evolution of the novel and a discussion of problems which the novel imposes on the writer.The subject of the novel is the Donatelli family, an Italian immigrant family who lived in an eastern Pennsylvania city during the depression. Two essential conflicts are dramatized: that with the new culture and that between the differing values and goals of the first and second generations as represented by Luigi and his children, especially Vince, his younger son.

Finding the Center is a collection of short stories with characters that search within themselves for answers to who they are and what is their place in the world. Through descriptive language, well-rounded characterization, and sometimes by use of experimental writing forms, the author examines themes such as mankind's place in nature, materialism, globalization, and the corporatization of America. Through a psychoanalytical approach toward writing, the characters grapple with their relationship; whether it is an understanding of one another or a clearer understanding of the role the environment plays in each of their lives. Uses of ancient myth as well as the creation of new myth hold up Midwestern rural values for inspection. The collection explores and develops images that are icons for the Midwest in the same way cowboys and rodeos are the iconographic images of the west, or like southern hospitality and genteel manners are icons of the south. / Department of English

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Thesis (M. A. (African languages) -- University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-189)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1986. / Bibliography: leaves 232-238.