The interrelated developments of New Journalism and the nonfiction novel were examined in order to determine whether these phenomena have real literary significance or are anything more than transient fads of American popular culture. Essays were formulated that explored these developments from three different perspectives and that attempted to answer three specific questions. First, what is the connection (if any) between American literary realism and the factual but stylistically experimental nonfiction novels and reports of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties? By tracing the connections between an emerging realism and a parallel change in American journalism from the late 1800's until 1965, it was discovered that, even though early realism and recent New Journalism do share some similarities, contemporary experimental nonfiction is philosophically and stylistically different and not a mere recurrence of realism. Next, what unique characteristics help define the limitations of a nonfiction novel and make it different from either journalism or fiction? A critical examination of the nonfiction works of John McPhee, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer, and Hunter S. Thompson allowed such characteristics to be identified, and a systematic definition was developed that explains the placement of all four diverse talents under the same heading as nonfiction novelists. Finally, how does one account for the continued public acceptance and commercial success of literary journalism? A hypothesis is presented which suggests the existence of subtle psychological appeals that encourage the enjoyment of fact. These appeals and other sociological factors suggest that stylistically entertaining factual writing will probably continue to enjoy a widespread popularity. It is concluded that New Journalism, the nonfiction novel, and continuing developments in literary nonfiction are all established phenomena worthy of literary analysis and critical acceptance. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-09, Section: A, page: 2691. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Faulkner's novels written after he won the Nobel Prize are generally regarded to be simply lesser post-scripts to his major works. This study suggests, to the contrary, that while the novels are quite different from Faulkner's masterpieces, they represent a unique matching of literary technique and theme. / The preface establishes the context for Faulkner's work, suggesting that he, along with other writers of the period, responded to changing global realities, especially the growing power of the government and the loss of individual freedoms after World War II. Chapter I analyzes Faulkner's essays, speeches and letters to shed light on his growing personal conflict over the racial situation in the United States during the period in which he wrote The Town and The Mansion. He felt, and said repeatedly, that a racist, segregated society was wrong and indefensible from a moral point of view. He also felt, however, that practical considerations made it impossible to choose immediately to follow the correct moral path. In his last three novels, Faulkner does not directly deal with the issue of Black/White relations, but does examine the difficulty of reconciling moral truths with real-world truths. In The Hamlet people had existed in a world of myth and tradition with little in the way of systematized rules of behavior. In The Town, the characters arrive in a modern world in which the rules of behavior are becoming more codified; and therefore, the conflict between morality and practicality is dramatically more obvious. The community, nevertheless, is still able to accept two interpretations of a situation, one moral and the other practical, and ignore the paradox. And finally, in The Mansion, the modern world is supreme, sociology has replaced mythology, and the alienated "poor-sons-of-bitches" are destined simply to exist, not to prevail. In The Reivers Faulkner brings us back to the beginning of the end, The Town, to show us characters once again who not only realize that morality and practicality frequently present quite different patterns of behavior, but they also see that dichotomy as desirable and the acceptance of it as the key to adulthood. It is that understanding that Lucius offers his grandson and that Faulkner offers his reader. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0507. / Major Professor: Elisabeth Muhlenfeld. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Melville's fondness for Arabia started early in childhood when he saw in church a "wonderful Arabian traveller." Melville's use of Near Eastern imagery began with his first book, Typee (1846), and was expanded to include all his subsequent works. Melville's preoccupation with Islam up to 1856, the time of his trip to the Holy Land, is focused among other things on the person and character of the Prophet Mohammad who is described as an "exquisite" and "very robust-bodied and big-souled" man. After coming back from his pilgrimage, Melville shifts his attention to Islam itself rather than Mohammad. In Clarel (1876), Rolfe is taken by the serenity of the Muslim Druze Djalea whose tranquility is the result of a live and meaningful relationship with God. Rolfe's discovery of the effectiveness of Djalea's religion in fulfilling his spiritual needs intensifies his interest in Islam. After returning from Palestine, Melville himself adopts some Islamic philosophies in his life. Like the "Old Sinope" in Turkey whose Islamic fatalism helps him accept with "cheerful resignation" the delay of his ship's entrance to the Constantinople harbor because of the dense and low fog, and like Djalea, who accepts the downfall of his father's Emirate and spends his life wandering in the desert with the pilgrims, Melville comes back to America and settles for a less glamorous job than he originally intended. He also accepts his age's failure to recognize him as an intellectual who has diagnosed the problems which plagued the spiritual side of Western civilization. / The first chapter of this study deals with Western views toward Islam in general and their influence on Melville's mind. The second chapter focuses on Islamic imagery in Melville's early works. The third is a detailed analysis of Melville's treatment of Islam according to the Journal of a Trip to Europe and the Levant and Clarel. Chapter four is an epilogue that shows how Melville quietly abandons his religious search after returning from Palestine and decides toward the end of his life to accept not being one of the "favorites of God." / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: A, page: 1454. / Major Professor: R. Bruce Bickley, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

This dissertation studies Irving's The Alhambra as a whole literary work. The first chapter, "The Spanish Background of Irving's Work," illustrates Irving's extensive knowledge of Spanish and Arabic culture and history. It also shows that his interest in Islamic history, which started at an early age, resulted in his writing The Alhambra as well as The Conquest of Granada and Mohammet and His Successors. / The second chapter, "Sources and Analogues of The Alhambra," studies the various sources for the book. Here, the book is divided into three main sections according to the subjects presented in it: (a) Personal Experiences and Historical Details, (b) Legends of the Alhambra, and (c) Oriental Literature. Sketches dealing with his personal experiences are drawn from his notebooks, which were written during his ramblings in Granada; historical details related to the palace and the Arabs are borrowed from Spanish and Arabic books. The legends of the Alhambra, however, are told to Irving by peasants living in and around the palace. This chapter shows the depth of Irving's borrowing from Oriental literature, especially The Holy Qu'ran and The Arabian Nights. / Chapter three, "Structure and Major Motifs," examines Iriving's revision of the book in 1850. The chapter also reviews the three major parts of the book: (a) The Journey and Spanish Character, (b) The Palace: Its History, Occupants, and Legends, and (c) Irving's Farewell to Granada. / Chapter four, "Irving's Literary Technique in The Alhambra," discusses the book's romanticism, setting, local color, characters, plot, language (including the incorporation of Arabic and Spanish language), themes, narrative, humor, and morality. This discussion shows how Irving skillfully blends all these to produce an original narrative combining history and fiction. / Chapter five, "The Importance of The Alhambra: The Palace and the Book," shows how The Alhambra, the book as well as the palace, symbolizes and celebrates important social and moral values that Irving found in the Islamic civilization, and which he missed in his nineteenth-century America. This chapter shows the social and literary significance of the book to the Spanish, the Arabs, the Americans, and to Irving himself. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: A, page: 1456. / Major Professor: R. Bruce Bickley, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

This short story collection dissertation primarily examines living and growing up in South Florida. Each story's energy moves toward capturing a sense of place, a sense of Florida's extraordinary coastlines and wet lands. Yet at the same time, each piece shows how the area's natural wonders become overwhelmed by the onslaught of the expanding concrete and asphalt megalopolis. This onslaught is also a critical facet of the sense of menace that pervades each work. This dark undercurrent brings an overriding tension to each story, a tension that is crucial to successful short story writing. / The shapes of the stories in the collection range from a traditional, minimalist form to a more post-modern fragmented structure that combines poetic and narrative technique. These mixed-genre stories intertwine the language-centered energy of poetry with the tension and character development of fiction. / These short stories also work to capture the lifestyle and characteristics of surfers living along the east coast of Florida. The habits and attitudes of these characters are brought to light through a vivid portrayal of their actions while hanging-out at the beach and surfing the waves at 40th Street Beach in Boca Raton, South Delray Beach in Delray, and other locations up and down Florida's coastline. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1360. / Major Professor: Jerome Stern. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

The dissertation concerns the impulses and images of Appalachian religion and also broader orthodox Christian beliefs as they appear in the fiction and poetry of North Carolina author Fred Chappell. / The first chapter of the dissertation, "Appalachian Literature: A Mirror of an Evolving Culture," concerns historical and sociological bases for discussion of religion in Appalachian literature and in Chappell's work specifically. The tenets and specifics of Appalachian religion are imperative within this discussion. An overview of regional literary criticism is also present within the historical context. / The second chapter, "Religion in Appalachian Literature," provides a brief and selective review of religion in the works of several major Appalachian authors, such as Harriette Arnow, James Still, and Lee Smith. Discussion of these authors and the Appalachian literary canon provides a comparative framework within which to view Chappell's contributions to the field. A broad overview of Chappell's concerns, themes, and style is addressed in order to lay groundwork for discussion of specifics. / The final chapter is entitled "The Spiritual Sense of Place, Salvation, and Creation in the Works of Fred Chappell." This chapter provides thorough and detailed explication of use of religious themes and symbols in Chappell's poetry and fiction. Particulars of Judeo-Christian iconography, images, and philosophies are discussed in relation to Appalachian culture. Specific features of Appalachian belief, such as the importance of nature and the idea of salvation with regard to their expression in Chappell's works. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1360. / Major Professor: Fred L. Standley. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

This novel is a contemporary, first person tale about the life of a woman living on the Big Island of Hawaii. Nina Merriweather has just discovered that her ex-husband is returning to the Big Island, and his arrival sets off a chain of tragic events, including the death of his stepson who is attacked by a shark, and the resulting shark bounty changes the lives of the people in the town. It is a journey through her obsession with her ex-husband, and her recovery. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-05, Section: A, page: 1773. / Major Professor: Jerome Stern. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Cary Nelson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 310-331) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Robert Dale Parker. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-186) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.