This dissertation analyzes the human and computer relationship in the novel. The database for this study consists of thirty-nine novels, selected for their depiction of anthropomorphized computers who engage in intimate and/or intense ties with humans. Two primary organizational schemas are used to categorize the human/computer interactions in these works. Kenneth Burke's rhetorical pentadic model is used as the principal structuring device. Within this framework, the fictional bonds are subdivided into three stages: the initial phase (transformation), the post-introductory phase (transmutation), and the transcendental phase (transfiguration). The findings of this research indicate that in popular-genre novels, personified computers are never regarded simply as tools for enhancing the efficiency of one's work. In these stories, the machines are converted from objects into intelligently conscious entities who are perceived as parents, children, friends, teachers, and/or gods. The communicative messages that are exchanged between fictive people and computers contain powerful potential for character metamorphosis. Ultimately, these works function as cautionary tales, warning that in interactions with computers, humans must be sensitive to the same issues that would arise in attachments to other people.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brown University, 2005. / Vita. Thesis advisor: Nancy Armstrong. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in English. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 329-359). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99196

Examines Chuck Palahniuk's novel Invisible monsters using the theories of Jean Baudrillard as a lens through which to better understand Palahniuk's commentary on the effects mass media have on human subjectivity in the terminal state.

This thesis examines the life and career of Bret Easton Ellis, and the influences of his work on the author's development as a writer. Part one encapsulates a novel written specifically for this thesis. 'Call waiting' is a harsh look at modern friendships, the role of work in these relationships and the proliferation of shallow communication through the advent of email. A critical reflection follows, examining the process that led to the novel's creation. Three specific areas are focussed on: the direct influence of Ellis' novel 'The rules of attraction' on the overall themes of 'Call waiting', the realisation of the project and the various editing changes and narrative developments that arose during the writing of the novel, and an examination of the inspiration behind the novel's creation. Part two considers Ellis' role in the literary world of the 1980s, his own complicity in the creation of a career as a celebrity author, and the carefully manufactured persona Ellis presents to the world. In Part three the thesis is concluded with a close analysis of the publication of Ellis' controversial novel 'American psycho'. This chapter explores the negative publicity the novel attracted and the possible causes of the ensuing backlash against the author. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Comparative Literature Department, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2001. / Bibliography : p. 456-481.

Thesis (M.A. (Creative Writing))--University of Western Australia, 2006.

Originally presented as the author's Thesis (doctoral--Universität Mannheim, 2006). / Includes bibliographical references (p. [317]-358).

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral--Universität Mannheim, 2006). / Includes bibliographical references (p. [317]-358).