Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2014

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

Michael Knight

Committee Members

Amy Elias, Margaret Lazarus Dean, Beauvais Lyons

Abstract

Infinite Islands: The Seatrees investigates on the subject of infinity as it relates to storytelling and the novel. The critical introduction lays out the relation between reality, fantasy, the imagination and the history of the novel as a source of inspiration for the fictional portion of the dissertation. It considers the similarities between canonical literary novels and fantasy genre novels. Through this consideration, aspects of reality and fantasy in the novel are considered in both theoretical and primary texts. In the fictional portion, an unnamed narrator is retelling the story of his life from beginning to end. Although he works to gain control over his life and pursue his hope of joining a secretive group, he continually becomes caught up in forces more powerful than an individual, only some of which can he ever understand.

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