Files in this item
Files | Size | Format | View |
---|---|---|---|
There are no files associated with this item. |
The continuous flight from wonder : an ecocritical analysis of the tensions between natural history and modern science in Andrea Barrett's fiction ; How muskrat made the world and other stories
Item metadata
dc.contributor.advisor | Burnside, John | |
dc.contributor.author | McGuigan, Keri | |
dc.coverage.spatial | v, 227 p. | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2017-08-04T15:48:17Z | |
dc.date.available | 2017-08-04T15:48:17Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11388 | |
dc.description.abstract | This thesis comprises a critical component, The Continuous Flight From Wonder: An Ecocritical Analysis of Tensions Between Natural History and Modern Science in Andrea Barrett’s Fiction, and a creative component, How Muskrat Made the World and Other Stories. These two pieces are connected by their common theme of characters defining their place in the world through their relationship with nature. More specifically, both seek to explore how knowledge of and interactions with the nonhuman natural world play a role in the characters’ view of self. The critical component looks at the way in which the tension between natural history and modern science in Barrett’s work affects the characters’ troubled relationship with nature as they conceive it. The body of this piece is divided into four chapters, each corresponding to a recurring character archetype: The Naturalist, The Explorer, The Immigrant, and The Female Scientist. By analyzing the ways in which the restriction of these archetypes affect the characters’ relationship with the natural world, I will show that Barrett’s work provides a wealth of material for ecocritical analysis and should be considered alongside other works of ecocritical fiction. The creative component consists of seven short stories linked by the presence of human/animal interactions in each one and loosely by place. The characters in these eight stories try to make sense of the world through their relationship with animals. Sometimes this knowledge of animals comes through myth, science, and, most frequently, through domestic familiarity. The mirror that animal interactions holds up to the human characters often illuminates flaws and strengths, but inevitably defines what it is that makes them human by highlighting their affinity or aversion to the nonhuman natural world. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | University of St Andrews | |
dc.subject.lcc | PS3552.A7327Z5M4 | |
dc.subject.lcsh | Barrett, Andrea--Criticism and interpretation | en |
dc.subject.lcsh | Natural history in literature | en |
dc.subject.lcsh | Science in literature | en |
dc.subject.lcsh | Literature and science | en |
dc.title | The continuous flight from wonder : an ecocritical analysis of the tensions between natural history and modern science in Andrea Barrett's fiction ; How muskrat made the world and other stories | en_US |
dc.title.alternative | How muskrat made the world and other stories | en |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
dc.type.qualificationlevel | Doctoral | en_US |
dc.type.qualificationname | PhD Doctor of Philosophy | en_US |
dc.publisher.institution | The University of St Andrews | en_US |
dc.rights.embargodate | 2020-06-01 | |
dc.rights.embargoreason | Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Print and electronic copy restricted until 1st June 2020. | en |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.