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Pages
- Title
- Toward the Red Shore.
- Creator
-
Bomhoff, Gary, Rushin, Patrick, Roney, Lisa, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A fictional novel utilizing third person limited narration from the perspective of the primary character, Ilya Kollide, who narrates the story as though it were happening in his head as it occurred, with frequent embellishments. He has come to live near an old mansion on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, named Neimasaurus, to find an antiquated, dusty world of faded aristocracy. Temporarily orphaned at the age sixteen by the recent death of his parents, he has traveled four thousand miles to live...
Show moreA fictional novel utilizing third person limited narration from the perspective of the primary character, Ilya Kollide, who narrates the story as though it were happening in his head as it occurred, with frequent embellishments. He has come to live near an old mansion on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, named Neimasaurus, to find an antiquated, dusty world of faded aristocracy. Temporarily orphaned at the age sixteen by the recent death of his parents, he has traveled four thousand miles to live with his last living relative, an uncle named Demetri, whom he has never met. The year is 1990, only this is not a world where the rule of the Tsar was supplanted by the Soviet Union. Instead, it is a logical exploration of what Russia might resemble, had communism never taken root. While the fantastical may or may not occur, depending upon how the reader chooses to interpret the point of view of the narrator, the setting in and of itself is not meant to be fantastical. Ilya discovers that all the servants who work there are deaf, as is his uncle and his own now deceased parents, whom he carries around in an urn after mixing their ashes together. While working at the great estate of the Neimasaurus family, Ilya discovers a surprising numbers of stories and people who both parallel his own experiences and serve as allegorical warnings toward his future mistakes in life. He becomes obsessed with the idea that he is to blame for his parents' death and sets out on a quest to bring redemption to the wounded inhabitants of the estate, only to discover that not everyone wants to be helped. In fact, they want him dead. They see him as an allegory, just as he sees them. To the young man Shoji Yamano, Ilya represents everything he was, and can no longer be. As such a reflection, he resolves to shatter Ilya like a mirror. The novel charts Ilya's personal growth from a neurotic wreck, incapable of normal interaction with people, to a young man capable of not just self-sacrifice, but an understanding of what it actually means to literally sacrifice himself for the well-being of someone he barely knows. He learns to value time spent with others rather than dwelling within a narcissistic and lonely fantasy world.?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004976, ucf:49591
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004976
- Title
- Some Girls.
- Creator
-
Napolitano, Sabrina, Poissant, David, Uttich, Laurie, Preston-Sidler, Leandra, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This novel in stories explores the viewpoint of an unnamed, agender narrator as they navigate their life from childhood into early adulthood. Through the narrator's unique lens, the stories explore gender, sexuality, mental illness, family, and loneliness. The narrator's struggles with belonging and overarching feelings of abandonment intertwine with the sometimes isolating and dangerous landscape of Florida. From their interactions with both Florida and the people who pass through their life...
Show moreThis novel in stories explores the viewpoint of an unnamed, agender narrator as they navigate their life from childhood into early adulthood. Through the narrator's unique lens, the stories explore gender, sexuality, mental illness, family, and loneliness. The narrator's struggles with belonging and overarching feelings of abandonment intertwine with the sometimes isolating and dangerous landscape of Florida. From their interactions with both Florida and the people who pass through their life, the narrator begins to learn how to accept who are they are, without apology.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006629, ucf:51272
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006629
- Title
- Natural Disasters.
- Creator
-
Cobb, Rebecca, Milanes, Cecilia, Poissant, David, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Natural Disasters is a collection of twelve short stories that feature a variety of narrators as they interact with the ones they love. In these stories, characters experience puberty, friendship, love, loss, trauma, and the everyday magic of living as they fight to master their own failings. Those lucky enough find solace in the forgiving beauty of nature, while others succumb to the untamable power of its disasters. This thesis is useful, important, and unique as it focuses on the stories...
Show moreNatural Disasters is a collection of twelve short stories that feature a variety of narrators as they interact with the ones they love. In these stories, characters experience puberty, friendship, love, loss, trauma, and the everyday magic of living as they fight to master their own failings. Those lucky enough find solace in the forgiving beauty of nature, while others succumb to the untamable power of its disasters. This thesis is useful, important, and unique as it focuses on the stories of a variety of characters, mostly women and children, and displays the beauty and fearsome power of nature as the characters strive to achieve their goals. In today's political and social climate, women, children, and nature are often taken for granted, underestimated, and even forgotten about. Here, they are anything but forgotten. Women join together to fight trauma, children stand together and face some of today's worst natural disasters, and nature is portrayed as a source of magic. This thesis gives these characters a voice and shines a spotlight on their importance to the world and society as a whole.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006867, ucf:51741
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006867
- Title
- Cold Snap.
- Creator
-
Phin, Jonathan, Roney, Lisa, Neal, Mary, Milanes, Cecilia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Cold Snap is a collection of short stories that details the breaking down of self by those closest to us and the rebuilding process necessary to continue on in this diverse world. The sometimes autobiographical short stories attempt to explore the different stages of psychological and/or physical abuse and their aftermaths. Three short stories revolve around a singular family and include themes of cultural division, LGBT coming-of-age, neglect, and acceptance. The other short stories focus on...
Show moreCold Snap is a collection of short stories that details the breaking down of self by those closest to us and the rebuilding process necessary to continue on in this diverse world. The sometimes autobiographical short stories attempt to explore the different stages of psychological and/or physical abuse and their aftermaths. Three short stories revolve around a singular family and include themes of cultural division, LGBT coming-of-age, neglect, and acceptance. The other short stories focus on themes including but not limited to self-worth, fear, desire, and survival. All characters revolve around the Buddhist idea that to want is to suffer and conclude with how the protagonists live with those consequences.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006486, ucf:51385
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006486
- Title
- Escape Artist.
- Creator
-
Mujica, Alejandro, Rushin, Patrick, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Neal, Mary, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
My thesis, Escape Artist, is a composite novel written as a fictitious memoir, similar in style to Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, that describes my experiences between the years 2001 and 2011. During that time I went through Marine Corps Boot Camp, became a military police officer, patrolled Yuma, AZ, was sent to Iraq for a seven-month tour as a security detail just before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and made it back home four years later. The novel also looks into my...
Show moreMy thesis, Escape Artist, is a composite novel written as a fictitious memoir, similar in style to Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, that describes my experiences between the years 2001 and 2011. During that time I went through Marine Corps Boot Camp, became a military police officer, patrolled Yuma, AZ, was sent to Iraq for a seven-month tour as a security detail just before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and made it back home four years later. The novel also looks into my struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, how they affected the people around me, and what I've been trying to do to remedy them (or ignore them).
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004788, ucf:49732
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004788
- Title
- The Prologue Past.
- Creator
-
McKee, Raymond, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Rushin, Pat, Roney, Lisa, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Prologue Past is a collection of four essays and one novella which explore the past in different fashions. Memory, and the ability to reflect and find meaning in our experiences, is an important cornerstone of engaging the past. Memories are a true anomaly of how our inner-consciousness operates. With each day, the past facilitates a special part of our memory bank which we seldom have any control of. While the abilities of people to recall times, events, places, and experiences differ...
Show moreThe Prologue Past is a collection of four essays and one novella which explore the past in different fashions. Memory, and the ability to reflect and find meaning in our experiences, is an important cornerstone of engaging the past. Memories are a true anomaly of how our inner-consciousness operates. With each day, the past facilitates a special part of our memory bank which we seldom have any control of. While the abilities of people to recall times, events, places, and experiences differ largely in capacity, we all undoubtedly share universal traits in the manner in which we hold onto our memories. I'm personally fascinated by the notion of unreliable memory or the inability to recall a past event in a concrete moment in time. I'm equally intrigued by what's tied to our most vivid recollections of the past, involving adrenaline and emotion. My exploration of memory(-)and how it's ascertained and utilized(-)is based on certain moments in my life presented in these personal stories, which range from childhood endeavors to adult conquests, seemingly linked together through particular themes of fear, loss, and hope.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005530, ucf:50306
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005530
- Title
- A Look to Burst the Brightest Neon Hearts: Attempts.
- Creator
-
Fershtman, Eric, Poissant, David, Thaxton, Terry, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A Look to Burst the Brightest Neon Hearts is an inquiry, via constellation of stories diffuse in structure and subject matter, into the various (and really weird) phenomena comprising contemporary American existence. Cumulatively, the stories seek to: (1) kick up, like bottom feeders searching biogenous sediment, an underlying value system, and (2) explore how language both breastfeeds and like, weans this value system(-)e.g., what dark matter is it that tethers bromances to reality TV?...
Show moreA Look to Burst the Brightest Neon Hearts is an inquiry, via constellation of stories diffuse in structure and subject matter, into the various (and really weird) phenomena comprising contemporary American existence. Cumulatively, the stories seek to: (1) kick up, like bottom feeders searching biogenous sediment, an underlying value system, and (2) explore how language both breastfeeds and like, weans this value system(-)e.g., what dark matter is it that tethers bromances to reality TV? Quantum mechanics to pop music? How can a country be responsible for both the world's highest incarceration rates, and OKCupid? These stories also explore various American conceptions and embodiments of love, plotting out a strange attractor of cultural reflection and refraction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005492, ucf:50331
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005492
- Title
- The outdoor girls in Florida, or, Wintering in the sunny south.
- Creator
-
Hope, Laura Lee, PALMM (Project)
- Abstract / Description
-
"The parents of one of the girls have bought an orange grove in Florida, and her companions are invited to visit the place. They take a trip into the interior, where several unusual things happen."--P. [206].
- Date Issued
- 1913
- Identifier
- AAA7985QF00010/16/200310/25/200425087BfamI D0QF, ONICF176- 4, FHP C CF 2003-10-16, FCLA url 20041007xOCLC, 56815823, CF00001664, 2576198, ucf:14494
- Format
- E-book
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/tc/fhp/CF00001664.jpg
- Title
- Communism's Futures: Intelligentsia Imaginations in the Writings of the Strugatsky Brothers.
- Creator
-
Tammaro, Elizabeth, Solonari, Vladimir, Gannon, Barbara, French, Scot, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were the most popular science fiction writing duo in Soviet Russia from the 1960s through the 1980s. Examining their imaginative fictional worlds against the background of wider changes in the Soviet Union allows scholars to gain insights in the world of the Soviet intelligentsia, the educated bearers of culture. As members of this group, the Strugatskys expressed the hopes, frustrations and fears, of their peers, vindicating their intellectual and emotional life....
Show moreArkady and Boris Strugatsky were the most popular science fiction writing duo in Soviet Russia from the 1960s through the 1980s. Examining their imaginative fictional worlds against the background of wider changes in the Soviet Union allows scholars to gain insights in the world of the Soviet intelligentsia, the educated bearers of culture. As members of this group, the Strugatskys expressed the hopes, frustrations and fears, of their peers, vindicating their intellectual and emotional life. I support the argument that the Brothers occupied a middle ground between conformity and dissident, dubbed the (")lost(") intelligentsia by Lloyd Churchward. I demonstrate this state of being in Soviet society by providing context to popular Strugatsky works, and discussing the evolution of their perspective over time, as displayed in their literature. Featured prominently in Strugatsky works are themes of governmental authority and scientific development, therefore these are the key focuses of this research. The Strugatskys examination of the essential question of the meaning and attainment of happiness adds a new layer of insight to this argument. Studying the Strugatsky Brothers aligns with the greater trend in the field of cultural studies of the Soviet Union, as historians seek to gain greater understanding of how society experienced the communist government. The captivating writing of the Strugatskys, a mixture of foreboding, irony and humor, contributes to the narrative of Soviet history as the authors were culturally significant figures whose legacy remains influential today.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006919, ucf:51693
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006919
- Title
- FRAT STAR.
- Creator
-
Holic, Nathan, Leiby, Jeanne, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis, a social novel in the tradition of Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is all at once an attentive first-person study of a twenty-something man close to his cracking point in his first post-college job, a detailed exposé of national fraternities, and the sweeping panoramic view of an entire generation of over-programmed college students searching for direction. Frat Star follows a fragile college...
Show moreThis thesis, a social novel in the tradition of Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is all at once an attentive first-person study of a twenty-something man close to his cracking point in his first post-college job, a detailed exposé of national fraternities, and the sweeping panoramic view of an entire generation of over-programmed college students searching for direction. Frat Star follows a fragile college graduate named Charles Washington, who takes a position as an "Educational Consultant" with a national fraternity in his first semester after graduation. For sixteen straight weeks, he drives across the country, from college to college and fraternity house to fraternity house, meeting with alumni and students, and living on frat house couches and in seedy off-exit hotels. As he travels, the pressure mounts for Charles to convince his family and friends back home that this is a "Real Job" and that his work actually matters to the business world, but at each new fraternity house he visits, his yearning for the old college atmosphere grows--the beer, the parties, the girls!--threatening to send him into a frightening tailspin. How can he be a professional when the temptations of youth still seem so attractive? And before Charles can sort out what is happening in his own life, he finds himself stuck in a vicious tug-of-war between students, alumni, administrators, and the national fraternity, when he must deal with one particularly abrasive undergraduate fraternity and the aftermath of its disastrous decisions. Spanning thousands of miles, from Florida to California, from Illinois to New Mexico, this thesis takes us inside fraternity houses, into their attics and their basements, behind the scenes of their rituals and ceremonies, inside their parties, inside their heads, giving us a view not only of the power of the national fraternity, but the disconnect between alumnus and student, between Baby Boomer and Generation X and Millennial. Incorporating research as varied as the generational studies of Howe and Strauss, and Alexandra Robbins' psychological study of the "Quarterlife Crisis," Frat Star stretches across the country, stretches across genre, stretches from text to illustration, but is ultimately the human story of a young man's longing for morality, independence, and purpose in a world he simply has not been prepared to understand.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001587, ucf:47491
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001587
- Title
- THE EDGE OF THINGS.
- Creator
-
Koman, Robin, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT The Edge of Things is what I like to call a love song to the dispossessed. Each of the eight stories in the collection is an examination of the lives of women who are exiled from modern American consumer culture, whether by circumstance or by choice. This separation brings them heartache, risk, and sometimes even hope. The collection is fueled by the landscape of Florida, observed at its most beautiful and most corrupted, from highways, landfills, and trailer parks to housing...
Show moreABSTRACT The Edge of Things is what I like to call a love song to the dispossessed. Each of the eight stories in the collection is an examination of the lives of women who are exiled from modern American consumer culture, whether by circumstance or by choice. This separation brings them heartache, risk, and sometimes even hope. The collection is fueled by the landscape of Florida, observed at its most beautiful and most corrupted, from highways, landfills, and trailer parks to housing developments, gardens, and secret forests. Setting is a constant source of revelation, the external landscape offering insight into the internal struggles of the characters. Regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation, the women of The Edge of Things find themselves moving toward, or just past, incredible changes in their lives. In "Seed of the Golden Mango", "Raising the Dead", and "The Girl Who Loved Bugs", young women deal with the loss of loved ones. The women of "Zyczenie", "It Cannot Hold", and "Wasp Honey" must deal with old losses in order to survive the realities of the outside world that they have long ignored. "The Edge of Things" and "The Secret Letters" both deal with love, and the consequences of an inability to communicate. In each of these tales I hope to present unforgettable characters, women whose journeys will haunt, reminding readers that on some level, the love song of the dispossessed calls to us all.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002024, ucf:47615
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002024
- Title
- A LONGER SPOON: A NOVEL.
- Creator
-
MacDonald, Elizabeth, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The intent of this thesis is to create a novel-length narrative based around a premise conceived in a workshop setting. The novel, while containing elements of fantasy, will be character-driven and feature psychological character development as its primary goal. Lawrence Caligny, a young cook newly instated at a castle, is coerced by his mother, an infamous witch named Mallory, to concoct a sleeping potion for the country's crown prince, beckoning comparison to the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy...
Show moreThe intent of this thesis is to create a novel-length narrative based around a premise conceived in a workshop setting. The novel, while containing elements of fantasy, will be character-driven and feature psychological character development as its primary goal. Lawrence Caligny, a young cook newly instated at a castle, is coerced by his mother, an infamous witch named Mallory, to concoct a sleeping potion for the country's crown prince, beckoning comparison to the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale. As Lawrence prepares for his opportunity, he unwittingly befriends the prince and his sister and stumbles across an assassination plot. Being thoroughly inept at witchcraft himself, Lawrence fails to put the prince to sleep when he gets the chance, knocking out the entirety of the castle inhabitants and staff instead. The story concludes with the revival of those in the castle and Lawrence being fired from his (ignominious) position in the kitchens, but otherwise pardoned in acknowledgement of his help in stopping the assassination.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004611, ucf:45322
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004611
- Title
- AN EXAMINATION OF RELATIONAL BULLYING IN AWARD WINNING NEWBERY BOOKS, 1996-2016.
- Creator
-
Wann, Kaysey N, Hoffman, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Relational bullying, although covert in nature and difficult for adults to notice and identify, is becoming increasingly prevalent among young children and teens. The success of bibliotherapy as preventative and intervention practices for bullying shows that portrayals of relational bullying in quality children's literature would be effective in reducing and preventing it. However, relational bullying is rarely portrayed in children's literature. My goal was to find quality children's...
Show moreRelational bullying, although covert in nature and difficult for adults to notice and identify, is becoming increasingly prevalent among young children and teens. The success of bibliotherapy as preventative and intervention practices for bullying shows that portrayals of relational bullying in quality children's literature would be effective in reducing and preventing it. However, relational bullying is rarely portrayed in children's literature. My goal was to find quality children's realistic fiction literature that portrays relational bullying in Newbery award-winning books, and to bring them to the attention of teachers. After creating a table to determine what types of bullying, if any, were portrayed in the 21 Newbery Medal and Honor realistic fiction children's literature (1996-2016), the books were read in their totality, and analyzed for any portrayals of relational bullying, including the experience of bullying from the eyes of the bully, victim, and bystander. The bullying portrayed in the literature was described, as well as the characteristics of the bully and victim. Only 10 out of the 21 books read contained portrayals of bullying in the plot. Using this information, future research will include creating a website for teachers, other educational professionals, and parents, to help bring quality children's literature portrayals of relational bullying to their attention. The hope is that teachers will begin to use the findings of this study as a resource with their students, to prevent or address relational bullying in their classrooms, and to recommend it to school psychologists, counselors, and parents, as needed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH0000231, ucf:44684
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0000231
- Title
- LUCIDITY: A NOVELLA.
- Creator
-
Lancelotta, Rafael, Rodriguez-Milanes, Cecilia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"Lucidity" is a novella set in the near future of a man living in a city in the United States as a successful businessman. The novella criticizes the idea of consumerism through Aurora, a character who believes that a drug is being introduced into the water and food supply by the corporate-backed government. Characters find advertising to be almost irresistible, experience strange cravings for things like cheap beer, and are generally preoccupied with the latest products. James Simmons, the...
Show more"Lucidity" is a novella set in the near future of a man living in a city in the United States as a successful businessman. The novella criticizes the idea of consumerism through Aurora, a character who believes that a drug is being introduced into the water and food supply by the corporate-backed government. Characters find advertising to be almost irresistible, experience strange cravings for things like cheap beer, and are generally preoccupied with the latest products. James Simmons, the protagonist of the novella, finds himself in the lap of luxury. He has a job that pays well, a penthouse apartment, a fast car, and women. Even though he has the material riches that society tells him he needs to be happy, he knows that something is missing, something is wrong with the world in which he lives. For reasons unknown to him at the time, James is fired from his job and sets out on a journey to discover why. Over the course of his journey, he is finally able to begin piecing together the nature of deeper questions about himself that he never had a chance to answer.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004337, ucf:45046
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004337
- Title
- THE AMBIVALENCE OF SCIENCE FICTION: SCIENCE FICTION, NEO-IMPERIALISM, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF MODERNITY AS PROGRESS.
- Creator
-
Hall, Graham, Campbell, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis sets out to examine the relationship between science fiction and its conditions of production, specifically interrogating the genre's articulations of the ideology of modernity as progress. Sf has been characterized variously as a characteristically useful critical engagement with the ideologies of its context and as wholly ideological at the level of form, relying on the authority of a scientific episteme in its "cognitive estrangements," while not obligated to operate within the...
Show moreThis thesis sets out to examine the relationship between science fiction and its conditions of production, specifically interrogating the genre's articulations of the ideology of modernity as progress. Sf has been characterized variously as a characteristically useful critical engagement with the ideologies of its context and as wholly ideological at the level of form, relying on the authority of a scientific episteme in its "cognitive estrangements," while not obligated to operate within the boundaries of this episteme. As such, the genre is unparalleled in its capacity to articulate ideologies under the guise of a putatively neutral science and reason. However, this same formal action places the genre in the unique position of being able to utilize the authority of a scientific episteme to re-evaluate the putative neutrality of that very scientific episteme. As a result, this study concludes that while the genre's reliance on the external authority of science in "cognitively" organizing its estrangements may make it particularly conducive to articulating ideological technoscience and the ideology of modernity as progress, the genre is characteristically ambivalent in this respect, both at the level of form and as a result of the incongruities between form and narrative. To support my thesis I engage a number of science fictional texts, focusing on Golden Age sf of the mid-20th century, while also branching out into explorations of a variety of 20th and 21st century sf texts, including texts from the pulp era, New Wave, cyberpunk, and post-singularity sf. I analyze within the effects of the conceptual mapping of society in terms of the natural sciences in sf, as well as the ambivalent presence of the robot as a megatextual motif, exploring the relationship of these to the ideology of modernity as progress and the post-scarcity fantasy of global mass consumption prosperity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004471, ucf:45121
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004471
- Title
- Golden Years.
- Creator
-
Malik, Sienna, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Stanfill, Mel, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Golden Years is the culmination of the author's studies in Creative Nonfiction writing, with attention to hybrid forms of the genre, combined with her professional background in screenwriting, and research interests in nostalgia and cultural preservation in the modern age. In the collection of essays, the author blends established forms of Creative Nonfiction, such as the braided essay, with literary conventions borrowed from other forms of written communication, such as the screenplay (("...
Show moreGolden Years is the culmination of the author's studies in Creative Nonfiction writing, with attention to hybrid forms of the genre, combined with her professional background in screenwriting, and research interests in nostalgia and cultural preservation in the modern age. In the collection of essays, the author blends established forms of Creative Nonfiction, such as the braided essay, with literary conventions borrowed from other forms of written communication, such as the screenplay ((")You Must Remember This,(") (")Driver's Seat(")), the cookbook ((")Tip of my Tongue(")), a travel guide ((")A Trolley Runs Through It(")) and fabulist fiction ((")Selkie on the Shore(")). Through these hybrid forms, Golden Years explores the narrator's fascinations with music, cinema, and fashions of the past, with crafting the perfect pot of vegetarian chili, and with marine mammals. Through the blending of personal essay with cultural criticism, the author explores how these loves have shaped her relationship with the world around her.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007344, ucf:52128
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007344
- Title
- Stuffmobile.
- Creator
-
Greenberg, Ted, Rushin, Patrick, Hubbard, Susan, Neal, Mary, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The leitmotif of Stuffmobile, a modern day Florida-based novella, is that of relational healing: a son with his father, ex-lovers with one another, and, even more challenging perhaps, a son making peace with his dead mother. New beginnings are explored, both as resurrection of long dead feelings and as starting afresh after loss. A husband finds distraction in a covert project after his wife's death, so much so that his preoccupied isolation worries his two adult children. The son comes to...
Show moreThe leitmotif of Stuffmobile, a modern day Florida-based novella, is that of relational healing: a son with his father, ex-lovers with one another, and, even more challenging perhaps, a son making peace with his dead mother. New beginnings are explored, both as resurrection of long dead feelings and as starting afresh after loss. A husband finds distraction in a covert project after his wife's death, so much so that his preoccupied isolation worries his two adult children. The son comes to investigate, and his malfunctioning car leads to the beginnings of reconciliation. The characters here struggle to understand and be understood, to avoid hurting others and avoid being hurt, all while searching for respect and love: just another normal day of the human experience.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004189, ucf:49001
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004189
- Title
- Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories.
- Creator
-
Martin, Tamra, Neal, Mary, Hubbard, Susan, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes...
Show moreFinding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes in the background of the stories. Instead, it is meant to look at how the lives of people connected through a church and a small town setting can affect them and lead them on different paths through the choices they make. Their personal struggles and challenges help them to either discover who they are or lose a piece of themselves in the process, which is especially true for Deacon. He is the character who appears as a child, as an adolescent, and as an adult. Self-discovery is not always peaceful or satisfying for him or any of the characters around him, and their individual journeys show this process and the different events that come from the choices they make. This collection focuses on how religious roots, friendships, and familial connections, or the lack of such bonds, affect the characters' own personal views and decisions as well as how they relate to those around them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004408, ucf:49386
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004408
- Title
- BAD PIXELS: CHALLENGES OF MICROBUDGET DIGITAL CINEMA.
- Creator
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Bowser, Alexander, Stoeckl, Ula, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Bad Pixels is a feature-length, microbudget, digital motion picture, produced, written, and directed by Alexander Jon Bowser as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Digital Media from the University of Central Florida. The materials contained herein serve as a record of the microbudget filmmaking experience. This thesis documents the challenges confronted by a first-time feature filmmaker; an evaluation of both the theory and application of a dynamic...
Show moreBad Pixels is a feature-length, microbudget, digital motion picture, produced, written, and directed by Alexander Jon Bowser as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Digital Media from the University of Central Florida. The materials contained herein serve as a record of the microbudget filmmaking experience. This thesis documents the challenges confronted by a first-time feature filmmaker; an evaluation of both the theory and application of a dynamic microbudget approach to digital content creation. From script development to digital distribution, the thesis aims to reflect on technical and procedural decisions made and assess their impact on the overall experience and final product.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003729, ucf:48767
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003729
- Title
- Enterface : a novella.
- Creator
-
McLeod, Hubert Calip, Rushin, Pat, Arts and Sciences
- Abstract / Description
-
University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology, ethics, and love. It is informed by Wittgensteinian philosophy, Norse mythology, and the "metaphysics of virtual reality." The plot involves Moses Mackinow, a former Air Force officer and entrepreneur, who decides there should be a way to simply live forever. He hits upon the idea that life could be digitized, and a civilization, a world of complete, sentient humans could be created in cyberspace--a world he could enter upon his death and continue to live. A variety of technologies are available to digitize the physical human (x-rays, CTSCNS, Magnetic Resonance Images, graphic images, etc.), but the big problem is how to synthesize his human heart. Moses decides that the stories of his life are the keys to creating the "rag and bone shop" of his eternal heart. Getting the stories "right" is critical to the prospect of digitizing life and is a major focus of the novella action. The novella traces the reduction of Moses as a a human being as he pursues his obsession, compromising one principle after another. Everything in the environment of the novella, reflects this reduction. Everything becomes less than it was, a glimpse of humanity reduced to bits and bytes, floating 1's and 0's. Enterface is a work at war with itself.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1999
- Identifier
- CFR0011964, ucf:53091
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0011964
