How is a Woman Like a Watermelon?: Advocating a Psychological and Comparative Examination of Brautigan's Novels

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorPlummer, Sarah E.en
dc.contributor.committeechairColaianne, Anthony J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberOehlschlaeger, Fritz H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberSiegle, Robert B.en
dc.contributor.departmentEnglishen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:36:05Zen
dc.date.adate2010-06-08en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:36:05Zen
dc.date.issued2010-04-28en
dc.date.rdate2010-06-08en
dc.date.sdate2010-05-10en
dc.description.abstract"How is a Woman Like a Watermelon" examines two of Richard Brautigan's novels, In Watermelon Sugar and An Unfortunate Woman, as they relate to each other in ways that offer a better understanding of each. This paper enriches an understanding of Brautigan's work by exploring the historical context of his writings, studying his style and presenting diverse interpretations in a mutually inclusive way that complements the multifaceted qualities of his writing. By studying Brautigan's novels in a comparative manner, the essential and distinctive principles that drive Brautigan's work—his manipulation of genre, use of memory and a complex first person narrator as an author persona—are better understood. Because of Brautigan's use of the first person, this study advocates an analytical psychological analysis aimed at discerning underlying emotion within apparent personal detachment, the use of projection as a defense mechanism, and the psychological associative value of words, images and memories. An inclusive and comparative study that foregrounds these psychological elements will ultimately allow for a more complete and subtle analysis of Brautigan's work.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.identifier.otheretd-05102010-101335en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05102010-101335/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/32521en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartPlummer_SE_2010.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectPostmodernismen
dc.subjectfirst person narratoren
dc.subjectemotional detachmenten
dc.subjectAn Unfortunate Womanen
dc.subjectIn Watermelon Sugaren
dc.subjectRichard Brautiganen
dc.titleHow is a Woman Like a Watermelon?: Advocating a Psychological and Comparative Examination of Brautigan's Novelsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineEnglishen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Plummer_SE_2010.pdf
Size:
593.6 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Masters Theses