Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

20th Century Texts-19th Century Narratives: Literary Convention in Paul Muldoon's Madoc: A Mystery and Ishmael Reed's Flight to Canada.

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dc.contributor Mary Helen Thuente, Committee Member
dc.contributor Tom Lisk, Committee Chair
dc.contributor Michael Grimwood, Committee Member
dc.creator Mullins, Matthew
dc.date 2010-04-02T18:03:33Z
dc.date 2010-04-02T18:03:33Z
dc.date 2007-04-06
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-22T16:39:16Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-22T16:39:16Z
dc.identifier etd-03112007-131927
dc.identifier http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1381
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/253855
dc.description This thesis explores how Paul Muldoon and Ishmael Reed use literary and historical conventions to comment on the value of literary conventions in the context of contemporary literature and culture. Muldoon uses poetic conventions in Madoc: A Mystery, while Reed uses slave narrative conventions in Flight to Canada. The value of reexamining these conventions in a contemporary context is to see their persisting importance and influence in literature and culture, and also to see where, perhaps, they may have fallen short as is the case with some of the slave narrative conventions appropriated by Reed. No previous research has placed Madoc and Flight to Canada side by side. By placing these two texts side by side, we can get a better idea of the irreducible complexity of language. Both Muldoon and Reed use language that can only be reduced to a lowest common denominator that is, in itself, complex. Both authors also offer a revisionist history that questions capital "T" truth, and the concepts of time and history in general. And, in both texts, America is critiqued for falling short of its once-ripe New World aspirations. By appropriating literary conventions, Muldoon and Reed pull two hundred years into the span of a few hundred pages, and use convention to challenge convention while learning from convention in the process.
dc.rights I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dis sertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.
dc.subject Paul Muldoon
dc.subject Ishmael Reed
dc.subject literary convention
dc.subject postmodern
dc.title 20th Century Texts-19th Century Narratives: Literary Convention in Paul Muldoon's Madoc: A Mystery and Ishmael Reed's Flight to Canada.


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