Date of Award
May 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Member
Keith L Morris
Committee Member
Nic Brown
Committee Member
Jonathan Beecher Field
Abstract
Abstract
Two components make up this thesis—a critical essay that analyzes the mode of the eulogy in William Apess’s “Eulogy on King Philip;” and a creative excerpt from a novel-in-progress titled The Eulogist. Though distinct and self-standing as respective projects, both components reflect my continued interest in intersections of language and memory, in addition to connections between function and form.
In “Here Am I: The Disruptive Presence in William Apess’s ‘Eulogy on King Philip’,” I analyze the ways in which Apess’s visual and sonic presence might be understood as instruments of resistance in his larger anti-colonial project. In particular, I rely on the theories of Christina Sharpe, Judith Butler, and Michel-Rolph Trouillot in order to discuss how Apess’s eulogy managed both spatial and temporal disruption.
In the following excerpt from The Eulogist, I prepare for the later sections of the novel (sections which deal more explicitly with eulogizing) by establishing a sense of place, building a sense of character, and setting into motion significant dramatic action. Written in a style that draws equally from hard-boiled noir and speculative fiction, these early chapters depict V (the novel’s protagonist) reacting to a series of strange intrusions and wrestling with the implications of a possible conspiracy.
Recommended Citation
Leach, Dan, "Defending the Dead: A Critical and Creative Exploration of the Eulogy" (2020). All Theses. 3356.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/3356