Award Date

1-1-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Committee Member

John H. Irsfeld

Number of Pages

195

Abstract

This thesis explores Tim O'Brien's ideas on the definition of fiction, memory, imagination, the role they play in the creative process, and the functions that fiction has in the world at large. This will be explored through close examination of O'Brien's self-referential narrative technique. This thesis will answer three questions: using O'Brien's work as a single framework for discovery, whether a definition of fiction can be reached; whether an idea of what causes the impulse to tell stories be ascertained; and if the primary functions that stories serve be discovered. These questions will be explored through extensive close reading of O'Brien's self-referential texts and researching prior criticism, interviews, and reviews.

Keywords

Metafiction; Tim O'Brien; Work

Controlled Subject

American literature

File Format

pdf

File Size

4884.48 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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Rights

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