Award Date
5-15-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English
First Committee Member
Donald Revell
Second Committee Member
Claudia Keelan
Third Committee Member
Maile Chapman
Fourth Committee Member
Giuseppe Natale
Number of Pages
65
Abstract
This MFA thesis is comprised of my collection of poetry entitled The New Cambrian Children. There are fifty-five pages of poetry in this thesis exploring themes of nature, technology, dystopia, and childhood.
Much of the contemporary writing and discussion surrounding the natural world and its relationship with humanity and technology imagines dystopia. There is a tendency to see the world arising from industrialization, computing technologies, and the World Wide Web as a violation of nature and human spirit. This book does not refute this emotional tenor, nor does it claim knowledge of its conclusion. Instead, it forwards conversations between these entities which are at times dystopic, and at others beautiful and true.
Many of the poems in this collection rely on the juxtaposition of images, ideas, and voices. They form a tapestry of sound, voice, and image which aim to convey truth. The poems are written primarily in free verse, but engage with elements of rhyme, line, and meter. The thesis also includes poems written in Haiku and concrete poetry.
Some of the poems rely on recurring characters and voices, such as the Salmon Emperor in “Lying in the Snow” and “The Salmon Emperor Accepts All Casualties as Vital Imperatives.” This recursion allows for reflection and examination and brings the pieces of the exploration together.
The poems in this thesis speak in a variety of voices: violators, victims, people and nature. They include voices from the internet and physical world in conjunction with the mythic voice of the poems’ characters. These voices paint the landscape of the thesis and explore its themes through their activity. In this way, the thesis forges a mythology of its own making.
Keywords
Childhood; Internet; Nature; Poetry; Technology
Disciplines
Creative Writing
File Format
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Watanabe, Shin, "The New Cambrian Children" (2018). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 3339.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/13568773
Rights
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