Faulty Vision and Hearing in the Novels of Anne Tyler
FAULTY VISION AND HEARING IN THE NOVELS OF ANNE TYLER
A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
Angelique Hobbs Medvesky Indiana University of Pennsylvania December 2008
© 2008 by Angelique Hobbs Medvesky All Rights Reserved
ii
Indiana University of Pennsylvania The School of Graduate Studies and Research Department of English
We hereby approve the dissertation of
Angelique Hobbs Medvesky
Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
______________________
______________________________ Ronald Emerick, Ph. D. Professor of English, Advisor
______________________
______________________________ Karen Dandurand, Ph. D. Associate Professor of English
______________________
______________________________ Susan M. Comfort, Ph. D. Associate Professor of English
ACCEPTED
____________________________________ Michele S. Schwietz, Ph. D. Assistant Dean for Research The School of Graduate Studies and Research
iii
Title: Faulty Vision and Hearing in the Novels of Anne Tyler Author: Angelique Hobbs Medvesky Dissertation Chair: Dr. Ronald Emerick Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Dandurand Dr. Susan M. Comfort The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the motifs of seeing and hearing in the novels of Anne Tyler. Tyler recurrently exposes her characters’ strengths and weaknesses through his/her ability, or inability, to see and/or hear. All of Tyler’s main characters possess a deficiency that obstructs both his/her view of him/herself and the world that he/she resides in. As each character struggles in the search for self, the search is often obstructed by family history, the structure of the current family, and imposed societal and marriage roles. By using visual and auditory metaphors, Tyler provides each character with various coping mechanisms that prevents him/her from seeing or hearing clearly.
A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
Angelique Hobbs Medvesky Indiana University of Pennsylvania December 2008
© 2008 by Angelique Hobbs Medvesky All Rights Reserved
ii
Indiana University of Pennsylvania The School of Graduate Studies and Research Department of English
We hereby approve the dissertation of
Angelique Hobbs Medvesky
Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
______________________
______________________________ Ronald Emerick, Ph. D. Professor of English, Advisor
______________________
______________________________ Karen Dandurand, Ph. D. Associate Professor of English
______________________
______________________________ Susan M. Comfort, Ph. D. Associate Professor of English
ACCEPTED
____________________________________ Michele S. Schwietz, Ph. D. Assistant Dean for Research The School of Graduate Studies and Research
iii
Title: Faulty Vision and Hearing in the Novels of Anne Tyler Author: Angelique Hobbs Medvesky Dissertation Chair: Dr. Ronald Emerick Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Dandurand Dr. Susan M. Comfort The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the motifs of seeing and hearing in the novels of Anne Tyler. Tyler recurrently exposes her characters’ strengths and weaknesses through his/her ability, or inability, to see and/or hear. All of Tyler’s main characters possess a deficiency that obstructs both his/her view of him/herself and the world that he/she resides in. As each character struggles in the search for self, the search is often obstructed by family history, the structure of the current family, and imposed societal and marriage roles. By using visual and auditory metaphors, Tyler provides each character with various coping mechanisms that prevents him/her from seeing or hearing clearly.