As I mentioned last week, I am leaning towards a comparative or connective study of the West Coast of the US and Japan in regards to disaster culture as earthquakes as represented in contemporary literature and fiction. This new situated context is motivated by a curiosity of the physical connection between Japan and the US, […]
From the Bottom Up: The State of my Research
This week I gave a presentation on the [very preliminary] state of my thesis research. I am engaging in a rather bottom up research model, where I am seeking texts that fit into a category and from what I find in those texts I will then craft my theory and my hourglass. I am also […]
Science Fiction Discourses & Fictional Realities
Last week, I had a wonderful meeting with my adviser and mentor, Jim Proctor. He put my budding thesis into a language that connects it even more explicitly to my area of interest: the fiction of unsettled landscapes. Further, we discussed the various structures of fiction and literature in regards to my previous interest in […]
An Inquiry into Earthquakes in Science, Fiction, and Science Fiction
Introduction & Frameworks I want to explore the place of fictional stories in relation to scientific discourse. To this end, there are several theoretical frameworks which I aim to use to carve out the academic space of this inquiry. First, narrative is often used in discourses of environmental history, as William Cronon has discussed at […]
Fact & Fiction; Data & Methods
In this post, I will explore some potential sources of data that I can and will use for my thesis analysis. After meeting with Liz, I have decided to look to specific fictional texts that regard or represent earthquakes. Data After The Big One: This is a five-part fictional piece written for the science fiction […]