UA35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin WKU Honors Program
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Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® WKU Archives Records WKU Archives 1987 UA35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin WKU Honors Program Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records Part of the American Literature Commons, Architecture Commons, Art and Design Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Climate Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, European History Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Personality and Social Contexts Commons Recommended Citation WKU Honors Program, "UA35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin" (1987). WKU Archives Records. Paper 3204. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/3204 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ! .... I ' \ • i• 4 ............... ~ ___ • ___~ _ ... __....... .. ,.... ' • I t I WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY STUDENT HONORS RESEARCH BULLETIN t 1986-87 , f • I I I j, , ,• WESTERN KENTUCKY UN IVEHSITY ST UDENT IiONORS HES EARCIi BU LLF:TlN 1986·87 The Western Ke ntucky Uni versity Student H III/flr.~ 1?1',~ f'(II'('h 8 uflel ill is dedicated to scholar ly involvement and student research. The ~;e papers arc representati ve of work done by students from throughout the university. - PREFACE As the Student Honors Bulletin continues its task of giving Western students an opportunity to publish their scholarly research and writing. it involves more and more sc hool s and departments. The 1986-87 edition bri ngs attention to work done in all four of Western's colleges and papers from eight departments. It is refreshing to know that even in the day of large lecture classes and com puter-graded examinations. professo rs are sti ll encouraging personal research and writing. It is probable that by exposing such work in th is form we can expect more such effort in the future. Professors and students are invited to submit papers by May 1, 1987 for the 1987·88 cd ition oCthe Bulletin. Papers may be of any length, on any subject. and written in accord with any of the accepted standard forms. James T. Baker. Director University Honors Program TABLE OF CONTENTS "Simms's Frontier Characters," by Joa n Flom presented to Walker Rutledge, English 499H. 10 "Weather Stations in the Andes: A Case Study in Mountain Climatolgy," by Joseph Schneri1!yer III presented to Michnel Trapasso. Geogr aphy 422. 12 "Recent Developments in Products Liability," by Kim Cnl.~e presented to Eugene Evans. Management 570. 15 "I s Crcativi ty Teachable?" /IY Jewel Jacksoli presented to Dorine Geeslin, Teacher Education 503. 18 "Classicism in Wester n Sculpture and Ar'chitecture," b!J Michael Pati!Jell presented to Joseph Gluhman. Art 106 H. and Janel Schwllrzkopf. English I02 H. 21 "Carson McCullers: Three Characters and her !I.'1ain Theme in Relation to her Life," IIY Nol/cul ShoJi presented to Charles Guthrie, English 102. 24 " Right-to-Work Laws,"' by Dollg FOI'd, DO I'id Gmlj and Nick Noum01/ presented to Robert Reber, Management 311. 28 "James I as King Lear," by D Olia L O{Jsdoll presented to Joe Glaser. English 381 3 1 "Personality Determinants: Research Resul ts and i mplications for Inter vention,"II!J Terrell Coble presented to Louella Fang, Home Economics and Family Living 577 35 "Through Pontormo's Eyes." by M ichael Cm!! presented to Pail'icia Trutty-Coohill. Art 401. 45 "Operating Under the Fail' Debt Collection Practices Act. b!J Jelill If a Womeldod presented to Eugene Evans. Management 300. 48 "A Glance at Phenomenology and Its Approach to Literary Criticism," by C(l l"ole 8(11))1 presented to Will Fridy, English 560. SIMMS'S FRONTIER CHARACTERS Joan Flora Nineteenth-century historical romancer Willi am Gilmorc too stiff and mechanical to carry either the reader's interest Simms (1806- 1870) is perhaps forever destined to fall short or sympathy. The lofty and pretentious dialogue which in the inevitable comparisons with the acknowledged master Simms wrote for them does nothi ng to mitigate this fa ult. of fro ntier fiction, James Fenimore Cooper. Since both men Simms's other literary model, James Fenimore Cooper," dealt wit h the now-familiar themes o f early American did not provide an adequate high-born hero with a common literature-men of heroic proportions pitted against a hostile to uch fo r Simms to emulate. Altho ugh the true protagonist na tive population in an unfriendly environment, events of of the " Leatherstocking Tales" is Natty Bumppo (under his national sig nificance enacted in microcosm in the wilderness various sobriquets), Si mms saw fit, apparently, to copy sett ing, and stories of pure, eternal love- comparison comes merely what were Cooper's secondary (and much less easily to literary critics. Unfortunately, much of this criticism int eresti ng) " gentlemenly" characters. Such characters is based on incomplete knowledge of Simms and hi s work . invaribly remi nd the reader o f certain "rules" wh ich, Tradition, it seems has d ictated a lack of publication of his according to Twain's " Fenimo re Cooper's Literary many novels and a disdain of the few in print. This is not Offenses," were violated fl agrantly by Cooper. Among only a disservice to a fine wri ter but also a disservice to the T wain's rules which apply very well to both Cooper and modern reader and cri tic. Much o f what Simms wrote is o f Simms are those pertaining to dialogue and depict ion of literary value, is, in fact, equal to the works of Cooper. characters: Although Simms wrote poetry, histories, literary cri ticism, and editorials fo r The Tablet or Southern Monthly Literary 5. [The rules) require that when the personages of Gazelle and , later, for The City Gazelle (which he also co a tale deal in conversation, the talk shall sound like published), ' it is with hi s historical romances that today's human talk , and be talk such as human beings would reader and crit ic is most concerned. Simms's novels prove be likely to talk in (he given circumstances, and have to be equally as fasci nating and rewarding as those of a discoverable meaning, also a discoverable purpose, Cooper. One aspect (amo ng several) o f Simm's romances and a sho w o f relevancy, and remain in the especiall y worthy of critical examination is his depiction of neighborhood of the subject at hand , and be the front ier character in its many manifestations. Colorful interesting to the reader, and help out the tale, and and diverse, his characters make long, dry histo rical passages stop when the people cannot think of anything more or cont rived eleventh-hour rescues palatable. Among the to say .•• , characte r types represented in Sim ms's novels are the expected- heroic office rs, nasty villains, naive heroines, and Or " Rule Number 10" : almost every other type fo und in Gothic li terature- but also the unexpected - heroes who do not fi t into the Gothic mold, 10. They require that the author shall make the ladies who are as brave and intelligent as their men, and pro reader feel a deep int erest in the personages of his tale tago nists who are not necessarily high-born white men. and in their fate; and that he shall make the reader Perusal o f just a few of the novels in Simms's two great love the good people in the tale and hate the bad ones . American history series, the "Colo nial Romances" and the But the reader o f the DeeTSlayer tale dislikes the good " Border Romances," reveals ma ny quite distinct and people in ii, is indifferent to the others, and wishes memorable characters. The same can be said fo r the shorter they would all get drowned together.) works coll ected in Wigwam and the Cabin (1845), whieh Contains many stories of su rprising depth and character While Twain we nt slightly overboard in his essay for satiric development . effect , he is, unfortunately, not fa r fro m the truth. Simms, Simms's heroes may be the least interest ing character in emulating Cooper, carried weaknesses as well as strengths. group in all his fi ction. Simms frankly fo llowed the ways According to Holman, this time in an article entitled "The of the writer C. Hugh Holman called " the Scotch master ,"I Influence of Scoll and Cooper o n Simms," I I ••• Simms's Sir Walter Scott . As Holman stated in his Introduction to greatest weaknesses are in those places where he is least like Simms's Views and Reviews In American Literature. History Cooper [emphasis mjne). Had he imitated the Northern and FiCtion , "Sir Walter Scott was for Simms ... a master novelist in shift ing interest away from the aristocratic lovers and a menlor . [He] echoes Scott 's formulas and strictures to more robust central figures, the individual books would a~in and agai n . ... ") Unfortunately, this severely limited have had far greater unity and interest."· Again, Holman t he de pth and dimensions of his single most important is correct in hi s assessment, and an examination of several [ '.' '", ,., '". ,""". ~•. ",',,"' '"- o f Simm's heroes undoubtedly supports this. The hero of Simms's best-known work, one pari of the the prose which could unite the elements is usually lackina. "Colonial Romances" series, readil y fa lls into the Gothic Simms at his best excels, as in Chapter XX, which CO uld hero pattern described above.