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Governs the Making of Photocopies Or Other Reproductions of Copyrighted Materials Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If electronic transmission of reserve material is used for purposes in excess of what constitutes "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. University of Nevada, Reno Breaking the Fall: Eden and the Apocalypse in the American Postwest A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English and Art and the Honors Program by Reena M. Spansail Dr. Michael P. Branch, Professor of English May 2015 i Abstract The Judeo-Christian stories of the Garden of Eden and the apocalypse have permeated western culture for centuries. However, is there a place for them in the contemporary American West? The current trend in western studies has been to subvert or disregard mythic metanarratives, but these narratives are still present in popular media and literature. This project is an interdisciplinary attempt to define the evolution of these myths within the western landscape, and the effects of that evolution on individual regional western identity formation. This topic is explored by braiding literary analysis, creative writing, and visual art. ii Acknowledgements A thousand thanks to my mentor, Mike Branch, for his generous donations of time, energy, and kindness to this project and myself. Without his support and advice, this project would not have been possible. To my roommates, friends, family and boyfriend, Tyler, whose patient ears have endured my laments and complaints for months. Thank you for enduring along with me. To Ahren Hertel for his timely and sage advice on painting and the western consciousness. Many thanks also to the coffee shops of Reno for their abundant caffeine, kind proprietors, and strong Wi-Fi signals. iii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii List of Paintings ...................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Part 1: Literary Analysis ......................................................................................................6 Chapter I- American Western Theory and Criticism .......................................................6 West and Postwest .......................................................................................................6 Turner’s Frontier Thesis ..............................................................................................7 Eden and Apocalypse in Western Critical Discourse ..................................................9 Ecocriticism ...............................................................................................................12 Chapter II- Genesis: The Garden and its Delights .........................................................14 Eden ...........................................................................................................................14 Eden in the West ........................................................................................................15 Nostalgia and Eden ....................................................................................................17 Chapter III- The Fall: The Nuclear West .......................................................................18 History of the Problem ...............................................................................................18 Rewriting The End .....................................................................................................20 Chapter IV- Revelation: Apocalypse Now? ..................................................................22 Cormac McCarthy ......................................................................................................22 iv Chapter V- Redemption: Stewardship and the New World Order ................................28 Rebecca Solnit ...........................................................................................................28 Claire Watkins ...........................................................................................................32 Part II: Creative Non-Fiction .............................................................................................37 Introduction ....................................................................................................................37 Periwinkle ......................................................................................................................39 Tasting Dust ...................................................................................................................46 Digging In ......................................................................................................................53 Part III: Painting .................................................................................................................61 Introduction ....................................................................................................................61 Looking for Water (Self-portrait) ..................................................................................63 Nostalgia, Ultra (Tyler) ..................................................................................................64 Scientific Method (Riley) ..............................................................................................65 Trickster Myth (J.C.)......................................................................................................66 Ancestral Expectations (Tyler) ......................................................................................67 Rotten Apples Taste Sweetest (Joe) ...............................................................................68 Trekker Boots (Luke) .....................................................................................................69 Agrarian Roots (Ryan) ...................................................................................................70 Eve (Devin) ....................................................................................................................71 Adam (Kevin) ................................................................................................................72 Works Cited .......................................................................................................................73 v List of Paintings 1. Looking for Water (Self-Portrait); 22”x30” Watercolor and acrylic on paper 2014 ..................................................................63 2. Nostalgia, Ultra (Tyler); 22” x 30” Watercolor and acrylic on paper; 2014 ..................................................................64 3. Scientific Method (Riley); 22” x 30” Watercolor on paper; 2015.....................................................................................65 4. Trickster Myth (J.C.); 22” x30” Watercolor and acrylic on paper; 2015 ..................................................................66 5. Ancestral Expectations (Tyler); 22” x30” Watercolor on paper; 2014.....................................................................................67 6. Rotten Apples Taste Sweetest (Joe); 22” x 30” Watercolor on paper; 2015.....................................................................................68 7. Trekker Boots (Luke); 22” x 30” Watercolor on paper; 2015.....................................................................................69 8. Agrarian Roots (Ryan); 15.5” x 22” Watercolor on paper; 2014.....................................................................................70 9. Eve (Devin); 32” x 42” Oil on canvas; 2014 ...............................................................................................71 10. Adam (Kevin); 32” x 42” Oil on Canvas; 2014...............................................................................................72 vi List of Figures Figure 1: American Progress, Chromolithograph Print, C. 1873, after an 1872 Painting of the Same Title by John Gast. 1907. Encyclopædia Britannica .......................................................................................16 Introduction The milk and honey of the Promised Land have been poisoned by radiation. Year after year we cross off the names of extinct species on the long list of animals and plants. Paradise is lost, but was it ever found? The myth of the American West1 is tightly bound to a nostalgic longing for Eden, that perfect pastoral bliss from which we fell. The idea that the
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