“THE DISTANCE BETWEEN AMERICAN REALITY and the AMERICAN DREAM”: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's AMERICAN JEREMIAD, 2002-2012 by Robert
“THE DISTANCE BETWEEN AMERICAN REALITY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM”: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S AMERICAN JEREMIAD, 2002-2012 by Robert Scott McMillan A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Middle Tennessee State University December 2016 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Pete McCluskey, Chair Dr. Mischa Renfroe Dr. Patricia Bradley This dissertation is dedicated with all the love in my heart to my wife and eternal partner, Jennifer James, who is my dream, my miracle, my absolute joy, and the love of my life. This dissertation is also dedicated in memory of my parents, Bob and Martha McMillan who both instilled in me a true love of learning and the desire to pursue my dreams. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Pete McCluskey, Dr. Mischa Renfroe, and Dr. Patricia Bradley for their patience and support of this project and for their many comments and helpful suggestions. I would also like to thank Dr. Kevin Donovan, the late Dr. David Lavery, and Dr. Rhonda McDaniel for their support. I would also like to thank my family at Volunteer State Community College for their encouragement and support of this dissertation, especially my friends and colleagues Laura Black, Dr. Carole Bucy, Dr. Joe Douglas, Dr. Mickey Hall, Dr. Merritt McKinney, and Dr. Shellie Michael, as well as Dean Phyllis Foley and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. George Pimentel for the institutional support in support of this project. Finally, a special thank you to Bruce Springsteen. Elizabeth Wurtzel has described Springsteen as “a force of good, a presence of thoughtfulness” (73), and I believe these qualities come out in every song, album, performance, and speech.
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