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Freshman Year by Alexandra Rivera

One of the common tropes found in literature about the American West is that it is a wild landsca... more One of the common tropes found in literature about the American West is that it is a wild landscape which must be civilized and tamed to adhere to Eastern standards, which are characterized by gender roles and female domesticity. Much of Western Literature features female characters that represent this idea of the domestic hemisphere taking over the West. However, in this paper I argue that the true vision of the West is not a wild man being tamed by a woman. Rather, the true representation of the West lies with figures like Calamity Jane, a female hunter and frontierswoman who disregarded gender roles and was the hero of many dime novels. The West is actually a wild woman who lives freely without societal expectations and restrictions.

In this paper, I will explore how the presence of these traits in most female antagonists could ... more In this paper, I will explore how the presence of these traits in most female antagonists could stem from the ideals and gender roles of Puritanism, particularly those displayed in the New England witch trials, as well as from the femme fatale characters in noir films. Women accused of witchcraft were usually older, had vulnerable positions in society, and defied the status quo, while the femme fatales are sexualized, ambitious, and independent. Since the attitude towards unconventional females formed during New England witch trials, as well as the femme fatale, can be perceived as possible influences for the creation of these female villain tropes, women in contemporary society often face negativity when they possess these same traits, such as being ambitious, older, and childfree. Female villains, like those seen in Disney films, Once Upon a Time, and American Horror Story, often defy these gender roles by being older and without strong familial ties, as well as having ambition and independence. Therefore, like the women accused of witchcraft, the femme fatales, and female villains, modern women are seen as direct threats to patriarchal institution if they do not adhere to the routes of marriage and the nuclear family unit.

Sophomore Year by Alexandra Rivera

The representations of violence in the NBC show "Hannibal" deeply intersect with concepts of quee... more The representations of violence in the NBC show "Hannibal" deeply intersect with concepts of queerness and the supernatural. This paper explores the ways that the series implements aesthetics and fantastical elements to depict violence and gore, as well as how that violence becomes an integral part of the relationship between the principal characters, Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, both in their power struggles and romantic connection. Moreover, this paper also examines how the conflicts of homoerotic dominance between these characters via consumption and mental influence can be literarily be traced back to novels like Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" and Oscar Wilde's "Dorian Gray."

This paper, written in French, explores how gender impacts the ways that eroticism can be used to... more This paper, written in French, explores how gender impacts the ways that eroticism can be used to obtain or lose power within the novels "Les liaisons dangereuses" and "Manon Lescaut."

This paper was written for an assignment to research the civic engagement of a significant Africa... more This paper was written for an assignment to research the civic engagement of a significant African American historical figure. As an avid fan of Hurston's literary works, I immediately chose her. In this paper I document and explore the ways her novels and short stories function as a type of civic engagement because although she did not partake in direct action, her works combat stereotypes and bring to audiences intimate looks into the lives of black Americans in the South, showing them as complex people.

In "Good Morning, Midnight," Jean Rhys illustrates the struggle of selfhood through the protagoni... more In "Good Morning, Midnight," Jean Rhys illustrates the struggle of selfhood through the protagonist, Sasha, as she navigates a Parisian environment while battling her inner demons of memory, alcoholism, and mental instability. One of the main characteristics of this book is the theme of self and society, particularly seen in Sasha’s relationship with the outside modern world and her own internal realities. Sasha’s conflicted experience with individuality in the face of the collective can be seen in her complicated interpersonal relationships. She struggles also to conform to society, but her internal conflicts force her to focus only on the differences between her and the people around her.

In this paper, I will examine the portrayals of the main female chararcters in Milton's Paradise ... more In this paper, I will examine the portrayals of the main female chararcters in Milton's Paradise Lost and The Faerie Queene by Spenser. More specifically, I will focus on how these characters (Una, Duessa, Eve, and Sin) have a false sense of power since they obtain this power through deceit from male characters. I will also make comparisons between these characters and note the impact of the labels of "female villain" versus "virtuous heroine" in their portrayals.

This paper seeks to examine the ways that gender is performed within the novel in the context of ... more This paper seeks to examine the ways that gender is performed within the novel in the context of Judith Butler's writings on gender performance. Moreover, I will discuss how the queerness of the characters is subversive, but ultimately they must conform to capitalistic systems in order to gain subjectivity.

Junior Year by Alexandra Rivera

This essay is the first part in a pair of papers meant to examine a literary work from two differ... more This essay is the first part in a pair of papers meant to examine a literary work from two different perspectives of literary theory. This essay examines the French novella "La morte amoureuse" by Theophile Gautier using psychoanalytic theory and how the romance between a human priest and female vampire depict Freud's ideas of psychoanalysis and the uncanny.

This paper is the second part of the analysis of "La morte amoureuse." However, the essay takes a... more This paper is the second part of the analysis of "La morte amoureuse." However, the essay takes a completely different perspective by instead examining the novella with Marxist theory. This version argues that Clarimonde, the female vampire, acts as a representation of bourgeois capitalism and exploitation. The overall narrative symbolizes the societal transition from religious feudalism to the rise of the bourgeoisie and capitalistic economic systems.

The intersections between homosocial and homosexual relations for women are important to think ab... more The intersections between homosocial and homosexual relations for women are important to think about in the context of "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name," Audre Lorde’s biomythography, because of how Lorde’s complicated relationship with her mother impacts her future sexual and romantic interactions with other women.Through Lorde’s use of language in describing these relationships, one can see the ways that she attempts to replicate and achieve a perfected mother-daughter bond with these women that she did not have with her own mother.

Based on the real-life roaring girl, Moll Cutpurse, Thomas Dekker’s and Thomas Middleton’s 1611 p... more Based on the real-life roaring girl, Moll Cutpurse, Thomas Dekker’s and Thomas Middleton’s 1611 play, The Roaring Girl, follows the narrative of Sebastian, a wealthy young man who fakes an engagement to the town’s roaring girl, Moll, to frighten his father into allowing him to marry his actual true love. Moll’s masculine dress and her lascivious reputation, though dissident to social gender norms of the time period, also become her downfall in that they make her an easy target for manipulation by men who wish to use her only to enforce standards of gender and class.

Papers by Alexandra Rivera

One of the common tropes found in literature about the American West is that it is a wild landsca... more One of the common tropes found in literature about the American West is that it is a wild landscape which must be civilized and tamed to adhere to Eastern standards, which are characterized by gender roles and female domesticity. Much of Western Literature features female characters that represent this idea of the domestic hemisphere taking over the West. However, in this paper I argue that the true vision of the West is not a wild man being tamed by a woman. Rather, the true representation of the West lies with figures like Calamity Jane, a female hunter and frontierswoman who disregarded gender roles and was the hero of many dime novels. The West is actually a wild woman who lives freely without societal expectations and restrictions.

In this paper, I will explore how the presence of these traits in most female antagonists could ... more In this paper, I will explore how the presence of these traits in most female antagonists could stem from the ideals and gender roles of Puritanism, particularly those displayed in the New England witch trials, as well as from the femme fatale characters in noir films. Women accused of witchcraft were usually older, had vulnerable positions in society, and defied the status quo, while the femme fatales are sexualized, ambitious, and independent. Since the attitude towards unconventional females formed during New England witch trials, as well as the femme fatale, can be perceived as possible influences for the creation of these female villain tropes, women in contemporary society often face negativity when they possess these same traits, such as being ambitious, older, and childfree. Female villains, like those seen in Disney films, Once Upon a Time, and American Horror Story, often defy these gender roles by being older and without strong familial ties, as well as having ambition and independence. Therefore, like the women accused of witchcraft, the femme fatales, and female villains, modern women are seen as direct threats to patriarchal institution if they do not adhere to the routes of marriage and the nuclear family unit.

The representations of violence in the NBC show "Hannibal" deeply intersect with concepts of quee... more The representations of violence in the NBC show "Hannibal" deeply intersect with concepts of queerness and the supernatural. This paper explores the ways that the series implements aesthetics and fantastical elements to depict violence and gore, as well as how that violence becomes an integral part of the relationship between the principal characters, Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, both in their power struggles and romantic connection. Moreover, this paper also examines how the conflicts of homoerotic dominance between these characters via consumption and mental influence can be literarily be traced back to novels like Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" and Oscar Wilde's "Dorian Gray."

This paper, written in French, explores how gender impacts the ways that eroticism can be used to... more This paper, written in French, explores how gender impacts the ways that eroticism can be used to obtain or lose power within the novels "Les liaisons dangereuses" and "Manon Lescaut."

This paper was written for an assignment to research the civic engagement of a significant Africa... more This paper was written for an assignment to research the civic engagement of a significant African American historical figure. As an avid fan of Hurston's literary works, I immediately chose her. In this paper I document and explore the ways her novels and short stories function as a type of civic engagement because although she did not partake in direct action, her works combat stereotypes and bring to audiences intimate looks into the lives of black Americans in the South, showing them as complex people.

In "Good Morning, Midnight," Jean Rhys illustrates the struggle of selfhood through the protagoni... more In "Good Morning, Midnight," Jean Rhys illustrates the struggle of selfhood through the protagonist, Sasha, as she navigates a Parisian environment while battling her inner demons of memory, alcoholism, and mental instability. One of the main characteristics of this book is the theme of self and society, particularly seen in Sasha’s relationship with the outside modern world and her own internal realities. Sasha’s conflicted experience with individuality in the face of the collective can be seen in her complicated interpersonal relationships. She struggles also to conform to society, but her internal conflicts force her to focus only on the differences between her and the people around her.

In this paper, I will examine the portrayals of the main female chararcters in Milton's Paradise ... more In this paper, I will examine the portrayals of the main female chararcters in Milton's Paradise Lost and The Faerie Queene by Spenser. More specifically, I will focus on how these characters (Una, Duessa, Eve, and Sin) have a false sense of power since they obtain this power through deceit from male characters. I will also make comparisons between these characters and note the impact of the labels of "female villain" versus "virtuous heroine" in their portrayals.

This paper seeks to examine the ways that gender is performed within the novel in the context of ... more This paper seeks to examine the ways that gender is performed within the novel in the context of Judith Butler's writings on gender performance. Moreover, I will discuss how the queerness of the characters is subversive, but ultimately they must conform to capitalistic systems in order to gain subjectivity.

This essay is the first part in a pair of papers meant to examine a literary work from two differ... more This essay is the first part in a pair of papers meant to examine a literary work from two different perspectives of literary theory. This essay examines the French novella "La morte amoureuse" by Theophile Gautier using psychoanalytic theory and how the romance between a human priest and female vampire depict Freud's ideas of psychoanalysis and the uncanny.

This paper is the second part of the analysis of "La morte amoureuse." However, the essay takes a... more This paper is the second part of the analysis of "La morte amoureuse." However, the essay takes a completely different perspective by instead examining the novella with Marxist theory. This version argues that Clarimonde, the female vampire, acts as a representation of bourgeois capitalism and exploitation. The overall narrative symbolizes the societal transition from religious feudalism to the rise of the bourgeoisie and capitalistic economic systems.

The intersections between homosocial and homosexual relations for women are important to think ab... more The intersections between homosocial and homosexual relations for women are important to think about in the context of "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name," Audre Lorde’s biomythography, because of how Lorde’s complicated relationship with her mother impacts her future sexual and romantic interactions with other women.Through Lorde’s use of language in describing these relationships, one can see the ways that she attempts to replicate and achieve a perfected mother-daughter bond with these women that she did not have with her own mother.

Based on the real-life roaring girl, Moll Cutpurse, Thomas Dekker’s and Thomas Middleton’s 1611 p... more Based on the real-life roaring girl, Moll Cutpurse, Thomas Dekker’s and Thomas Middleton’s 1611 play, The Roaring Girl, follows the narrative of Sebastian, a wealthy young man who fakes an engagement to the town’s roaring girl, Moll, to frighten his father into allowing him to marry his actual true love. Moll’s masculine dress and her lascivious reputation, though dissident to social gender norms of the time period, also become her downfall in that they make her an easy target for manipulation by men who wish to use her only to enforce standards of gender and class.