Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2015, English

This thesis explores the spectrum of female representation and feminine experience in Helen Oyeyemi's Boy, Snow, Bird, a postmodern fairy tale retelling of “Snow White.” Within the novel, Oyeyemi creates several female characters that represent various feminine experiences. The image of the mirror enables me to navigate these characters and their stories. As each character searches for her identity within the constraints of patriarchal oppression, she develops a voice through the act of storytelling. I contend that the novel, as a postmodern fairy tale, engages in social-resistance as it uses the mirror to expose and confront patriarchal constructions of women.

Committee: Tereza Szeghi Dr. (Committee Chair); Kara Getrost Dr. (Committee Member); Bryan Bardine Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2013, Art/Art History

Rachel Feinstein, wife of figure painter John Currin and mother of three also works as a fine artist. Primarily a sculptor and installation artist, Feinstein combines fairytales with reality. Often her contributions to the art world are overlooked due to her active social life and vast network of friends. Feinstein's connection to Currin and her collaboration with fashion designers taints her reputation as a serious artist. Such an approach diminishes her identity as a female artist and silences her creative voice. She challenges the notion of contemporary feminine sculpture by creating personal yet relatable three dimensional objects rooted deep within the canon of art history. Through the lens of feminist theory coupled with formal analysis, this paper will study the site specific installation entitled The Sorbet Room, 2001, through which Feinstein empowers female artists. She does this by blurring the boundaries of many disciplines combining both male and female as well as historical and modern approaches to her art. A woman working successfully in the male dominated field of sculpture is rare. Feinstein embodies the role of mother, wife, artist and socialite encouraging and inviting changes for the New York art scene and the world at large. By her work and life she empowers female working artists by raising craft especially interior decoration to the status of high art. This paper finds that Feinstein brings her work to the understanding of the gallery viewer, by clearly explaining her intentions and drawing inspirations from current events. In this way, Feinstein is given a separate identity from her husband, in order to add important new scholarship on the work of female artists.

Committee: Andrew Hershberger PhD (Advisor); Katerina Ruedi Ray PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aesthetics; Architectural; Architecture; Art Criticism; Art History; Design; European History; Fine Arts; Interior Design; Womens Studies