Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, English

This dissertation argues that the serial publication of fictional narrative in the nineteenth century provoked Victorian audiences to consume more media associated with the story they craved, thus materially proliferating the already expansive commercial storyworld. I assert that serial publication of fiction fundamentally affects reception, and that the space between installments opens up the possibility for Victorian readers' continued involvement with narrative through what I call adaptive reading practices. For this dissertation, adaptive reading practices include reading penny press continuations of Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers (1836-37), attending dramatic adaptations staged during serialization of James Malcolm Rymer's Sweeney Todd (1846-47), perusing illustrations of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Eleanor's Victory (1863), and purchasing merchandise inspired by the media events of George Du Maurier's Trilby (1894). All of the novels included in this project were originally published in serial, and the adaptations in the same and different media that followed their publication constitute a proliferating form of seriality in which the audience continues their involvement with the storyworld, particularly with fictional characters. I contend that the proliferation of the story over time implies that fictional worlds are proceeding in parallel to the recipient's own real life, and that serial iteration affords unique opportunities for cultivating and developing fictional character over time. Whereas popular characters in vast serials are often seen as “flat” or stock characters, this dissertation argues that the persistence of characters across textual boundaries presents opportunities for the audience to fill in complex psychological inner lives in the gaps between the character's serial appearances. The pay-off of this dissertation lies not only in the revelation of the ways that readers can turn into creators (as the penny press adaptors of middle class f (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sean O'Sullivan (Advisor); Robyn Warhol (Committee Member); Amanpal Garcha (Committee Member); Jill Galvan (Committee Member) Subjects: American Literature; British and Irish Literature; Literacy; Literature; Mass Media

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2013, Journalism (Communication)

This thesis examines persuasive differences between the same fictional narrative, presented as a comic book or as text-only short story. In an experiment, the two conditions delivered a series of persuasive messages embedded within the fictional narrative. Participants were tested on strength of belief for the persuasive messages and several indicators of narrative transportation including character identification, personal relevance, perceived vividness, and counter-arguing. Results indicated character identification was most pronounced in the text-only condition. Differences within gender and age groups were identified in character identification, experience taking, and counter-arguing. The relevance of digital design principles in the creation of persuasive communication for electronic devices is also discussed.

Committee: Jatin Srivastava (Committee Chair); Craig Davis (Committee Member); Keith Markman (Committee Member) Subjects: Experimental Psychology; Mass Communications; Multimedia Communications; Social Psychology