This thesis project focuses on the rhetoric of dress reform in The Sibyl, the official journal of the National Dress Reform Association from 1856 to 1864. The American Dress Reform Movement grew out of the women’s rights and health reform movements during the Second Great Awakening. Dress reformers viewed women’s fashionable dress as both a symbol of and reason for their political and economic oppression. They believed that by modifying women’s everyday dress, women’s health (and in turn, the health of their descendants) would improve and they would have more opportunities outside of the home. Close reading of The Sibyl reveals that dress reformers gravitated towards the rhetoric of slavery, comparisons to non-Christian nations, and the characterization of women as weak to advocate for their cause. I argue that this rhetoric disempowers women and promotes racist and xenophobic ideas, which ultimately undermines the movement’s goals.

When looking at the works of literature known in the popular cultural consensus as “fairy tales”, there is one author and body of work whose name and stories have not seemed to cross over from the world of academia to that of popular culture. Marie de France has been a staple of my undergraduate studies, with her lais coming up in multiple classes. Despite her writing being nearly a thousand years old, the stories that she tells- of love, hate, comedy and tragedy- have a timeless quality. However, there is very little in the way of adaptational material for the Lais of Marie de France, at least in the English speaking world. This is disappointing, as her works have the potential to speak to a modern audience- the story of Lanval, in particular, contains many story elements that are at once familiar yet unique to those familiar with similar works. In writing and illustrating a visual adaptation of this text, I hope to engage the imagination of modern readers while keeping true to the spirit of Marie de France’s original vision.

I created a creative thesis project in which I discussed multiethnic identities in a children's story. It is a story about a young girl who is exploring who she is as an individual concerning her two cultures; Japanese and Brazilian. Looking at both cultures and applying equal weight and the importance of ensuring that she has a strong sense of self regarding ethnic socialization and identity formation which is extremely important to the foundation of a healthy sense of self.