Research in Literary Studies, Panel 1
Type of Presentation
Panel
Location
D2441
Start Date
4-9-2026 2:30 PM
End Date
4-9-2026 3:15 PM
Abstract
Mariana Ayala: Censorship and Bans on Books in the United States and Their Impacts The banning of books has taken a drastic turn in the United States, along with the censorship throughout school districts and curricula. Throughout the years, more novels and even children's books have been banned that were probably part of someone’s childhood. This can make people question why the books are being taken away. One can see the difference between Democratic and Republican states, but also their similarities with the topic. Is there an impact on censorship and bans for children in the long run, or not? The novel Fahrenheit 451 has a perspective on this based on its theme and setting: a world where there are no books and where people do not care for them because their choice to choose anything is gone due to no resistance. The novel, published decades ago, seems to be what is going on in today’s society of books being taken away. Do the books that are banned already have a good cause to be banned, or are they banned to be banned? We will take a look at a court case from a Democratic and a Republican state to demonstrate the logic and thought process on how a book is deemed to be banned. Critics have also stated their opinions on this and analyzed their standpoints, and I will stand on my own thoughts on the book bans and censorships throughout the United States over recent years, and whether I believe it will have a negative impact on future generations. Angelika Babicz: Marriage and Mental Health in Kate Chopin's "The Story of An Hour" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper.” This research presentation will examine marriage culture in the late nineteenth century. Its main focus is the traditional patriarchal marriages as depicted in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This paper will argue how authors Chopin and Gilman critique patriarchal marriage culture through the psychological deterioration of their story’s married female protagonists. The objective is to analyze through a close reading of each text utilizing a New Historicist lens how through the wives’ declining mental health, with Mrs. Mallard suffering depression and John’s wife descending into psychosis, it reflects the oppression that wives endured under traditional patriarchal marriages during Chopin and Gilman’s era. Furthermore, this presentation will explore the broader cultural context in which these works were written. It will delve into the wives' expectations and roles in marriage, including ideals of obedience and devotion to the household with raising children and chores, as well as wives’ subjection to their husband’s dominance, such as isolation and confinement. By situating both stories within their historical contexts, my presentation demonstrates how patriarchal marriages function to control and limit women’s freedom. Additionally, through portraying the wives’ physical and mental oppression, the texts reveal the damaging consequences of restraining and silencing women. Ultimately, these texts challenge gender expectations and expose the detrimental impact of patriarchal oppression over women. Emma Marcukaitis: Women, Canon, and the Classroom: Rethinking Gender in The Tale of Genji and The Lusiads For my capstone project, I compare The Tale of Genji and The Lusiads with a focus on how women are represented and why these texts continue to be taught in world literature courses. The Tale of Genji presents women as emotionally complex individuals navigating strict social systems within the Heian court. The narrative gives readers access to their inner lives, romantic struggles, jealousy, vulnerability, and subtle forms of influence. In contrast, The Lusiads centers on male exploration and national achievement, often portraying women as symbolic, mythological, or allegorical figures who support male ambition rather than exist as fully developed characters. I organize my analysis around four themes : women and romance, women and power, women and social expectations, and women as reflections of cultural identity. My main argument is that the level of narrative depth given to women reflects broader cultural values and shapes how gender is remembered within literary traditions. By placing these works in conversation, I argue that studying them together allows us to critically examine not only gender representation within the texts, but also why certain works are preserved and repeatedly taught. Rather than dismissing canonical texts as patriarchal, I suggest that their value lies in questioning them within the classroom. Jessica Nephew: Contested Bodies: Dystopian Fiction and the Politics of the Female Body In recent years, debates surrounding legislative control over female bodies have grown increasingly prevalent, highlighting how contentious bodily autonomy is within politics. This paper examines how dystopian fiction exposes and critiques bodily autonomy by portraying the female body as a primary site for regulation during periods of social and political instability. Through a comparative analysis of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, it reveals how dystopian fiction functions as a lens that magnifies ongoing political attempts to regulate, commodify, and control women’s bodies. In both novels, bodily autonomy becomes inaccessible to the characters. Atwood’s dystopian novel imagines an authoritarian regime that overthrows the United States government and requires reproductive servitude from a class of women titled Handmaids. Butler presents an eroded United States government, where hyperempathy– an extreme version of empathy that is amplified to full physical feeling– causes the affected to have severe limitations of bodily autonomy. This paper argues that dystopian fiction acts as a warning to the fragility of bodily autonomy within government systems rather than a promised human right. By comparing the two novels alongside contemporary political issues, this research shows how dystopian fiction offers a framework for understanding the ongoing struggle for female bodily autonomy.
Faculty / Staff Sponsor
Dr. Christopher White
Research in Literary Studies, Panel 1
D2441
Mariana Ayala: Censorship and Bans on Books in the United States and Their Impacts The banning of books has taken a drastic turn in the United States, along with the censorship throughout school districts and curricula. Throughout the years, more novels and even children's books have been banned that were probably part of someone’s childhood. This can make people question why the books are being taken away. One can see the difference between Democratic and Republican states, but also their similarities with the topic. Is there an impact on censorship and bans for children in the long run, or not? The novel Fahrenheit 451 has a perspective on this based on its theme and setting: a world where there are no books and where people do not care for them because their choice to choose anything is gone due to no resistance. The novel, published decades ago, seems to be what is going on in today’s society of books being taken away. Do the books that are banned already have a good cause to be banned, or are they banned to be banned? We will take a look at a court case from a Democratic and a Republican state to demonstrate the logic and thought process on how a book is deemed to be banned. Critics have also stated their opinions on this and analyzed their standpoints, and I will stand on my own thoughts on the book bans and censorships throughout the United States over recent years, and whether I believe it will have a negative impact on future generations. Angelika Babicz: Marriage and Mental Health in Kate Chopin's "The Story of An Hour" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper.” This research presentation will examine marriage culture in the late nineteenth century. Its main focus is the traditional patriarchal marriages as depicted in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This paper will argue how authors Chopin and Gilman critique patriarchal marriage culture through the psychological deterioration of their story’s married female protagonists. The objective is to analyze through a close reading of each text utilizing a New Historicist lens how through the wives’ declining mental health, with Mrs. Mallard suffering depression and John’s wife descending into psychosis, it reflects the oppression that wives endured under traditional patriarchal marriages during Chopin and Gilman’s era. Furthermore, this presentation will explore the broader cultural context in which these works were written. It will delve into the wives' expectations and roles in marriage, including ideals of obedience and devotion to the household with raising children and chores, as well as wives’ subjection to their husband’s dominance, such as isolation and confinement. By situating both stories within their historical contexts, my presentation demonstrates how patriarchal marriages function to control and limit women’s freedom. Additionally, through portraying the wives’ physical and mental oppression, the texts reveal the damaging consequences of restraining and silencing women. Ultimately, these texts challenge gender expectations and expose the detrimental impact of patriarchal oppression over women. Emma Marcukaitis: Women, Canon, and the Classroom: Rethinking Gender in The Tale of Genji and The Lusiads For my capstone project, I compare The Tale of Genji and The Lusiads with a focus on how women are represented and why these texts continue to be taught in world literature courses. The Tale of Genji presents women as emotionally complex individuals navigating strict social systems within the Heian court. The narrative gives readers access to their inner lives, romantic struggles, jealousy, vulnerability, and subtle forms of influence. In contrast, The Lusiads centers on male exploration and national achievement, often portraying women as symbolic, mythological, or allegorical figures who support male ambition rather than exist as fully developed characters. I organize my analysis around four themes : women and romance, women and power, women and social expectations, and women as reflections of cultural identity. My main argument is that the level of narrative depth given to women reflects broader cultural values and shapes how gender is remembered within literary traditions. By placing these works in conversation, I argue that studying them together allows us to critically examine not only gender representation within the texts, but also why certain works are preserved and repeatedly taught. Rather than dismissing canonical texts as patriarchal, I suggest that their value lies in questioning them within the classroom. Jessica Nephew: Contested Bodies: Dystopian Fiction and the Politics of the Female Body In recent years, debates surrounding legislative control over female bodies have grown increasingly prevalent, highlighting how contentious bodily autonomy is within politics. This paper examines how dystopian fiction exposes and critiques bodily autonomy by portraying the female body as a primary site for regulation during periods of social and political instability. Through a comparative analysis of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, it reveals how dystopian fiction functions as a lens that magnifies ongoing political attempts to regulate, commodify, and control women’s bodies. In both novels, bodily autonomy becomes inaccessible to the characters. Atwood’s dystopian novel imagines an authoritarian regime that overthrows the United States government and requires reproductive servitude from a class of women titled Handmaids. Butler presents an eroded United States government, where hyperempathy– an extreme version of empathy that is amplified to full physical feeling– causes the affected to have severe limitations of bodily autonomy. This paper argues that dystopian fiction acts as a warning to the fragility of bodily autonomy within government systems rather than a promised human right. By comparing the two novels alongside contemporary political issues, this research shows how dystopian fiction offers a framework for understanding the ongoing struggle for female bodily autonomy.