Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in English (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

English

Advisor/Mentor

Sean Dempsey

Committee Member

Dorothy Stephens

Second Committee Member

Mary Beth Long

Keywords

Community;Craft;John Ruskin;Labor;Sympathy;William Morris

Abstract

A community is no more than a mass of individuals that is held together by the objects that connect them. The independent spaces occupied by a craftsman or consumer become dependent on their counterparts. These connected environments create the ecosystem of the community. Objects originating from the craftsmen of the community allow for sympathy to flourish. When these objects are created by well-educated craftsmen of the community, they originate with natural understanding, further extending their reach. While nonnatural things such as plastic items have an intrinsic connection to modern life, they do not encourage folk to connect with others in the living environment. These natural connections among the community are what allow for a well rooted society to flourish and for all people to feel included and heard, forming a better union. Developing ideas primarily from Victorian thinkers John Ruskin and William Morris, a deeper understanding what how a community connects and relates is possible

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