The Office of Graduate Administration is pleased to announce that Adam Harasimiuk will be defending their thesis/dissertation as a candidate for the degree Master of Arts in English.

You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and how to attend are included below:

DATE: 10 April, 2024

TIME: 10 AM (PT)

DEFENCE MODE: Remote via Zoom

Virtual Attendance: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote/online attendance. 

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: ensure you are on time.

THESIS ENTITLED: The Marshmallow Effect and Escaping the Embrace: A Discussion on Memory, Trauma, and Identity in Adam Harasimiuk’s The Marshmallow Effect

ABSTRACT: Through discussions of horror, ghosts and folklore, film, and psychological critique, I will examine Arthur’s identity, exploring how the primary setting, a suburban home, is a trauma-informed liminal space which transforms from a retreat to an insidious transportation-hub for Arthur’s self-destructive, incidental crossings back into his traumatic past. Furthermore, I will explore how Arthur’s psyche and the setting are inexorably intertwined, upending the traditional purpose of setting and directly connecting it with Arthur’s private sphere which transforms setting into a vehicle for the fantastic. Finally, both of these discussions culminate in how, by coming face-to-face with monstrous versions of his memories and himself, there is a defamiliarization to the memories allowing Arthur to begin the healing process, take responsibility for the past, come to terms with it, and ultimately escape from the traumatic reality that he has constructed for himself.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:

Chair: Dr. Greg Halseth, University of Northern British Columbia

Examining Committee Members:

Supervisor: Dr. Robert Budde, University of Northern British Columbia

Committee Member: Dr. Tracy Summerville, University of Northern British Columbia

Committee Member: Dr. Stan Beeler, University of Northern British Columbia

External Examiner: Dr. Bill Owen, University of Northern British Columbia