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Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Masters Project (Campus-Only Access)

Department or Program Affiliation

English

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Heim, Stefania

Second Advisor

Warburton, Theresa

Third Advisor

Dietrich, Dawn Y., 1960-

Abstract

A work of speculative nonfiction for the stage, The Silent Zoo brings into conversation the loosely-related fields of extinction studies and affective ecocriticism. The play explores the relationships between the contemporary mass extinction event, humans' rapidly-escalating enmeshment with artificial intelligence, and grief. As the culmination of the project, the play will be performed with a live score for an audience at the New Prospect Theatre on June 12, 2025.

Type

Text

Keywords

extinction studies, affective ecocriticism, artificial intelligence, grief, theatre, interdisciplinary studies in literature and environment

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1525197119

Subject – LCSH

Mass extinctions--Drama; Ecocriticism--Drama; Artificial intelligence--Drama; Grief--Drama

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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