Acknowledgments

I would like to recognize the following people for all of their help in making this dissertation possible. First, I want to thank my dissertation director, Dr. Mary Ann Wilson, for her time, effort, corrections and helpful suggestions, all of which made my dissertation much better. I would also like top thank the other committee members, Dr. Skip Fox and Dr. Joseph Andriano, for reading the dissertation and offering detailed, useful advice to improve it. I wish to thank T. Coraghessan Boyle for graciously answering all of my questions about his novels. I know he is a very busy writer and I appreciate how he took the time to respond. His answers helped to support my analysis and observations throughout the dissertation. Next, I want to thank my parents, Joseph and Phyllis Donadieu, for all of their support over the years and for believing in me when I first became an English major as an undergraduate. Their help made my life much easier. I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr. Patricia A. Kilroe for listening to me as I went through the research and writing process of this dissertation and for offering many useful ideas, recommendations, and suggestions that made a significant difference in my approach to writing. She is a wonderful person and a truly great friend. The final person I want to thank is Sandye Utley, who created a website listing all of the current research materials related to T. C. Boyle. These materials come from a variety sources, ranging from book reviews, critica