What I propose, therefore, is not really a new kind of criticism but a new emphasis, a criticism which combines the extensionally oriented theories and experimental findings of general semantics with many of the basic techniques of close, analytical explication of literary texts. I propose to \"extend\" semantic literary theory to a particular body of literature, specifically to the fiction of Ambrose Bierce.
\"A Semantic Analysis of the Short Fiction of Ambrose Bierce\" is therefore justified because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with Bierce, because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with general semantics, because--as I think my study will show--general semantics can elucidate the complexities of this author.
","abstract_html":"<p>What I propose, therefore, is not really a new kind of criticism but a new emphasis, a criticism which combines the extensionally oriented theories and experimental findings of general semantics with many of the basic techniques of close, analytical explication of literary texts. I propose to "extend" semantic literary theory to a particular body of literature, specifically to the fiction of Ambrose Bierce.</p><p>"A Semantic Analysis of the Short Fiction of Ambrose Bierce" is therefore justified because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with Bierce, because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with general semantics, because--as I think my study will show--general semantics can elucidate the complexities of this author.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Davidson, Cathy N."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"English, General Literature, and Rhetoric","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["William B. Stein","Vincent Freimarck","Sheldon M. Grebstein"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1974,"date_issued":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:28Z","subjects":["Ambrose Bierce"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/224","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["William B. Stein","Vincent Freimarck","Sheldon M. Grebstein"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Davidson, Cathy N."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English, General Literature, and Rhetoric"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Ambrose Bierce"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/224"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["What I propose, therefore, is not really a new kind of criticism but a new emphasis, a criticism which combines the extensionally oriented theories and experimental findings of general semantics with many of the basic techniques of close, analytical explication of literary texts. I propose to \"extend\" semantic literary theory to a particular body of literature, specifically to the fiction of Ambrose Bierce.
\"A Semantic Analysis of the Short Fiction of Ambrose Bierce\" is therefore justified because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with Bierce, because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with general semantics, because--as I think my study will show--general semantics can elucidate the complexities of this author.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The poetics of perception: a semantic analysis of the short fiction of Ambrose Bierce"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["William B. Stein","Vincent Freimarck","Sheldon M. Grebstein"],"dc:creator":["Davidson, Cathy N."],"dc:description.abstract":["What I propose, therefore, is not really a new kind of criticism but a new emphasis, a criticism which combines the extensionally oriented theories and experimental findings of general semantics with many of the basic techniques of close, analytical explication of literary texts. I propose to \"extend\" semantic literary theory to a particular body of literature, specifically to the fiction of Ambrose Bierce.
\"A Semantic Analysis of the Short Fiction of Ambrose Bierce\" is therefore justified because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with Bierce, because literary criticism has not dealt comprehensively with general semantics, because--as I think my study will show--general semantics can elucidate the complexities of this author.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/224"],"dc:subject":["Ambrose Bierce"],"dc:title":["The poetics of perception: a semantic analysis of the short fiction of Ambrose Bierce"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English, General Literature, and Rhetoric"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:28Z"}