Frankenstein's Monster at Gatsby's Party: A Researcher's Creation of and Entanglement with Virtual Reality Let Loose in a High School English Classroom

This study focuses on the life and times of a monster: a) the creation of a virtual reality (VR) simulation intended to enhance student engagement with Fitzgerald's (2004/1925) The Great Gatsby in a secondary English classroom; b) the subsequent suppression of the simulation when the creation, but not the researcher's intentions, were realized; and c) the eventful affirmation of the simulation when examined through a posthumanist analysis. With Shelley's (1831) Frankenstein as a filter for the reflective process, the researcher uses the concepts of Bodies without Organs (BwOs),entanglements, and agency to explain the consequences and significance of the VR curriculum enhancement and its implementation. The researcher concludes with implications for the future of VR in educational research and practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]