Date
10-16-2025
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Kiera Smith
Keywords
creative writing, fiction, fantasy fiction, novel, dinosaurs, dinosaurs in fiction, dinosaur fiction, novels, young adult literature, young adult fiction, adventure fiction
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Allen, Ashley Brooke, "The Dinosaur Trials" (2025). Masters Theses. 1384.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1384
Abstract
This thesis presents dinosaurs as a thematic craft element in fiction. The research portion of the thesis project describes dinosaur fiction as a genre and surveys key works of dinosaur fiction. It focuses on how the genre’s literary tradition established thematic precedent for fictional dinosaurs. The thesis highlights dinosaurs as characters and symbols while tracing the development of tropes and expectations within dinosaur fiction. It also acknowledges a potential limitation in the genre where science fiction elements constrain the creative and thematic potential of fictional dinosaurs. In response to this limitation, the thesis argues for new fantasy genre installments of dinosaur fiction that expand thematic meaning associated with dinosaurs. The creative manuscript portion of the thesis contributes a fantasy adventure dinosaur novel for a young adult audience. The novel’s premise exhibits dinosaurs as heroic companions and thus recreates dinosaurs as mythical creatures within fantasy fiction. Characterization of dinosaurs throughout the narrative makes dinosaurs endearing protagonists and pushes against science fiction monster clichés in dinosaur fiction. Themes of friendship, loyalty, and personal identity in the novel allow the narrative’s dinosaurs to carry meaning for young adult readers.
