Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

280

Date

2011

Document Type

Thesis (Access Restricted)

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Major

Creative Writing

Concentration

Creative Writing

Committee Chair

Sonja Livingston

Committee Member

Jan Smith Coleman

Committee Member

Charles E. Hall

Abstract

This thesis is a memoir of creative nonfiction based on real life experiences. It interrogates the idea of truth through the lens of childhood and adulthood, while relating my experiences growing up--including my father's illness and decline. The primary question asks whether or not the "truths" given to you in childhood become those you keep as an adult. During initial staging, the work resembled a collection of personal essays. The transformation to memoir was accomplished through the expansion of scene and dialogue and stricter attention to chronological format. Further themes include: family connections, relationships to food, and reliance on faith, empahsizing the psychological implications of each. The thesis findings reflect my initial belief that people often reject "false truths" in childhood as they search for "real truths" in adulthood. In this effort, however, they often resemble and even emulate the former generation they attempt to interrogate.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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