Date of Award:

5-2020

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

English

Committee Chair(s)

Jennifer Sinor

Committee

Jennifer Sinor

Committee

Benjamin Gunsberg

Committee

James Evans

Committee

Lynne McNeil

Abstract

In 1944, three decades before the start of the artisanal bread movement, H. E. Jacob published Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History capturing bread’s cultural, political, religious, and technological impacts over time. In the introduction of the 2007 edition of the text, prominent American baker Peter Reinhart wrote that bread is “inextricably woven into our cultural and personal histories.” Reinhart notes that while bread does have its own story, “it is also the medium through which so many other stories are told: stories of escape from bondage; of historical and political battles ...; of the intermingling of the supernatural and mystical into the natural world” (vi).

In the same way, Artisan: On Bread and a Meaningful Life, a collection of three nonfiction essays, utilizes aspects of the bread baking processing (kneading, shaping and communion) to explore and tell the author’s personal story with work, the body and the scared. Bouncing between the science and technique of bread and personal experiences related to these broader themes, this work sought to answer the question, what can bread tell us about what makes a balanced and meaningful life?

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