Date of Award

5-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

English

Abstract

Since I began writing personal essays I have looked at others' writings differently. I analyze writing techniques and look for hidden how-to instructions from which I can learn more about the craft from the masters. One technique that has continually fascinated and challenged me as a writer is the weaving of fact and fiction into meaningful and colorful works of art. As I grew more serious about writing creative non-fiction my senior year, my interest in the shaping of truth in writing intensified and the idea for this study was born. Part One of the following is a compilation of academic research and observations of how writers of memoir, poetry, biographies, fiction, and essays handle the different shades of artistry and reality, truth and fact. Part Two is an application of these principles to my own personal essays in the form of a metatextual analysis of the texts. Producing these pages, I must say, has been the most rewarding academic experience of my college years.

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Faculty Mentor

Keith Grant Davie