Date of Award
2005
Degree Name
English
College
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Professor Art Stringer, Committee Chairperson
Second Advisor
Dr. Katherine Rodier
Third Advisor
Professor John VanKirk
Abstract
I began researching Appalachian culture in 1998. I wanted to tell a story about conflict and beauty while revealing my vision of who my people were/are. I strived to create a fiction not unlike poetry with realistic and minimalist features to give Appalachia the most accurate face possible as perceived by me through my own lens.
I wanted to explore the idea of beauty: Virginia’s (the main character) ideas about her beauty, her culture and other cultures. What is beauty? Who defines it? Can it be found everywhere? How? What does it look like when it is somewhere you wouldn’t expect? (Such as in death or suffering) I wanted to explore the Appalachian’s idea of self. What is Appalachia? How does this idea of “place” manifest itself in the choices and conflicts of Appalachian people and their perception of themselves? And finally, can I show “outsiders” what I believe is our beauty?
Subject(s)
Appalachian Region -- Fiction.
Appalachians (People) -- Fiction.
Recommended Citation
Fekete, Andrea, "Canary in the dark" (2005). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1375.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1375
