Date of Award
December 2018
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
English
First Advisor
Brenda Cárdenas
Abstract
This dissertation, titled Spur, is structured in three major sections: a set of poems; a lyric essay in the form of an open letter; and a second set of poems. The work explores questions of shame, agency, and inheritance in the realm of the family. Spur’s post-confessional poems and lyric essay use the approaches of surrealism and the uncanny; a multigenerational, feminist lens; an unstable, first-person speaker; and the technique of looking inward to look outward in order to achieve self-examination, vulnerability, ambiguity, and, ultimately, a more nuanced understanding of abuse, addiction, trauma, and what comes after.
Recommended Citation
Scarano, Caitlin, "Spur" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 2018.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2018