Title
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