Date of Award

2009

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

English Language, Literature, and Creative Writing

Keywords

Language, literature and linguistics, Novel, Original writing

Supervisor

Nicole Markotić

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

Shallow Enough to Walk Through' is a novel and critical essay that together approach the writing process through a feminist perspective, exploring the plight of a modern female writer in fear of being entrapped by traditional patriarchal constraints. The novel is a portrait of the artist that writes, rewrites, and erases itself as the female protagonist makes physical marks on the text with [special characters omitted] and other editorial interjections. Magic Realist images of weather in the form of puddles, or the lack thereof, contribute to the portrait of the artist that appears in fragments. My protagonist embarks on a search for puddles—symbols of progress that she believes will lead her out of her stagnant life and her writing rut. As the novel progresses and the possibility of puddles appearing decreases, my protagonist becomes at risk of drowning on dry land. Aside from my protagonist, all characters in the novel experience their own forms of entrapment from confinement within the novel's setting—Windsor—to confinement within their own hobbies and lifestyles. In addition, all characters are fragments that the reader collects while reading, only to realize that there are never enough pieces to create a whole.

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