Working Thesis:
We are drawn to memoirs because, as humans, we are driven by human connection. Also, as humans, we are drawn towards superseding the ordinary by experiencing the extraordinary. We want a new ordinary, a new way of existing from day to day. Memoirs provide the ideal avenue to form human connections and to experience the life cycles of others toward awe by using the ordinary as the launching pad for awe. The process of writing and reading memoirs is part of the pursuit to experience collective awe. Thus, we read memoirs because they are dramatized, concentrated, eloquent, and sometimes exaggerated versions of the cycles toward awe we wish to replicate in our own lives by rising above the ordinary, or using the ordinary, to reach for awe and a higher plane of existence.
Annotated Bibliography:
Carson, Rachel, and Charles Pratt. The Sense of Wonder. New York: Harper & Row, 1965. Print.
This book is probably one of my strongest literary source. Not only is it a memoir, but it is a memoir centered around finding awe. Carson finds that awe through even the smallest pieces of nature. She also discusses the process of learning in association with awe, and how to cultivate this sense of awe in children through nature. I think the ideas she presents in regard to this issue will be helpful in helping me form my own in my paper.
Forster, E. M. "What I Believe." Two Cheers for Democracy. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1951. N. pag. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://spichtinger.net/otexts/believe.html>.
This essay talks about the importance of human relationships and how they are the foundation of our society and provide the only true and lasting gratification in this life. There are many ideas and theories that he presents that I think will serve me well in backing up my paper. This quote in particular highlights the same sort of idea in regard to memoirs that I want to present in my paper:
“And one can, at all events, show one's own little light here, one's own poor little trembling flame, with the knowledge that it is not the only light that is shining in the darkness, and not the only one which the darkness does not comprehend.”
Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia. New York: Viking, 2006. Print.
This memoir is about Elizabeth Gilbert’s life-changing journey around the world that ultimately put her on a completely different life path than she was before. It is also an example of a certain structure of memoirs that I have been looking into: the protagonist embarks on an awe-inspiring, unusual adventure in the hopes of leaving the doldrums of their past life behind and taking on a new persona.
Robison, John Elder. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's. New York: Crown, 2007. Print.
This book is the story of the life of John Elder Robison, a successful man who lived the majority of his younger life without knowing he had Asperger’s. This memoir is particularly interesting because it is written by Robison, which gives the reader added insight into the way he thinks and perceives his world. This also strikes a chord with awe because it is basically presenting life from a fresh perspective that most people will never experience. It frames life through new lenses, and makes even the most ordinary of things interesting because they can now be seen from a new vantage point.
Sebold, Alice. Lucky. New York: Scribner, 1999. Print.
This is a memoir that begins with the story of how Sebold was raped as a college freshman at a park just outside of her university’s campus. The memoir then goes into her recovery process and her ultimate work to discover and arrest the perpetrator. The idea of the novel that Sebold was “lucky” carries certain motifs that I think apply to memoirs as a whole. I think it is particularly interesting because lucky is generally associated with good things, but in this memoir it has a darker connotation in applying to unusual bad things happening to someone instead of just unusual good things. I want to explore this idea of luck in regard to experience, life, and awe and how it pertains to memoirs.
Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.
This memoir follows similar patterns as Eat, Pray, Love and perhaps that is why it was met with almost equal popularity. The author finds herself in a divorce, dealing with her mother’s death and an abortion, and recovering from drugs. In a moment of desperation, she decides to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail on her own, despite the fact that she has never really hiked before and has no prior knowledge of backpacking. The elements of awe in the book run under the vein of nature, pain, extreme physical exertion, and spiritual journeys.
Thomas, Abigail. "For You, for Me." The Iowa Review 36.1 (2006): 38-42. JSTOR. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20152118 .>.
This is a lovely piece written by Abigail Thomas about the process of writing in relation to life and memory. She talks a lot about the differences between non-fiction and fiction, and how sometimes the line is really blurred. She also talks about what makes some memories stand out to us more than others, and the role of memory in shaping our futures. I think she brings up a lot of interesting points about the importance of memoir and why we find it so interesting, which will be good for me in proving my point about how memoirs are a source of secondhand experiential awe.
Thomas, Abigail. Safekeeping: Some True Stories from a Life. New York: Knopf, 2000. Print.
This is one of the most engrossing memoirs I have read so far. It is basically a series of memories that are generally short. They’re almost like flashes from her life, but they are presented in such a beautiful way that even though they seem very different, they all tie together and create a beautiful portrait of her life and of humanity and experience in general. I think analyzing her techniques and the way in which she creates awe through memory and everyday life experiences will be beneficial for my paper.
Vatter, Miguel. "In Odradek's World: Bare Life and Historical Materialism in Agamben and Benjamin." Diacritics 38.3 (2008): 45-70. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
I’m not completely sure how this article will tie into my paper, but I like the ideas that he discusses in relation to the “bare life” theory. It’s pretty deep stuff, but I think some of his ideas about the nature of power over life and how that pertains to personal freedom and government could be valuable in framing my argument.
Woodward, A. "The Humanism of E.M. Forster." Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 20 (1963): 17-34.JSTOR. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
I think this article will work will in conjunction with the essay by Forster. It basically analyzes the reasons and details behind Forster’s humanistic way of thinking. I think it brings up some interesting points about putting Forster’s paradigm in a historical and worldwide context, which will help me to trace these ideas of humanistic thought and maybe find other articles or philosophers who follow similar paradigms.
Next Steps:
I want to look more into the realm of memoirs in regard to spiritual journeys. I talked to Professor Burton about this genre, but I have yet to read any or research them in more detail. I think they would add an interesting level to my paper. However, I am beginning to feel like there are a thousand directions this paper could go right now and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed with just how much I could say about the topic. So my next steps will involve narrowing down my focus and honing in on the points I want to make in my paper. I also want to do more research with scholarly articles so I can strengthen the theoretical background and support of my paper.
Also, my thesis needs help.
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