Thesis
In plain sight: Recovering and exploring deviant narratives
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
05/2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004045
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/118543
Abstract
Deviant groups such as addicts, the homeless, and prostitutes are often the subjects of grand social narratives designed to explain their existence in a way compatible with mainstream cultural ideology. These narratives, like all social narratives, are constructions which generalize heterogenous groups of people, eliding a range of experiences and perspectives in the process. The production of these narratives is so common it becomes reflexive, often performed thoughtlessly, without any awareness of what is being erased in the process. Oftentimes, the omitted perspectives introduce radical critiques of the status quo and present alternative ways of being, making them indispensable in the consideration of how best to live. This project is an exploration of this phenomenon: the narratives, the process of elision, and the roles they play in supporting the status quo. This project examines several literary works from members of deviant groups and documents both popular and critical reactions to understand how those works were and are perceived by the masses. In doing so, this project seeks to recover radical critique from homogenizing, obfuscatory interpretive practices.
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Details
- Title
- In plain sight
- Creators
- Nicholas Patrick Binford
- Contributors
- Carol R Siegel (Advisor) - Washington State University, Department of English
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of English
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890793401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis