To write a life : three women in history.

women;autobiography;spirituality;orthopraxy;orthodoxy

Justy Louise Engle

University:University of Louisville

Department:Humanities

关键词: women;    autobiography;    spirituality;    orthopraxy;    orthodoxy;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3645&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

This creative and critical hybrid dissertation explores the spiritual connections between three women in distinctly different time periods: contemporary America, nineteenth century America and early fifteenth century France. The overall dissertation explores the autogenealogobiography, what the author defines as the self-writings of women composed within a specific time period in relation to the current moment and generations of ancestral women. The objective of the creative texts is to record the spiritual journeys of life for the women who will come after for the purpose of encouraging careful observation of history so that women will be able to note and internalize how identification of one’s own identity impacts the shift from subjugated passive observer to authoritative active participant. The critical chapters situate the women in the creative chapters in their respective time periods in relation to relevant historical figures. The creative chapters focus on the spiritual, emotional, cultural and psychological issues associated with the position of women in society in relation to religion, family, trauma and career. The creative chapters also focus specifically on the resultant choices and associated negative consequences. The critical chapters provide the framework, including the theoretical implications of the time period in relation to the women of the creative texts. The first chapter provides the critical framework that sets up the paired creative text of the second chapter. The critical chapter, chapter one, focuses on eighteenth century female Quaker public friend Elizabeth Ashbridge and the creative chapter, chapter two, focuses on twenty-first century Justy Engle (1986-present). Chapter one includes a reading of Daniel Shea’s critical edition of Ashbridge’s text and looks at it in relation to Christine Levenduski’s portrayal of the figure in Peculiar Power while also navigating the emotional and spiritual ramifications of the poor choices Ashbridge made in allowing herself to be passive rather than active in her life. The second chapter focuses on Justy and, through a series of vignettes, records pivotal emotions, events and prayers that demonstrate how the author created her own life. The italicized portions of the text indicate a glossing of the original text at a point later in life for the character. Both the glossing and the original text touch on the resonances of cultural trauma as present in the life of the individual. Chapter three, also a critical chapter, treats cultural trauma and considers nineteenth century American women’s life writings in order to make way for the character