Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Dimino, Andrea
Area of Concentration
Literature
Abstract
The overarching question in this thesis, How are single mothers remembered collectively in contemporary literature? joins two fields of academia, Literature and Memory Studies. The single mothersIdiscussmaybeunwed,divorced,orwidowed.My introduction analyzes the social prejudices directed against single mothers and draws on sociological and historical studies as initial evidence. Within the three chapters and the conclusion, I discuss eight literary examples of single mothers, from books published between 1976 and 2009, and accompany them with relevant memory theories by such scholars as Michael Rothberg and Marianne Hirsch. Each chapter examines one ofthree life stages, and asks: What is pregnancy as a single mother like? looking at short stories byAnneHébertandMaxineHongKingston;Whatisscrapingbyasasinglemotherlike? featuring works by Julia Franck, Monika Maron, and Edwidge Danticat;andWhatisthe aftermath of single motherhood, according to the mothers and children involved? analyzing novels by Nora Okja Keller and Edwidge Danticat. In my conclusion, I highlight the range of single mother narratives by concentrating on one that particularly inspired me: the portrait of Lulu Lamartine in Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine . Though these works reflect differentcultures,theyfeaturesimilartropesofsingle motherhood, demonstrating a consistent patternofstrugglesthatthesewomenallface.In the ‘real world,’ single motherhood is a fairly common yet misunderstood phenomenon. Literature and Memory Studies give a voice to these real women and mothers, thus allowing readers to better understand their experiences as a group, too.
Recommended Citation
Hennessy, Shelby, "THE MEMORY OF SINGLE MOTHERHOOD IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE" (2020). Theses & ETDs. 5951.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5951