Date of Award
5-6-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
English
First Advisor
Danielle Cadena Deulen
Second Advisor
Beth Gylys
Third Advisor
Josh Russell
Abstract
Groundwork // Notes from the Field is a hybrid, two-book manuscript, consisting of one full-length memoir manuscript (Groundwork), and one full-length manuscript of poems (Notes from the Field).
The memoir is a queer coming-of-age story within the landscape and conservative sociological structures of the American South. It includes implied and direct critique of how domestic and sexual violence are wielded as a foundational aspect of compulsory heterosexuality, and the tenuous relationship between children and their parents. It chronicles events from my childhood through my early adulthood, focusing on the various institutional and familial structures that aided in obscuring the truth of my sexual identity. More specifically, the memoir covers my experience of childhood sexual abuse, my father’s loss of parental rights, my mother’s second marriage to a meth dealer, her addiction, my meeting my father’s second family, and frequent moves from house to house due to my mother’s employment and financial instability.
I utilize the vignette and braided narrative technique throughout the memoir manuscript. Vignettes are a formal decision made to reflect the fragmentation of memory caused by trauma, a textual element that represents my experience with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) on the page. The use of the braided narrative reflects the overlap of traumas between phases of my life, as well as the cyclical, often overlapping nature of academic and scholarly research and inquiry. This leads, often, to the repetition of themes and symbols across various sections of the memoir manuscript. I also utilize many medical, legal, and academic records throughout the memoir manuscript, creating an archival index that supports my narrative.
The poetry manuscript, Notes from the Field, serves as a verse-sequel to the memoir in which I further and more lyrically explore the process of actualizing my lesbian identity in adulthood, as well as queer history, desire, and community as I have experienced it. In this manuscript of poems, I chart my experience of recognizing, embracing, and living as a queer woman in the South.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/36954235
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Scarlett A., "Groundwork // Notes from the Field." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/36954235
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