Term of Award
Spring 2017
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English (M.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Literature and Philosophy
Committee Chair
Richard Flynn
Committee Member 1
Julia Griffin
Committee Member 2
David Dudley
Abstract
Focusing on history and autobiography throughout her career as a New Formalist poet, Marilyn Nelson cross-writes to audiences as differentiated as the subject matter of her poetry itself in order to communicate the importance of recognizing a personal connection with history through the context of cultural and social history. Through a discussion of selected poems from works marketed to children, adults, and both simultaneously, the common concern of all of her poetry reveals itself as discovering and re-casting American history that is inclusive of all groups, but especially as working to create a platform for influential African-American individuals whose stories are most often omitted from the mainstream narratives of American history. Casting the voices of these individuals in poems whose accessibility invites readers from all levels to participate in the re-learning and revision of American history, Nelson creates crossover works that speak to the importance of such a lesson for the hope of a future freed from the dehumanizing prejudices that wreak havoc on her poetic subjects, including her own family and herself.
Recommended Citation
Ford, Amanda. "'Light Passed on from an Original Flame': Marilyn Nelson's Cross-Writing." Digital Commons. Statesboro, GA: Georgia Southern University, 2017.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
