Document Type

Honors Thesis

Major

English

Advisor(s)

Gregory Howard

Committee Members

Hollie Adams, Mark Haggerty, Melissa Ladenheim, Ronald Nadeau

Graduation Year

May 2021

Publication Date

Spring 5-2021

Abstract

Family stories and family histories are contingent on how they are remembered. As these stories are passed down, the ways that they are remembered can change, with the truthful aspects of these stories disappearing over time. As a result, many family stories are not necessarily truthful, but this does not discount their value. The aim of this project is to explore these ideas while also answering the following question: to what extent are family stories bound by the ‘truth’? In order to answer this question, I have explored my own family stories that I know may not be true and have told them how I remember them; ultimately telling stories that are a bit different than how other members of my family might remember them. I have done so by creating a work of creative nonfiction that is composed of small stories and vignettes that all tie into these overarching themes and attempt to answer this larger question. In doing this work, I have also explored how these stories affect me and how I fit into them; ultimately finding that it is not the truth in these stories that matters, but how we feel about them.

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