Date of Completion

5-8-2019

Degree Type

Honors Thesis - Campus Access

Discipline

English (ENGL)

First Advisor

Sarah Maclay

Second Advisor

Juan Mah y Busch

Abstract

For my senior Honors thesis, I have created a collection of poetry inspired by Paris, France. I spent a semester living in Paris, and there is a lot of creative potential in my experience with and memories of the city. I studied the writings of expatriate American authors like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein, and the writings of numerous French surrealist and symbolist poets to inspire the content and style of my writing. There are also many artists who worked intimately in and with Paris like Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and André Breton whose work and conceptions are represented in my writing. I have been practically stepping into Gertrude Stein’s 1920s salon to seek advice from my favorite writers and artists. Fueled by my intense nostalgia for Paris not as a city but as a living companion for whom I yearn deeply, my goal with this collection is to create a love letter to Paris, inspired by my memory of the city and by other authors who were also inspired by Paris. I have crafted a sort of aubade for my Paris that goes beyond reflection and nostalgia to bring Paris to life in the minds and hearts of those who read my work. This intense period of reflection has made me realize just how intimately I am connected with Paris. And writing these poems has miraculously lessened the distance between us and reminded me that Paris will always be with me, even when we are apart.

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