Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Awards/Availabilty

Presidential Scholars Thesis (UNI Access Only)

First Advisor

Barbara Lounsberry, Advisor

Abstract

Solo Flight is a series of vignettes interspersed with reflections. Snippets are easier to polish and the tone in a short piece is easier to control. In addition, I admire writers such as Bruce Chatwin, Annie Dillard, and Joan Didion, all of whom effectively use the technique of arranging a series of short scenes or commentaries to reflect upon each other.

For the presentation, I have selected incidents from a number of different sections of Solo Flight in order to recreate a sense of the variety and balance of the work as a whole. The readings attempt to capture some sense of the wonder and despair, seeking and emptiness, confusion and illumination which characterized this time in my life.

To begin, I will provide a brief view of my daily routine while living in Angers and attempt to recreate the atmosphere at CIDEF, the intensive language program at which I studied. I will then read from chapter seven, "Resting My Wings II." The incidents of this chapter take place during the week of Spring break, which I spent with my friend Eleanor in Paris.

Throughout the writing, I have tried to keep in mind my original purpose, which was to convey to the audience a sense of the experience itself, a sense of what it was like to be to be a human being, to be a foreigner, to be an American, to be me.

Date of Award

1994

Department

Department of English Language and Literature

Presidential Scholar Designation

A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation Presidential Scholar

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this Presidential Scholars thesis and wish to have it added to the Open Access Collection, please submit an email request to scholarworks@uni.edu. Include your name and clearly identify the thesis by full title and author as shown on the work.

Date Original

1994

Object Description

1 PDF file (171 pages)

Date Digital

2-22-2018

Copyright

©1994 Jonna Higgins

Type

document

Language

EN

File Format

application_pdf

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