Finding Evelyn
Date
Authors
Rivett, Sheryl Louise
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis is the first half of a novel. The novel follows a heroine’s journey plot structure and includes the stories of not only the main protagonist, Evelyn, but also the stories of her two mothers, Helen and Elizabeth (Bess). The primary story is set in the early 1950s and alternates between Washington D.C. and central Virginia. The mothers’ stories are told in first person and the protagonist’s story is told in close third person. The author explores agency in each of the main character’s lives through this character-driven novel. During the first half of the twentieth century, women often had limited choices and opportunities, and those choices often had far-reaching effects—effects with which the three main characters must come to terms. Given that the novel takes place in the early 1950s, an important time period in the growing civil rights movement, race, prejudice, and confusing social mores are central to the story.
Description
This thesis has been embargoed for 5 years and will not be available until December 2020.
Keywords
Fiction, Feminist creative writing, Mother daughter narrative, Heroine's journey, Novel draft, Women's fiction