Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Nic Brown
Committee Member
Keith Morris
Committee Member
Jordan Frith
Committee Member
Michelle Smith
Abstract
Motherhood has become a highly politicized and dominant topic in public discourse, with it often being a beacon of good-will and the building block of feminine identity. Lindal Buchanan’s Rhetorics of Motherhood demonstrates how motherhood has been used by all types of political ideologies to make women more palpable in public spaces. Miranda July’s All Fours explores an identity shift in an aging mother. In my collection, I explore these different identities and facets of motherhood and what that looks like for characters who struggle with infertility, loss, and addiction. My collection shows motherhood in a realistic and messy view and liberates my characters from motherhood as a moral compass.
Recommended Citation
Hudson, Brea A., "Rhetorics of Motherhood in Fiction:Motherhood as Identity and Status-Quo" (2025). All Theses. 4459.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4459