Oral Presentations
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Erin Saldin
Faculty Mentor’s Department
English
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine attempts to come to terms with several liminal spaces throughout the delineation of a life lived almost entirely encased in confusion and pain. Myriad acute issues are addressed over the course of two short fiction stories, related directly to the development of the protagonist: chronic physical illness, mental illness, physical abuse––including sexual abuse––psychological abuse, lack of education, lack of mental and emotional support, poverty––including but not limited to malnutrition, clothing shortage, food insecurity, and forced environmental contingencies––homelessness, intravenous use of heroin and methamphetamine, queer youth and adult struggles, and survival. For the protagonist––who inches forward as a result of determinism more than by means of determination––these issues create barriers to rites of passage, leaving the character always-already in between ostensibly righteous identities. Within literary traditions, Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine is an autofiction project that oscillates around the coming of age or genre, as the age in question never officially comes. Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine is informed by the form and content procedures of Modernism. This project is inspired by many novels including To the Lighthouse, Sula, The Round House, Perma Red, Idaho, Body Grammar, Jesus’ Son. Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine, in joining the literary conversation of autofiction, argues for the value of survival, not for one grand happy ending, but for survival’s sake itself.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine
UC 333
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine
Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine attempts to come to terms with several liminal spaces throughout the delineation of a life lived almost entirely encased in confusion and pain. Myriad acute issues are addressed over the course of two short fiction stories, related directly to the development of the protagonist: chronic physical illness, mental illness, physical abuse––including sexual abuse––psychological abuse, lack of education, lack of mental and emotional support, poverty––including but not limited to malnutrition, clothing shortage, food insecurity, and forced environmental contingencies––homelessness, intravenous use of heroin and methamphetamine, queer youth and adult struggles, and survival. For the protagonist––who inches forward as a result of determinism more than by means of determination––these issues create barriers to rites of passage, leaving the character always-already in between ostensibly righteous identities. Within literary traditions, Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine is an autofiction project that oscillates around the coming of age or genre, as the age in question never officially comes. Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine is informed by the form and content procedures of Modernism. This project is inspired by many novels including To the Lighthouse, Sula, The Round House, Perma Red, Idaho, Body Grammar, Jesus’ Son. Beautiful, Beautiful, Fine, in joining the literary conversation of autofiction, argues for the value of survival, not for one grand happy ending, but for survival’s sake itself.