Date

11-13-2025

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Chair

Kiera Smith

Keywords

Writing, Novel, History, Fiction, Romance, Thesis, Research, Historical Fiction, Authenticity, Accuracy, Book, World War Two, World War II, WWII, War, Military History, Army, Experiences, Women, Female

Disciplines

Creative Writing | History

Abstract

This MFA thesis is comprised of an artist statement, a scholarly essay on authenticity in WWII historical fiction, and a novel set during World War II. The artist statement outlines personal experiences, faith perspective, and writing aesthetics that shape the approach to historical storytelling, examining how a history-oriented upbringing and Christ-centered worldview inform a writing philosophy centered on crafting emotion through authentic character development and vivid sensory details. The scholarly component argues that authentic WWII fiction requires both meticulous historical accuracy and genuine emotional truth. Drawing on primary sources including interviews with former WWII Army members, wartime diaries, and period documents, this thesis investigates how writers can honor the often-overlooked role that faith played in sustaining individuals through history's darkest hours while avoiding both anachronism and heavy-handedness. The creative component, With Love from the Front, follows eighteen-year-old Jane Rodgers from the fictional English hamlet of Dunford as her dreams of adventure collide with the beginning of World War II in September 1939. When Jane meets Cullen Campbell, a newcomer who carries his own painful past, she must choose between satisfying her longing for purpose beyond Dunford and unexpected love. As war is declared on the day following their engagement, Jane's carefully constructed plans for the future unravel, forcing her to confront questions about duty, sacrifice, and divine calling that will reshape her understanding of both love and purpose.

Through Jane's journey, this thesis demonstrates how historical fiction can authentically represent the struggle between personal desire and historical necessity while honoring the faith that sustained many through wartime.

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