Date
12-16-2025
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Kiera Smith
Keywords
Found Family Trope, Family of Choice, Mental Health, Young Adult Fiction, Found Family in Novels, Found Family in the Bible
Disciplines
Creative Writing | English Language and Literature
Recommended Citation
Black, Olivia, "What Once Was Lost" (2025). Masters Theses. 1420.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1420
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the popular found family trope in literature, to analyze why this craft element has gained popularity within the genre of young adult adventure fiction, and to explore how this literary device is utilized in the first part of the novel 'What Once Was Lost.' This thesis begins with an artist statement, in which the writer explores her background and how she developed an interest in the found family trope. This statement also specifically references the connection between found family and the writer’s creative manuscript. The thesis then shifts to a critical paper that scrutinizes what found family is, its rise in popularity, and examples of the trope in novels as well as in the Bible. Lastly, this thesis includes part one of the novel, What Once Was Lost, in order to provide an example of this trope in a creative manuscript.
