Date

5-20-2026

Degree

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Chair

Karen Dodson

Keywords

Feminist Literary Theory, Women's Fiction, Feminism, Biblical World View, Fiction, Creative Writing, Dual POV, Critical Literary Theory, Feminist, Runaway, Women's Rights

Disciplines

Creative Writing

Abstract

“Undeterred, Stephanie’s frown deepened. ‘Too bad you don’t have a mom. Maybe she could teach you how to be pretty’” (Lawson). These lines from the creative manuscript, Running for Home, capture a prevalent gender norm as eleven-year-old Eli attempts to navigate life in a new school. Gender norms as they apply to women, such as submissiveness versus independence, are a central theme of Women’s Fiction and is the genre of my creative manuscript. Written from the point of view of two characters, the story begins when Teresa is in her early twenties in 1974, and Eli’s begins in 1991. The two characters cross paths and their individual narratives each highlight similarities and differences in the female experience. Although literary genres are not finite definitions, the focus on the emotional growth of the female protagonists is what aligns the story with the genre. As Savannah Gilbo explains, Women’s Fiction revolves around the female “protagonist’s emotional journey—moving your character closer to (or farther from) becoming a more fulfilled version of themselves” (Par. 26). Running for Home revolves around conflicts related to Teresa’s and Eli’s uniquely female lives. This paper will take time to evaluate what elements of feminist literary theory are aligned with Scripture, as well as place the creative manuscript in context with stories about women in the Bible in order to develop a balanced critical approach to women’s issues in literature.

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