Date of Award
Spring 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English
Program/Concentration
Creative Writing
Committee Director
Marianne Chan
Committee Member
John McManus
Committee Member
Luisa A. Igloria
Abstract
Atop a Mountain in the Winter is a poetry collection that primarily examines the formation of the self. It’s divided into six sections with excerpts from a single “long poem” connecting them together. The early poems focus on an internal movement examining the subject-object contradiction that lies at the center of an individual’s identity. The poems then progress to incorporate a more wholistic understanding of one’s self. The poems gradually search for an identity that’s based on relationships and the specific things that a person cares about—rather than a secret internal essence. However, like life, the progression is not linear. Instead, specific themes and uncertainties are revisited in different contexts throughout the collection.
Rights
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DOI
10.25777/v2fa-gx22
ISBN
9798280746817
Recommended Citation
Burnside, John H..
"Atop a Mountain in the Winter"
(2025). Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Thesis, English, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/v2fa-gx22
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_etds/491