Recovering the Roots of the Literacy Narrative via Disciplinary History and Textbooks
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Authors
Lehman, Albert
Issue Date
2024
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Composition , Literacy , Literacy narrative , Narrative , Rhetoric , Writing
Alternative Title
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the literacy narrative assignment. The history of this assignment lives in journals, textbooks, and people’s
experiences, yet no formal history of it exists. To address this, I
investigate literacy narrative and proto literacy narrative scholarship in
the Journal of Basic Writing, examine how textbooks teach it, and
conduct preliminary interviews with established scholars in the field.
Additionally, this dissertation holds a series of my own literacy
narratives that situate my literacy history, prior to becoming a teacher
and since joining the discipline. I argue the durability and adaptability of
the assignment comes from its capacity to signify “a sense of belonging”
in various contexts and within diverse communities. Like narrative
writing, literacy narrative has historically been connected to
developmental writing, and it struggles to be seen outside of
developmental contexts. This dissertation challenges that view and
conventional knowledge about literacy narratives and their uses. I
suggest those working with literacy narratives familiarize themselves
with literacy and literacy narrative theories and write their own literacy
narratives to create more understanding about the genre.