'An art of humanity' : the Henry Street narratives of Lillian D. Wald, 2018

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Kel

Identifier: b7877112

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate English program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees.

From the Collection:

Students become eligible to pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree if they have obtained a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English from Monmouth University and demonstrate a proficiency for creative writing through a thesis or equivalent work.

From the Collection:

After completing their 30-credit M.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration, Monmouth’s M.F.A. students take an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that includes the completion of a book-length Creative Thesis.

From the Collection:

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2018

Creator

Keller, Daphne M. (Daphne Mitchell) (1967- ) (Author, Person)
Moscaliuc, Mihaela, 1972- (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 49 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpts]

In 1893, a young nurse from Rochester, New York, named Lillian D. Wald, visited the slums of New York City's Lower East Side and experienced a "baptism by fire" that would change her own life and the lives of millions of others.... Wald wrote two accounts of her life and work at the Henry Street Settlement, which she founded as a result of her early experiences: The House on Henry Street (1915) and Windows on Henry Street (1934).... Today, although much of Wald's legacy is woven invisibly through the fabric of our society, her books are no longer widely read. Wald has much to say to say that is still important and relevant, ranging from political topics such as immigration and inequality, to the importance of art to the individual, to our obligations to one another in a civilized society....

This thesis will explore the important ways in which these [Henry Street] narratives retain their relevance today for scholars of literature and for practitioners of narrative medicine. The first section will examine Wald's use of nursing narratives to create understanding and arouse sympathy in her American readers for the health needs of the poor of the Lower East Side....

The second section will argue that the Henry Street narratives, read as companion works to the writings of the Lower East Side immigrant authors who were Wald's contemporaries, can expand and enrich readers' experience of these other works....

Finally, the third section will discuss literary genre and where it is that the Henry Street narratives belong. These are unusual books, and they to not fit neatly into any particular category. Determining what to call them will foster their inclusion in discussions of Lower East Side literature of the early twentieth century, as well as suggest ways that they could be incorported into the study and practice of narrative medicine....