The measure of a moment, 2019

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Taw

Identifier: b7929335

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: 2019

Creator

Tawil, Sally T. (Sally Taylor) (1976- ) (Author, Person)
Febos, Melissa (1980- ) (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) : 99 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

"The Measure of a Moment" is the story of Cassandra Harrison, a middle-aged woman who returns to her childhood home in Redding, Massachusetts in 2018, following her mother's death. Years have passed since Cassandra has been home and she is no longer the same woman she was when she left. The visit triggers many memories, forcing Cassadra to confront unresolved issues from her family's past. Narrated in close third person from Cassandra's point-of-view, there are occasional dips into the consciousness of other characters as well. The novel is structured along two timelines and toggles between them. The present-day narrative centers around the adult Cassandra and her younger sister Maddie as they reel with the physical and emotional repercussions of their mother's sudden death and the ways in which childhood events have shaped their present situtations. The past narrative reveals the secrets behind the present and is linked thematically to the events of the present. Each action in the present can be explained or expanded through an anecdote from the past. Cassandra has survived the tragic death of her father, her mother's remarriage, and childhood sexual abuse by her step-father. Because of these events, and her perfectionist instincts, young Cassandra has taken on far greater responsibility than her age would suggest. Each of these traumas has changed her irrevocably and has broken her in different ways. As the novel progresses, the story of how this woman has come back to her literal home becomes a metaphor for how she comes home to herself. By extension, it explores more universally the roads we each travel in life to find ourselves back home--in our world, in our families, and within ourselves. The novel explores the complexity of various familial relationships--mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, husbands, wives--and discovers psychological truths. It examines the secrets we keep and the lengths we travel to protect the people we love the most. Its broadest themes include the duality of the human experience, the wrenching quality of love, and our capacity for heartbreak and survival.