April 2023 / MFA Thesis

On and On and On

One defining root of the personal essay is its goal to articulate thoughts, simple and complex, into a piece that readers might deliberate and rest and even rely on. On this or that or the other— “on” being a word suggesting sturdiness and foundation. On and On and On is a collection of personal essays which intends to examine the theories of “truth” (another word associated with sturdiness,) within personal experiences, as they are delivered through creative means. When truths in life are examined and explored in essayistic ways, we discover more profound axioms of the soul that would otherwise remain hidden.

This collection first establishes the essay’s motivation and pursuit for truth, and then elaborates on the means by which an essay may most effectively achieve truth while navigating “creativity.” Following this analysis, the personal essays implement those theoretical strategies, encouraging an emphasis on truth throughout explorations of human experience and thought. The essays vary in subject and style, but are largely tied together through the theme of desire for control over what feels chaotic, or understanding of what feels unknown… that is, the desire for truths that give us peace.

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Rachel Ann Hansen

Original Essay Works assembled here with the help of Landen Bailey