Honors Thesis Archive
| Author | Sadie Kurtzman |
|---|---|
| Title | In the Leaves: Linguistic Avoidance and the Evolution of True Crime Literature |
| Department | English |
| Advisor | Michael McClelland |
| Year | 2022 |
| Honors | University Honors |
| Full Text | View Thesis (599 KB) |
| Abstract | This thesis is a creative nonfiction account of the 2010 murder of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard, and Stephanie Sprang, and kidnapping and rape of Sarah Maynard, by Matthew Hoffman. The author read an extensive list of true crime works to prepare for this project. True crime is a genre that, for centuries was not regarded with the same literary importance as others, yet it is an exceptional indicator of what society values at a given point in time. The recent surge in true crime fascination is not isolated, but rather has occurred many times throughout history and can serve as an indicator of conflict. The voices and narratives that are now more prevalent in crime writing change how we address crime and the very nature of our language surrounding it. The author critiques some of the tendencies found in true crime novels such as In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, including using the passive voice to distance the responsible body from the crime, which this project seeks to avoid. |
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