The Struggle for Identity: How Female Writers Find Their Voice

The purpose of this project is to examine the value and purpose of the female voice in literature. In the first part of this project, my artist’s statement clarifies my intent as a writer and an academic. This statement describes certain specific works that have influenced my writing style and content, and my literary aspirations. The second part of the project is the critical paper, which analyzes the importance of the feminine voice and identity in literature throughout different time periods and through different lenses. Within this paper, I examine how male writers have dominated the writing world and explore the social, moral, and emotional restraints that have prevented women from gaining literary equality with men. The third and final portion of the project is the creative manuscript. This manuscript includes five short stories that I have mostly composed during my time in Liberty University’s MFA program