Writing Fiction as a Form of Inquiry, a Defense and Exploration of Fiction Writing as a Transformative Discipline

grantor: University of TorontoWriting Fiction as a Form of Inquiry: A Defense and Exploration of Fiction Writing as a Transformative Discipline addresses the tensions and possibilities of fiction writing within an academic context. My goal is to fuse the discipline of fiction writing and the theories of critical theory and holistic education. To establish this fusion, I present an inquiry in three parts: a theoretical introduction, a novel as inquiry, and a classroom text. The main propositions expressed are as follows: (a) Fiction is a form of inquiry; (b) Issues of knowledge, power, subtle oppression, subtle liberation can be explored in reference to fiction writing, through fiction writing, and in the fiction-writing class; and (c) Qualities of the fiction writing process and experience have transformative possibilities for the self and community. I begin with a theoretical introduction in which I explore personal tensions and possibilities in accepting fiction as a form of inquiry. I focus my inquiry on the possibility that my tensions were based on the internalization of a reason-based, scientific paradigm that led to the unconscious assumption that reason and science equate knowledge, and fiction is something else. I use critical theory to explore the reason-based paradigm, then move toward a holistic perspective to present the potential of fiction as a transformative discipline. In the second part, I present a novel that explores the issues of the study itself. These include, the writing process, the contemplative qualities of this experience, and the subtle transformative possibilities, especially in addressing systemic structures or paradigms in society such as patriarchy, reason, or corporatism. In part three, I apply a critical framework with a holistic approach to the fiction-writing class, presenting the transformative potential of contemplation and critical thinking in such a class. I offer a perspective of fiction writing as a means to engage students in a way that develops their ability as writers while encouraging collective reflection and possibly transformation.Ph.D