People are obsessed with objects: the memories they hold, the thoughts they inspire, the skills they showcase, their monetary value, and what they communicate to others. This book guides creative nonfiction writers through crafting prose inspired by the material things in their lives. Combining ideas from the fields of creative writing, rhetoric and composition and qualitative inquiry, it investigates how authors examine the cultural and personal significance of objects and offers new approaches for how writers might use personal experience and theoretical context to get the most out of object writing.
Melissa Tombro draws on her experience as a third-generation antiques dealer and professor of writing and gender studies to explore the power of materiality in storytelling and how we come to understand ourselves and others based on what is owned, valued, and discarded. Through case studies, personal writing, theory and literature, the book considers topics and ideas including: collecting and collections, cultural and monetary value of objects, family history and nostalgia, gender in relation to objects, public collections and archives, inherited objects, garbage and recycled objects, objects and status, generational trends and fads, and objects in the age of social media.
Providing the foundations for writerly growth by engaging in cultural analysis, autoethnographic inquiry, narrative building, and personal reflection, Writing About Objects presents original assignments and prompts to extend writers' thinking outside of the self and towards the larger cultural sphere. This is not just a how-to guide but an exploration of how people collect, value and engage with the things around them.
- 217 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
About this book
Information
Edition
1Topic
Personal DevelopmentTable of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 Introduction to Nonfiction Object Writing
- 2 Personal Collections and Collecting
- 3 Autoethnography and Research
- 4 Public Objects and Collections
- 5 Things We Leave Behind
- Conclusion
- Additional Student Examples
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access Writing About Objects by Melissa Tombro in PDF and/or ePUB format. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.