Contemporary feminine folksong fueling a literary fire.

摘要

This thesis studies the ways in which contemporary folksong lyrics qualify as literature and assesses their literary value for author, reader, society, and our written and oral traditions. This thesis further delineates and argues the importance of a literary genre identified herein as Contemporary Feminine Folk (CFF) and defines its zeitgeist with a holistic perspective through multiple lenses including literary theory, feminism, and humanism. Recurrent textual themes and form support a framework consistent with the Hero and Heroine's Journey typically seen in traditional literature but applied here to the lyrics of CFF which depict life struggles and a metaphoric journey. This thesis agrees with current criticism that our body of literature has an ever-evolving face, continually incorporating new texts, but that literary criteria must still be met. Close reading of exemplars from current American female songwriters finds strong evidence of literary elements to support accepting this folksong as literature.