E-Thesis 299 views
Wales and World War 2: Representing unheard Welsh voices through historical fiction / LUCY Aur
Swansea University Author: LUCY Aur
DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.70621
Abstract
This thesis comprises a novel and a critical essay, together forming an integrated exploration of storytelling grounded in primary sources. The creative component is a historical fiction novel constructed from extensive archival and historical materials, with the use of primary sources forming the f...
| Published: |
Swansea
2025
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| Supervisor: | Bohata, Kirsti ; Sheers, Owen |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70621 |
| Abstract: |
This thesis comprises a novel and a critical essay, together forming an integrated exploration of storytelling grounded in primary sources. The creative component is a historical fiction novel constructed from extensive archival and historical materials, with the use of primary sources forming the foundation of the plot and subsequent research questions. The narrative unfolds over 24 days split over seven years. Each chapter is written in the third person but is focalised on and through different characters situated in different theatres of war, offering alternative point of views to create a structure that conveys the fluctuations of war. The novel is an attempt to capture the lives of a family whose story can provide a deeper insight into a period of history by foregrounding lesser represented experiences, from disability to the war in the Far East. The accompanying critical essay interrogates the ethical and aesthetic challenges of using primary sources in creative settings, the balance between fact and truth, and how we can provide meaningful representation to untold histories. It explores how narrative can remain faithful to primary sources while also engaging in the creative freedoms of the novel form. The essay explores how Welsh identity, and language can be creatively engaged with while avoiding cliché, and how fiction can navigate complex boundaries surrounding historical documents and imaginative stories. Within the essay there is an examination of contemporary approaches to history through the arts including musical theatre and interactive museum exhibitions. Amongst the research, the essay reflects upon the creative choices made regarding the novel and what impact those decisions had on the story, the wider genre and view of this particular poignant era of history. |
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| Item Description: |
Student Author known as Lucy Aur. |
| Keywords: |
Historical Fiction, History, Wales, World War Two, Postmodernism, Primary Sources, Welsh Identity, Welsh History, Creative Writing, Prisoner of War, Far East Campaign, Novel, Representation, Ethics, Storytelling |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |