Who we were : a novel and dissertation by publication

Abstract

Dissertation. The papers in the dissertation address the following related lines of inquiry: How can writers' practices be studied? To what extent can writing processes be understood? How can research into writing process inform undergraduate teaching? And, what kinds of readings might best be applied to texts by emerging writers? These questions contribute to scholarship on writing process in the discipline of creative writing. The introduction contextualises these questions and discusses the origins of the papers in conjunction with the process used to write the novel. Novel. Annabel and Bill Whitton emigrate from Australia to New York after the Second World War. There they form an enduring friendship with fellow immigrants Frank and Suzy, an ex-Communist from Hungary and his left-leaning wife. In laboratories in Westchester, Annabel, Bill and Frank work on biological weapons projects. Annabel is devoted to her work and reluctant to resign herself to motherhood. Bill, who has long been politically active, secretly allies himself with Frank and Suzy. When Frank and Suzy attract the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Bill decides to help a blacklisted actor and playwright escape to Canada, Annabel begins to discover the extent of Bill's duplicity.