Exploring The Garden: A reflection on the development of a contemporary writing practice, the ‘Hero’s Journey’, and hope

Abstract

This thesis explores questions of creative practice and writerly engagement, questioning the application of 'The Hero's Journey', or 'monomyth', within a contemporary writing practice. It focuses on how the model might be employed, challenged, or altered to inform discussion of ‘grand challenges’, particularly within the scope of literary and/or speculative fiction, and how creative works in this space might contribute to ongoing social discourses as ‘knowledge artefacts’.

The research methodology includes interviews with working writers as case studies,textual research, and reflection on/the production of a new novel (or knowledge artefact), 'The Garden'.