Abstract

This thesis is an examination of the autobiography of Parley P. Pratt in light of current American autobiography research, intended to assert its worthiness for greater consideration by scholars of American culture. The findings suggest that the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt is comparable to other works now included in the canon of American autobiography such as Jonathan Edward's "Personal Narrative," Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Critical theories on the above autobiographies are applied to the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt in order to show its applicability to the current dialogue of American autobiography. Finally, the theories of Frederick Jackson Turner and Harold Bloom are applied to the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt in order to demonstrate that Parley P. Pratt is a quintessential nineteenth-century, frontier American, and that his Autobiography can be used as a tool for greater understanding of American culture.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; Humanities, Classics, and Comparative Literature

Rights

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