Memo

To: From: Date: Subject: Kevin Brooks Courtney Schur 26 October 2011 Building a Mystery Project Proposal

For this project, I intend to research the assertion made by Donald M. Murray that all reading and writing is autobiographical. This is a very strong statement and argument that is prevalent throughout literacy, but has never concretely been proven. Upon reading Murrays article, I began to think about whether or not this is something that one could prove or disprove. How could one prove that what someone writes is subconsciously involved with his or her own psyche or on the other hand, if what one writes really does not pertain to his or her own experience? This is a theory that although difficult to scientifically research, could be interesting, nonetheless, to study. When I look at my own writing, everything I write has some kind of meaning to me. Does this necessarily mean I have emotional attachment to it? Probably not. For example, when I write a research paper where I was assigned a topic and had no interest in it, is it possible for me to write about a topic where I have no interest and still make it relevant to my life? That is completely debatable. This is why Murrays assertion garnered so much interest to me. The theory that somehow everything we write is really just a rewriting of our lives and experiences fascinates me. For my research, I will attempt to find scholarly articles that could help in finding some kind of scientific study that pertains to this theory. This may be difficult to find in English aimed journals, but use of psychology journals could lend in finding some sufficient research. In addition, I plan to look at a multitude of blogs to see what some people write about when not prompted by instructors or academic settings. To aid in this, I plan to make my project into a blog that mimics one of the mediums I am researching, but also to keep it academic. What I plan to find is that not all writing is autobiographical. That notion, to me, is far-fetched. Anyone could take a piece of writing and use a Freudian lens to conclude that the writing directly reflects the author. Murrays argument is null to say the least. He did not provide adequate research supporting is assertion, so I intend on finding research of my own to disprove his theory. Overall, this project is intended to provide a more broadened scope of whether or not all reading and writing is autobiographical. This most certainly is a topic that almost every English major has thought about at least once in their studies, but has never been elaborated. I fully intend to shed some more light on this theory in hopes to give a better understanding of the truth or invalidity behind it. Sincerely,