Unfinished Meals: A Novel

Abstract

After reflecting on my SIP, Unfinished Meals, I thought of the late night walks I took in Scotland on my year abroad. I remember the lights that illuminated most of the downtown streets, the long hills which were sporadically lit, and Seaton Park, which was entirely unlit. Each part of the walk had its own feel; downtown, people were everywhere; at the tops of some of the hills, I could see the ports and lights in the distance, and, in the park, the stars and the moon were brighter than at any other point. Writing my novel, I had a similar sense. I was in different places, when I would reach a different chapter, or different setting, or different set of characters. Yet, the story had a unity to it, like the walks in Scotland. Upon reflecting further, I realized that another important part of my SIP was the understanding I brought to my writing through my education as a reader of literary texts. This experience also compares to those walks in Scotland, but not in the same way. For example, my understanding of the safer parts of the city to walk through at night, the quickest routes, and other practical knowledge about the city of Aberdeen came through experience. Hence, the way I walked through Aberdeen was influenced by direct knowledge I got while living there, and this is like how my experiences as a reader influences the way I think about my writing. I have brought in works in the philosophy of aesthetics (a study I took up in Scotland) for a discussion of how my readings of texts progressed from strictly textual to textual/contextual and how this has shaped my views on my own writing.