Welcome to Lake Chelan! (o algo asi)

Abstract

Anyone can write a book about a town and represent it fairly well with basic information and details. With a little research, one is able to find some history on the town and prove its existence in the text. A few quick visits to the place will give the writer enough details to describe it and make it seem real. However, is that enough to create a real sense of place so that any reader will feel like they are actually there as they read the text? The purpose of this thesis is to find out what it takes to create the sense of place in literature by analyzing various books that mention or take place in Chelan, Washington. The first chapter of this thesis focuses on the writings of Eudora Welty, as well as a few other novelists, and how place is defined and created in literature. The second chapter analyzes the Chelan that is created within the various texts. The third and final chapter analyzes the authenticity of the Chelan created by the authors and what impeded them in creating a real sense of the town in their books. In this final chapter I also explain what could have helped them create a better sense of place and why the town they depict in their literature doesn't quite match up to the real one.