30th Annual Student Research Conference
The Purpose and Critique of "Anonymity" in Go Ask Alice
Katelyn N. Hawkins
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
The 1971 novel in diary form, Go Ask Alice, was published anonymously and, eventually, scandalously. The book follows a fifteen year old girl at the end of the psychedelic era through her adolescent depression, early drug experimentation, homelessness and finally her death by overdose. The "diary" was advertised as a found text, but over decades it has been put under scrutiny and declared as an ill-attempt by an adult psychologist at anti-drug propaganda. This essay will examine the text in question under a psychoanalytic lens, as well as trace the previous research done to confirm or deny the work's authenticity as a "real journal."
Keywords:
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 101-4
Location: MG 1000
Time: 8:45