Rhetorical Autobiography: A Narrative Analysis of Aleshia Brevard's The Woman I Was Not Born To Be: A Transsexual Journey

This thesis aims to explore autobiography as a rhetorical genre and to explore the personal narrative of Aleshia Brevard, an MTF (male to female) transsexual. The critical analysis employs a form of narrative criticism created from the work of several rhetorical critics. Narrative coherence is examined through looking at Brevard's arrangement of events, and narrative fidelity is examined through looking at Brevard's use of ultimate terms. This thesis suggests that the personal narratives told by transsexual individuals may constitute a previously undiscovered rhetorical genre and makes recommendations for future investigations of these narratives.