Blog 1

Sedaris’s essay, “Dentists Without Borders,” is characteristic of creative nonfiction because it employs several devices and techniques common in literary fiction.  These include: dialogue, painting of scenes via specific and emotionally-charged details, characterization, and tight, yet still somehow lyrical, prose.  I would classify “Dentists Without Borders” as the CNF subgenre of personal or narrative essay.  Although I initially had trouble distinguishing this essay from a memoir, its connection to broader themes, such as socialized healthcare and how humans relate to illness/mortality, and its thesis-like opening and closing paragraphs mark it as a narrative essay.  I suppose one could also make a case for travel writing because it describes the healthcare facilities and conventions of another country (France).