Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Institution
Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Cultural Trauma Fiction: Political Violence, Rampage Violence, And Structural Violence In Contemporary American Literature, Courtney Mullis
Cultural Trauma Fiction: Political Violence, Rampage Violence, And Structural Violence In Contemporary American Literature, Courtney Mullis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation identifies and proposes a new subgenre of American literature, Cultural Trauma Fiction, that has arisen since the late 20th century in response to numerous large-scale traumatic events and their representation in the media. Cultural trauma occurs when a shocking, shared event fractures collective identity and initiates a discursive process to understand what took place, why it happened, and how the affected culture can heal. Cultural traumas differ from individual trauma because cultural traumas affect a culture, rather than an individual, and because they are mediated; many members of the culture experience the trauma of these events secondhand …
Ties That Bind, Sarah Louise Slack
Ties That Bind, Sarah Louise Slack
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Ties that Bind is a collection of short stories that explores the lives of women. From physical danger that Rickie and her friends face in "The River's Children," to Maureen's emotional distress as she realizes she's losing her memory in "The Visit," from Mattie's work ethic as she tries to take her mother's responsibilities in "Keeping the Light," to Justine's struggle with unexpected pregnancy in "Here There Be Dragons," from Rae's confusion at her roommate's attitude in "The Tree that Holds the World," to Anya's temptation to suicide in "An Artist's eye," the first six stories stand alone and address …
Constellations, Erin Leigh Pounders
Constellations, Erin Leigh Pounders
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
AbstractConstellations consists of a collection of ten “linked” short stories. The short stories share the setting of Memphis, Tennessee and have recurring characters. Using realism, the stories attempt to examine the Modern American South, specifically Memphis. In this collection, the social milieu of the Old South, which is in its final throes, is explored, exploited, parodied, and sometimes honored. Focusing upon the characters of Garnet Pigeon and her daughter, Caroline, Constellations explores generational differences along with themes such as relationships between mothers and their children, class and social status, feminism, grief and loss, revenge, love, and the art of knowing …
Sunset View, Danielle Armstrong
Sunset View, Danielle Armstrong
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Sunset View is a linked collection of short fiction that explores the dynamics of dysfunctional families. Characters in this collection have been affected by the neglect, absence, or death of their family members and friends. They search for recognition and love as they try to find their place in life. Some turn to animals or fleeting relationships to fill this void. Others attempt suicide or simply disappear. The characters are in denial, unsure how to deal with grief, and often make decisions that alienate them from the friends and family they do have. Set in northeast Tennessee and named after …
Reason For Rejoice, Jennifer Karr
Reason For Rejoice, Jennifer Karr
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection of short stories features characters who face unexpected situations arising from ordinary circumstances. Most of the characters find themselves compelled to react in ways that may even surprise themselves. A young woman finds her first feeling of joy in a long time in the face of her mother’s possible death. Best friends recall their years spent doing drugs and ignoring responsibility. When a woman confronts her fear of sex, she finds herself literally in another world. Rather than sticking with one form, several stories depart from traditional structures. One flash fiction piece is told in the first-person collective …
Mothers And Mothers, Courtney Miller Santo
Mothers And Mothers, Courtney Miller Santo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This novel closely examines the relationship between mothers and daughters through the prism of the Keller women, their olive grove, and their Northern California town. The youngest, Erin, arrives home carrying the child of her married lover. Her only objective is getting her mother, Deborah, paroled before the birth of the child. Deborah, in prison for killing her husband, has not spoken to her own mother, Calliope, in the twenty years she’s been incarcerated. Calliope, who lost her faith in a plane accident and gained an addiction to painkillers, struggles to overcome her disconnect and embrace an unlikely love, despite …
Gravesend, William Boyle
Gravesend, William Boyle
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Gravesend, a novel, is set predominantly in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, though there are several scenes that take place in a fictional upstate town called Hawk's Nest. The novel centers around three characters: Conway D'Innocenzio, Alessandra Biagini, and Eugene Calabrese. These characters are tied together by Ray Boy Calabrese, who has recently been released from prison for his role in the brutal death of Duncan D'Innocenzio, Conway's brother, sixteen years before. Ray Boy returns and Conway, twenty-nine and working at Rite Aid, seeks revenge. Alessandra, a failed actress who has been in Los Angeles for a decade and has …
Crashing Against The Wood, Jessica Ryan
Crashing Against The Wood, Jessica Ryan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In this collection of short stories, the characters struggle to recover equilibrium in their lives that have been turned upside down. They struggle against one another, against change, and against the loss of loved ones. No matter what bonds hold the characters together, the underlying tension of change and reaction permeates their relationships and threatens what they know to be true. A theme of discontent runs in these stories. Something beneath the surface is not right, and the characters struggle to climb out of the mess their lives have become. Some of them have been stifled, like the narrator in …
How The Sky Tastes: Eight Stories, Daniel Sinclair
How The Sky Tastes: Eight Stories, Daniel Sinclair
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
How the Sky Tastes is not simply a collection of stories. It is my representation of moments in life, social commentaries, bits of humor, and pure entertainment all in one. Each story, although unique and easily able to stand alone, shares qualities I find important in writing fiction. First, each story features realistically flawed, yet sympathetic characters dealing with difficulties in life. Secondly, the actual moment is important in each story--whether that moment is something shared between two or more characters or simply the time a certain character comes to a serious realization. Finally, the style can make or break …