Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

English

Degree Program

English, MA

Committee Chair

Griner, Paul

Committee Member

Moazzen, Maryam

Committee Member

Rabin, Andrew

Author's Keywords

short story; thesis; grief; literary horror; fiction

Abstract

This creative thesis is a collection of short stories revolving around themes of grief, isolation, and survivor’s guilt. Each story is standalone even though they share overlapping motifs, as well as having a few references within the same universe. These protagonists often appear to be unreliable narrators, though the amount of reliability they depict should be determined by the reader. The protagonists encounter situations that cause them to question their own sanity and make them relive their greatest fears and confront traumatic memories, which may serve as a connection to the supernatural elements within the stories. Settings within each story differ in locale but retain a commonality; the protagonist navigates the barrier separating life and death, coming perilously close to peering through the proverbial veil. They are living characters in dead and desolate places, carving a trail entirely new and being made to either adapt or succumb to forces beyond their control.

Download

Included in

Fiction Commons

Share

COinS