A collection of short fiction stories that fixate on the role of the strange and the imagined.

A collection of short stories concerned with the dichotomy between interior and exterior landscapes.

In any exchange of letters one sister's words must be presented last and the last word is, as you know, most sacred.

Thesis advisor: Richard Kearney / This thesis is an investigation of the epistemological and ethical reasons why philosophers might consider writing stories to communicate their ideas rather than nonfiction. It considers the consequences of empathizing with fictional characters, as well as the ways in which stories better capture reality than essays. The thesis also looks at the therapeutic power of storytelling. Does fiction offer deeper insights about death that cannot be taught through argumentative essays? Is the form of storytelling better at talking about death? These are the questions that ultimately sparked this thesis. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Philosophy.

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Please note: creative writing theses are permanently embargoed in OpenBU. No public access is forecasted for these. To request private access, please click on the locked Download file link and fill out the appropriate web form. / Short stories and a novel extract by Benjamin Leaman / 2031-01-01T00:00:00Z

Please note: creative writing theses are permanently embargoed in OpenBU. No public access is forecasted for these. To request private access, please click on the locked Download file link and fill out the appropriate web form. / Selected Stories is a collection of short fiction works produced between fall 2014 and spring 2016. / 2031-01-01T00:00:00Z

Two hundred years ago, a violent Christian extremist cult was excommunicated from their native Iceland. Now living in isolation on an island off the coast of Newfoundland, these Pilgrims defend their practice of child-marriage and widow burning as an integral part of worship. Sassa Jóhannsdottir is a 16-year-old member of the colony on the verge marrying a man--a virtual stranger--twice her age. Forced to watch the women of her community sacrifice their independence, happiness, and even their lives, Sassa seeks solace in relationships with her best friend Marta, her young ewe Fær, and the natural world. With Wifehood looming, Sassa must reckon with her faith, her societal role, and her alleged destiny.

Set in rural Kansas, this story follows the lives of Jonathan Tate, his sister Lily Anne Tate, and their father, up until his death, Hershall Tate. They are an isolated family, seemingly living outside of time. John opens the novel with a walk into town to set the contrast between him and the rest of the world. Time is the theme and essence, because every scene and the tone of the scenes are weighted by the imminence of Hershall's death. He is dying slowly and so their lives move slowly. Lily can't help but be ornery, while John, assuming all the chores and anxiety of the future without his father, is reserved and reluctant. Hershall is set in his ways and not in a hurry to get the house in order before his death. There is the old-fashioned nature of Hershall, the isolated nature of the whole family, and the rest of the modern world to contend with. These beginning pages are setting up the next stage of the novel where Lily and John begin their journey after their father's death.

August Diamond is left lost after the sudden death of her father. The stories in Dance Lessons explore the themes of loss and grief, retreat and return, and finding your true self. The collection is a novel in stories, each story exposing another layer of August's past, her family, and their complicated relationships.