The thesis begins with an introductory chapter that explains the problems that short story theorists encounter when they try to define the short story genre. Part of the problem results from the lack of a definition of the short story in the Aristotelian sense. A looser, less traditional definition of literary genres helps solve some of the problem. Six short stories follow the introduction. "Billy and Me," "Queen of Hearts," "The Whiskey Man," and "Psychedelic Trash Cans" are representative of traditional short stories. "Mourning Coffee" and "Seven X Seven" might very well fit into other genres, but even these stories fit a loose definition of the short story genre.

Constatant l'essor, au Pérou et depuis quelques années, d'une littérature appelée « fantastique » qui est difficilement compatible avec les approches et définitions traditionnelles de cette écriture, nous proposons par ce travail une lecture d'un corpus de nouvelles publiées dans divers recueils et anthologies péruviennes, dans une dynamique qui tient compte de trois aspects. Il s'agit d'abord, dans une perspective scalaire, de construire un arbre phylogénétique permettant de distinguer les univers qui entourent l'expression fantastique, et de déterminer quelques traits d'un fantastique apomorphe. Ensuite, une analyse détaillée de la manière dont fonctionne, au sein du texte, le passage qui crée l'effet fantastique, permet d'explorer les ressorts d'une rhétorique originale. Le dernier temps du travail se concentre sur la dimension de la réception du texte fantastique selon trois modalités : l'influence de l'arrière-texte, de la poésie et du rêve sur la création, puis les effets du texte sur le lecteur. L'élaboration d'une constellation qui rappelle les différents archétypes et réfléchit à l'aspect tantôt universel tantôt particulier de cette écriture constitue le dernier temps de ce parcours interprétatif. / As we have noticed for some years the rise of a literature called “fantastic” in Peru, which is hardly compatible with traditional approaches and definitions of this writing, we propose, throughout this work, an interpretation that considers three aspects. First, through a scalar perspective, we create a phylogenetic tree which enables us to distinguish the different universes that surround the fantastic expression, and to determine some features of an apomorphic fantastic way of writing. Then, a detailed analysis of how the passage which creates the fantastic effect operates in the text helps us to explore the devices of an original rhetoric. The last part of this work focuses on the dimension of reception of the text throughout three elements : the influence of the “arrière-texte”, of poetry and dreaming on creation, and then, the effects of the text on the reader. The elaboration of a constellation which outlines the different archetypes and makes us reflect on the universal or particular aspects of this way of writing is dealt with in the last part of this interpretive process.

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The preface, " Performing Brain Surgery: The Problematic Nature of Endings in Short Fiction," deals with the many and varied difficulties short story writers encounter when attempting to craft endings. Beginning with Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor and moving to my own work, I discuss some of the obscure criteria used to designate a successful ending, as well as the more concrete idea of the ending as a unifying element. Five short stories make up the remainder of this thesis: "In-between Girls," "Crocodile Man," "Surprising Things, Sometimes Amusing," "Good Jewelry," and "The Angular Degrees of Freedom."

Icky Boy is a work of fiction, particularly a collection of short stories. Every story is set in a semi-fictional region of Southern Maine, most of them in the fictional town of Mousam. The collection begins with “Icky Boy,” the story of a shy, insecure young man who falls in love with a woman, Peg, he meets at the grocery store. Their relationship is complicated by the arrival of an unorthodox motivational speaker and by a freak accident that critically affects Peg. The second story, “Cardiac Fridays”, is about a retired professional wrestler, “Big” John Childs who tries to find excitement and purpose in his life (by helping out at a clinic that induces heart attacks in people looking for thrills) after retiring from his job and becoming estranged from his wife and son. “Bone Breaker” tells the story of a debt collector who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. In the process of pursuing a debtor he begins to have a change of heart and reevaluate his life. “Gravy Work” follows a young couple, Cheryl and Thurman, who experience relationship difficulties as a result of their different ambitions. They attempt to reconcile their personalities while also trying to move to a different city and coping with Thurman’s addiction to a new TV program. “Donor” is about half brothers, Arthur and Kevin, who don’t get along (due to Kevin’s rage disorder) and who haven’t found their niche in high school. The two boys begin contacting their respective sperm donors for insights into their past and their future potential. “Win-Win” is about a man’s return to his hometown to help bury an ex lover’s dead ex boyfriend. In his attempt to reconcile with his ex, the narrator reveals himself to be more conflicted and insecure than he previously thought. “Particular Human” is about two men who get a flat tire while driving and so stop at a late night fast food shop managed by a unique and uniquely sad individual. “Chassis” follows the tribulations of a small family as they cope with the matriarch’s failing health.

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. / A collection of short stories / 2031-01-01T00:00:00Z

"Sometimes I Think I’m Going Crazy" is a short story collection containing three stories of more or less equal length. Each of three main characters face conflict that tests their resolve and ultimately forces them to reevaluate who they are as human beings. Stress helps people to grow and evolve and the protagonists in these stories are forced to face their greatest fears head on and (with varying degrees of success) come out the other end better for it. But not before going a little crazy in the process.

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This creative thesis includes five short stories that explore paradoxical ways in which people can feel alone, even if they are together. Although a combination of isolation and intimacy can occur in any human relationship, the stories in this collection spend much of their time with family circles in particular, considering the way that our closest, most permanent relationships can simultaneously prove the most intimate and the most isolating. The critical introduction that precedes the collection examines each story individually, discussing strategies and subject matter in terms of the collection's guiding concept. The introduction discusses the binary of intimacy and isolation, and how it relates to fiction's ability to evoke sympathy in its readers.

Trade Secrets is a collection of fourteen short stories that explores characters falling in and out of relationships and coping in unusual and even comedic ways. These characters are often obsessive and do not trust one another. They think life is funny, and discover that love is funny, and yeah, sex can be funny too. They don’t feel the right things when they’re supposed to. They find love, and lose love. They find hope, and lose hope. They escape sometimes, but more often are unable to go anywhere. These stories consider relationships through the disconnection between reality and fantasy, exploring how the lines between illusion and actuality can become blurred. A young boy fantasizes about running on the wind; teenagers pretend to be werewolves; twenty-somethings obsess about potential love affairs, dreams, and the possibility of escape. There is a driving curiosity behind these characters, a desire to figure one another out—a desire to learn the other’s secret. Trade secrets are insider information after all, and must be earned. These characters are all earning the right to hold their own trade secrets and, when the time is right, sharing that information with whomever is willing to listen.