In the Drowning City and Other Stories is a collection of fiction written and revised during Malyn Segarra's graduate studies at the University of Central Florida. Most of the collection examines the transient nature and fragility of identity and shifting roles within the family unit. All focus on a particular span of time, the transition into young adulthood. Each character is faced with an obstacle or event that tests his or her beliefs, integrity and sense of self. As each one struggles to make a unique and permanent impression in the world, he or she must come to terms with the past, in some cases, breaking away from it. Although the characters come from varying backgrounds, the themes that thread the collection are universal. The three stories that serve as the backbone of the collection, "Slashing, Tripping and Other Offensive Plays," "In the Drowning City," and "This Is Just a Modern Love Song" find the protagonists striving to adapt to their newly transformed environments. As the situations they face become more complicated and the resolutions exceedingly compromised, the innocence and certainty associated with childhood is jeopardized.

TITLE: "Holiday" short story genre in A. P. Chekhov's writings SUMMARY: In its theoretical part, this thesis gives an overview of origination and progression of Christmas and Easter short poem genre on the background of Russian Orthodox culture. Main object of this work's practial part is characterization and description of progression of so- called "holiday" short story in the work of A. P. Čechov. Divided into seven thematic groups, short stories are by means of interpretation put into contrast against the Christmas and Easter short story prototype of the last third of 19th century. Using the original quotations of short stories texts the creative modifications of nowadays classical genre are explained: new narrative techniques, modern lyrical view of the world and last but not least the ideal of humanistic view of man. KEYWORDS: Christmas, Easter, short story, genre, A. P. Chekhov