Date of Award
Fall 12-1-2020
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Humanities
Committee Chair
Dr. Olivia Clare
Committee Chair School
Humanities
Committee Member 2
Dr. Joshua Bernstein
Committee Member 2 School
Humanities
Committee Member 3
Dr. Alexandra Valint
Committee Member 3 School
Humanities
Committee Member 4
Dr. Jameela Lares
Committee Member 4 School
Humanities
Abstract
The following creative writing dissertation, Storm Chasers, includes a critical introduction that situates the individual works within the larger frame of contemporary literary fiction. These short stories explore themes of setting and the natural world, as well as childhood and mental health. Characters interact with their environments, which include waterfronts, cattle ranches, horse stables, Florida beaches, rural school yards, and city streets. Their conflicts are internal ones that are often reflected in their physical surroundings, such as turbulence in weather storms and destruction, or escape in wide, peaceful ranges of open land and sky. Their lives interact directly with the natural world of their environments.
In many of the stories, characters reflect on memories and traumas that correspond with specific environments, and this movement is depicted through braided narratives of past and present scenes. They are observant characters, often too aware and introspective, but their situations demonstrate that loneliness and loss bring their own comfort in familiarity. This collection seeks to explore how emotions regulate themselves both internally, through rumination on events from the past, and externally, through direct contact with the physical, natural world around them. In essence, the stories are about identity and the journey of accepting it or changing it when life moves beyond control.
ORCID ID
0000-0003-2068-9637
Copyright
Bryana Fern
Recommended Citation
Fern, Bryana, "Storm Chasers" (2020). Dissertations. 1844.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1844