Title
Date of Award
6-2011
Document Type
Campus Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English/Creative Writing
First Advisor
Askold Melnyczuk
Second Advisor
John Fulton
Third Advisor
Shaun O'Connell
Abstract
What are the tethers of familial responsibility? Mother, father, daughter, son; but also cousin, uncle, aunt, step-brother, family friend, girlfriend, niece. Caretakers and charges, both unwilling and chosen, populate the stories of my thesis project.
This collection of short stories addresses domestic binds, both coveted and detested. The stories are set in the Bay State, in old mill towns and defunct railroad stops, struggling developments dotted with gambrels, beachfronts and coastal landscapes. The families within are often sprawling and push and pull at each other as they both reject and relish in their roles; the lovers do the same, running from and returning to each other, as they struggle with breaking habitual--and comfortable--behavior and circumstances. The conversations throughout the stories address the surface level contact that belies the deeper levels of emotion and meaning when people cannot express their wants, desires, and secrets upfront.
Recommended Citation
Duncan-Mooney, Kimberly, "The Lasts" (2011). Graduate Masters Theses. 63.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/63
Comments
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