Date of Award
Summer 8-1-2018
Level of Access Assigned by Author
Open-Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Advisor
David C. Kress
Second Committee Member
Naomi Jacobs
Third Committee Member
Steven Evans
Abstract
The Swallow Dance is a novella which examines the chronically ill body in a moment of crisis. The narrative draws on trauma theory to dissect the main character’s reactions to an ill body. Eve, the novella’s narrator, is thrust into this space where her mind and body are at a discord because of a chronic illness. As part of her treatment, Eve cannot eat or drink. This destabilizes her from her traumatized body. The farther Eve disassociates from her condition, the more she feels like something is watching her. Then, she is contacted by a messenger from a different place. He persuades her to visit Tortureland as an escape from her hospital room. In Tortureland, Eve can eat, drink, and do whatever she would like, but she must pay a price. Her guest pass to the park has a time limit, and she must choose between the hospital and Tortureland. Eventually, she rejects the “realness” of her hospitalization and trauma in favor of the slightly less traumatizing place. She joins The Tortured and finds her wings for her great escape.
Recommended Citation
Gerow, Kristyn M., "The Swallow Dance" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3341.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/3341