Somewhere In The City

Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2023

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Advisor

Greg Howard

Second Committee Member

Rosalie Purvis

Third Committee Member

Morgan Talty

Abstract

This collection of short stories is based around the concept of absurdism. Through an inter- thematic approach I use absurdism and apply it all the way from realist contexts to magical realist settings. By doing so, I aim to deconstruct notions of normalcy as envisioned in both the East and the West, thereby providing an alternative to dominant and conventional narratives. The stories in this collection travel through time and space, sometimes imaginary, but deal with very human-problems. I position myself as someone in the intermediary of both Eastern and Western traditions, and thus, try to bring them together to see what kinds of results come forth from this violent clash. The overarching theme of the collection is that life is absurd, and that absurdity is part of everyday occurrences.

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