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- Title
- IN SEARCH OF: STORIES FROM THE ONES LEFT BEHIND.
- Creator
-
Velez, Mayra, Rushin, Pat, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"In Search Of: Stories from the Ones Left Behind" introduces five young women-- June, Leila, Kiss, Marianne, and Alma-- who struggle to impede loved ones from abandoning them. One woman confronts her worst fears when she finds out about her husband's affair with a mutual friend; one comes to terms with her sister's poor lifestyle choices; another copes with her mother's sudden marriage; and yet another figures out that in order to keep her fiancé, she must be willing to...
Show more"In Search Of: Stories from the Ones Left Behind" introduces five young women-- June, Leila, Kiss, Marianne, and Alma-- who struggle to impede loved ones from abandoning them. One woman confronts her worst fears when she finds out about her husband's affair with a mutual friend; one comes to terms with her sister's poor lifestyle choices; another copes with her mother's sudden marriage; and yet another figures out that in order to keep her fiancé, she must be willing to take on responsibilities foreign to her. And then there is the story of Alma, a contemplative but naïve seventeen-year-old girl who commits a serious mistake, an act of prostitution, and when her parents find out, she's left with no choice except to leave her hometown before high school graduation. Alma learns that when it comes to the aftermath of mistakes, women often get a double-dose of pain, plus they run the risk of being removed from the family circle. These stories also touch on other themes: mother-daughter relationships; sibling rivalry and communion; adultery; marriage to foreigners; spirituality; atheism amongst a religious family; dependency; and also how contemporary young women deal with relatively successful careers. But the one common thread running through the heart of these women's stories is how they confront the threat of being pushed aside or deserted by a loved one.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001841, ucf:47365
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001841
- Title
- MOONFLOWERS AND OTHER STORIES.
- Creator
-
Prevatt-Harris, Sarah, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"Moonflowers" and Other Stories is a collection of short stories focusing on complex relationships among characters who are estranged from their families and their pasts; some seek to reestablish connections, while others decide to simply walk away. All of the stories are set in Florida. In "Stained Glass," Abby returns home after seventeen years to help care for the father who disowned her. In "Blue Green Red," Melaney is compelled to find her brother after years of lying about his existence...
Show more"Moonflowers" and Other Stories is a collection of short stories focusing on complex relationships among characters who are estranged from their families and their pasts; some seek to reestablish connections, while others decide to simply walk away. All of the stories are set in Florida. In "Stained Glass," Abby returns home after seventeen years to help care for the father who disowned her. In "Blue Green Red," Melaney is compelled to find her brother after years of lying about his existence. Selina, the protagonist of "Fatty Walsh" is so embarrassed by her family she will not tell her friend Alucia where she lives, although she must ultimately choose between her younger brother and her friendship with Alucia. All of the stories in this thesis find characters desiring to establish or restore relationships despite past mistakes and grievances, evidence of their innate longing for human connection.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001980, ucf:47428
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001980
- Title
- A LITTLE SLICE OF THE MOON: STORIES.
- Creator
-
Rashid, Fatima, Leiby, Jeanne, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A Little Slice of the Moon: stories is a collection of short stories that explore the struggles of various characters to find their place in the world. And the world, despite its familiarity, can be a hostile place. The characters in this collection learn that families are a fragile lot, that every desire contains a paradox, that the Road of Life can seemingly be grasped by the horns, but that the future twists and turns, yet never escapes the past. And it is the past that haunts these...
Show moreA Little Slice of the Moon: stories is a collection of short stories that explore the struggles of various characters to find their place in the world. And the world, despite its familiarity, can be a hostile place. The characters in this collection learn that families are a fragile lot, that every desire contains a paradox, that the Road of Life can seemingly be grasped by the horns, but that the future twists and turns, yet never escapes the past. And it is the past that haunts these characters' lives. One word, one act, impacts a lifetime. In A Little Slice of the Moon, Khalid traces the devastation of his 'new' life and his alienation to everything around him back to a youthful error. In The Thousand Trees Orchard, the arrival of Mahjabeen, Laddo's deranged and possibly dangerous sister, teaches Laddo the difference between fleeing the past and embracing it. In Dead Woman's Pass, Priya tries to outrun her malevolent qismet, and in doing so, almost loses herself as well. Isolation, physical or emotional, is a primary element in many of these characters' lives. Whether the isolation is self-imposed or results from circumstances beyond their control, these characters realize that where they are matters less than what they've done. They learn that confronting themselves--who they are, who they were--is the only way to break free from the past and make peace with themselves and with the world around them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000911, ucf:46738
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000911
- Title
- Trade Secrets.
- Creator
-
Kolman, Rachel, Hubbard, Susan, Neal, Mary, Rushin, Patrick, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Trade Secrets is a collection of fourteen short stories that explores characters falling in and out of relationships and coping in unusual and even comedic ways. These characters are often obsessive and do not trust one another. They think life is funny, and discover that love is funny, and yeah, sex can be funny too. They don't feel the right things when they're supposed to. They find love, and lose love. They find hope, and lose hope. They escape sometimes, but more often are unable to go...
Show moreTrade Secrets is a collection of fourteen short stories that explores characters falling in and out of relationships and coping in unusual and even comedic ways. These characters are often obsessive and do not trust one another. They think life is funny, and discover that love is funny, and yeah, sex can be funny too. They don't feel the right things when they're supposed to. They find love, and lose love. They find hope, and lose hope. They escape sometimes, but more often are unable to go anywhere. These stories consider relationships through the disconnection between reality and fantasy, exploring how the lines between illusion and actuality can become blurred. A young boy fantasizes about running on the wind; teenagers pretend to be werewolves; twenty-somethings obsess about potential love affairs, dreams, and the possibility of escape. There is a driving curiosity behind these characters, a desire to figure one another out(-)a desire to learn the other's secret. Trade secrets are insider information after all, and must be earned. These characters are all earning the right to hold their own trade secrets and, when the time is right, sharing that information with whomever is willing to listen.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004273, ucf:49512
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004273
- Title
- CRASHING AGAINST THE WOOD.
- Creator
-
Ryan, Jessica, Rushin, Pat, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this collection of short stories, the characters struggle to recover equilibrium in their lives that have been turned upside down. They struggle against one another, against change, and against the loss of loved ones. No matter what bonds hold the characters together, the underlying tension of change and reaction permeates their relationships and threatens what they know to be true. A theme of discontent runs in these stories. Something beneath the surface is not right, and the characters...
Show moreIn this collection of short stories, the characters struggle to recover equilibrium in their lives that have been turned upside down. They struggle against one another, against change, and against the loss of loved ones. No matter what bonds hold the characters together, the underlying tension of change and reaction permeates their relationships and threatens what they know to be true. A theme of discontent runs in these stories. Something beneath the surface is not right, and the characters struggle to climb out of the mess their lives have become. Some of them have been stifled, like the narrator in "Resounding Gong, Clanging Cymbal," who's being pressured on all sides to marry. Some of them are toeing the line of fitting in and being independent, like the teenagers in "Hibiscus Boulevard," who, caught up in the last days of summer, are more concerned with being adults than being kids. In the title story, the teenagers in a small town find a way to memorialize one of their own by performing the act that caused him to die. The cautious bonds between the characters are continuously being worked by one another, by oppressive scenery and location, by the aftereffects of dysfunction, or by unrequited love. No matter what the context or situation, something is always just a little bit off, or wrong, in each story in this collection, and the characters must do their best to correct the situations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002604, ucf:48281
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002604
- Title
- Only the End: A Collection of Connected Short Stories.
- Creator
-
Sneeringer, Lucy, Milanes, Cecilia, Roney, Lisa, Neal, Mary, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In a series of connected short stories, the author explores the funeral industry by following a body as it is prepared for its final resting. The EMTs, mortician, funeral director, and cremators offer their unique perspective on the many faces death can take. However, it is the eyes of the mourners and Benny himself that see the deeper impact of his passing. By uncovering who Benny was in life, a man struggling with marriage and fatherhood, the author shows just how far the impact of his...
Show moreIn a series of connected short stories, the author explores the funeral industry by following a body as it is prepared for its final resting. The EMTs, mortician, funeral director, and cremators offer their unique perspective on the many faces death can take. However, it is the eyes of the mourners and Benny himself that see the deeper impact of his passing. By uncovering who Benny was in life, a man struggling with marriage and fatherhood, the author shows just how far the impact of his death reaches.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006662, ucf:51242
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006662
- Title
- A Clutch, A Pride, A Murder.
- Creator
-
Miles, John, Rushin, Patrick, Neal, Mary, Poissant, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A Clutch, A Pride, A Murder is a linked collection of seven short fiction pieces and one novella that examine a world much like our own, but with the cover revealed(-)a world laid bare, exposed by its desires, its emotions, its beauties, and all its machinations. All of the stories involve, either directly or indirectly, the fictional Ohio city of Milton. Some of the stories take place within this seemingly typical American city, while others only involve characters coming from or in some...
Show moreA Clutch, A Pride, A Murder is a linked collection of seven short fiction pieces and one novella that examine a world much like our own, but with the cover revealed(-)a world laid bare, exposed by its desires, its emotions, its beauties, and all its machinations. All of the stories involve, either directly or indirectly, the fictional Ohio city of Milton. Some of the stories take place within this seemingly typical American city, while others only involve characters coming from or in some cases returning to this unassuming location. Regardless, the events of these stories either in cause or effect all have their roots in Milton.The world at large also plays a part within these pages. While the stories themselves are completely fictitious, many of the peripheral events that happen beyond the principle storylines are pulled from today's real-world headlines: a series of increasingly devastating tornadoes in the American heartland; a mysterious suicide of a wealthy industrialist; the amazing technological feats of a nation's space program; the heinous crimes of a serial kidnapper. These events, each a worthy story in their own right, filter into the events of this collection, much as they do in our world(-)through the media. Television, radio, newspapers, social media all are outlets of information and current events making the stories of others part of our lives as we all live out our own personal adventures. I utilize these true-life events to add scope and breadth to the world of my fictions so that these events might at times inform and offer new perspective on the principle narratives. And while these true-life stories unfold in the backgrounds of their fictitious hosts, the hope is that the reader will be able to have a better sense of the timeline as the events unfold over the days, months, and years that these stories inhabit.Humanity in all its wonder and woe is on full display within this collection. From the journey of idyllic love to tragic romance, and the thin line that turns passion to obsession, we will see all the places theses complex emotions lead: a young botanist travels half-way around the world for a chance to reconnect with a lost love; a young girl's love for her family pushes her to extremes to protect her brother; a man's love for his city challenges his morality; the bond between brothers is put to the test; and a young man's reverence for history, and his love of family leads him down a dark path. How far will someone go to protect themselves? Their loved ones? Or even their way of life? The lengths these characters will go, or in some cases will not go, are central to the stories in this collection. I intend to show those lengths and tell my characters' all too human stories.?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005034, ucf:49988
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005034
- Title
- TRACKERS.
- Creator
-
Rozanski, Robin, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Trackers is a collection of short stories that attest to the oddities and complexities found even in the non-exotic middle-class American suburbs. The characters in these stories experience disappointments that result from the physical and emotional distancing of families. In "Tokens," a woman's attempts at revenge on her cheating husband are unsatisfying because she ends up feeling more alone than before. In "Trackers," eleven-year old Richard hunts for Bigfoot as he and his family cope with...
Show moreTrackers is a collection of short stories that attest to the oddities and complexities found even in the non-exotic middle-class American suburbs. The characters in these stories experience disappointments that result from the physical and emotional distancing of families. In "Tokens," a woman's attempts at revenge on her cheating husband are unsatisfying because she ends up feeling more alone than before. In "Trackers," eleven-year old Richard hunts for Bigfoot as he and his family cope with the emotional aftermath of his sister's suicide attempt. In these stories people struggle to maintain normalcy in their lives--sometimes through inappropriate means. When their expectations are destroyed, they are forced to deal not only with specific abandonment, but also the reality that the world around them has no knowledge--let alone appreciation--of their personal struggles or fears. Occasionally, however, some good can come from this realization. In "Camilla," a ten-year-old girl learns that she can depend on her own experiences for strength rather than knowledge borrowed from fantasies inspired by a collection of obituaries. A woman recovering from the loss of a romantic relationship strengthens her bond with her young niece in "Cattywampus," and they are both strengthened by the world they share as women in different stages of self-discovery.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000242, ucf:46254
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000242
- Title
- HURRICANE SHOES AND OTHER STORIES.
- Creator
-
Smeltzer, Kristie, Lamazares, Ivonne, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Hurricane Shoes and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that center on evolving and devolving relationships. The characters in these stories form tentative bonds with people in their lives while other relationships slip away. In "Hurricane Shoes," Katrina attempts to reinvent herself by ending an affair. Katrina's pregnancy and her mother's cancer pull the two women closer. "Da's Violets" is about Cheryl's changing relationship with her father. Just as he moves on from the wife who...
Show moreHurricane Shoes and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that center on evolving and devolving relationships. The characters in these stories form tentative bonds with people in their lives while other relationships slip away. In "Hurricane Shoes," Katrina attempts to reinvent herself by ending an affair. Katrina's pregnancy and her mother's cancer pull the two women closer. "Da's Violets" is about Cheryl's changing relationship with her father. Just as he moves on from the wife who left him for her podiatrist, the wife returns with hopes to reconcile. These stories catch characters in moments when they must make difficult choices and endure the uncertainties and ambiguities of relationships. In "Lady Luck," Laurel is a cocaine addict and alcoholic on the verge of finalizing a divorce. She propositions a young man named River to exchange sex for money. River turns the table, and offers Laurel a deal where she'll have all the money and drugs she wants, as long as she helps him transport cocaine. "Bridges" is a coming of age story in which Linda and Kristin have a close call with a train, and Linda matures as she realizes love has limits. The catalyst for changing relationships is sometimes an exchange between characters. In "Special Son," Mark's father is dying of cancer. The father asks his son to take special care of his mother, and Mark needs his father to finally acknowledge Mark's sexuality. In "Swim or Sink," Doreen befriends her campground neighbor, Michael McBride. McBride has been living at the campground since he left his cheating wife, and he offers Doreen insight when she discovers her husband's infidelity. Together the stories function as a mosaic--each very different, but a complement to the others in forming a larger portrayal of relationships.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000746, ucf:46573
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000746
- Title
- GRAVITY FAILS.
- Creator
-
Cowe-Spigai, Kereth, Rushin, Pat, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Gravity Fails is a collection of four short stories and two memoirs that explore the ways in which characters adjust and fit into to a world that is destructive, fragmented and sometimes alien. Many of these pieces deal not with the moment of crisis, but with the aftermath. In "Gravity Fails," the young Danielle struggles to feel safe after the violent murder of her mother. Eliza Morrison negotiates the disappearance of her husband in "More Colors." "Following Rebecca" chronicles a woman's...
Show moreGravity Fails is a collection of four short stories and two memoirs that explore the ways in which characters adjust and fit into to a world that is destructive, fragmented and sometimes alien. Many of these pieces deal not with the moment of crisis, but with the aftermath. In "Gravity Fails," the young Danielle struggles to feel safe after the violent murder of her mother. Eliza Morrison negotiates the disappearance of her husband in "More Colors." "Following Rebecca" chronicles a woman's return to normalcy after her alcoholic husband divorces her. These characters are not happy; they are not healthy. Their lives have, in some way, been fragmented. But they find ways to move on by whatever possible means, and at their core, they are searching not just for a way to survive, but for a way to put themselves back together and find wholeness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000243, ucf:46268
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000243
- Title
- GRIDLOCKS AND PADLOCKS.
- Creator
-
Chapman, Rachel, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"Gridlocks and Padlocks" is a collection of short fiction and personal essays whose goal is to create characters with depth in both real-world and not-entirely-real-world situations. The strength of nonfiction is the capacity to observe the writer's thinking and motivation. "Ashes to Ashes, Trust to Dust" is a personal essay that explores my struggle with the faith I was raised in, with an emphasis on how friendships and relationships have shaped my perceptions. "The List of Unacceptable...
Show more"Gridlocks and Padlocks" is a collection of short fiction and personal essays whose goal is to create characters with depth in both real-world and not-entirely-real-world situations. The strength of nonfiction is the capacity to observe the writer's thinking and motivation. "Ashes to Ashes, Trust to Dust" is a personal essay that explores my struggle with the faith I was raised in, with an emphasis on how friendships and relationships have shaped my perceptions. "The List of Unacceptable Faults" is a personal essay about unwanted interactions with the opposite sex; it is an examination of men and boys through the lens of naive dissatisfaction. "Sing Me Rebecca" is a personal essay that delves into my relationship with my mentally handicapped sister. While the nonfiction writer focuses on his or her own development and struggles, a fiction writer can investigate the human condition by exploring the depth found in imagined people who face everyday situations and what characteristics and behaviors make them believable and absorbing. "Object of Study" is a short story about a girl named Taylor, who in her formative years stumbles upon a friendship between her sister and a boy she does not trust. This story examines Taylor's quirky, multi-faceted character through the actions she takes to investigate and ultimately end the friendship between a boy and her younger sister. "Crossing Fault Lines" is a work of short short fiction that focuses on three characters-a mother and her two sons-and their strained relationship. Whether writing personal essays or fiction, my goal is to create overarching conflicts that reflect people's struggle with being "stuck" in some situation in life.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004351, ucf:44976
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004351
- Title
- HOME NOWHERE: ASSORTED PROSE.
- Creator
-
Fortes, Rebecca, Rodríguez Milanés, Cecilia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Oftentimes, the children of immigrants find themselves straddling two worlds. As Americanized minorities, we navigate torn psychological landscapes in which uneasy dichotomies are formed: living up to our parents' expectations, or fulfilling our own; embracing tradition, or birthing a new culture; admiring the lives of our family, but wanting different for ourselves. These tough decisions are further compounded by identifiers such as age, race, and gender. My creative thesis, a collection of...
Show moreOftentimes, the children of immigrants find themselves straddling two worlds. As Americanized minorities, we navigate torn psychological landscapes in which uneasy dichotomies are formed: living up to our parents' expectations, or fulfilling our own; embracing tradition, or birthing a new culture; admiring the lives of our family, but wanting different for ourselves. These tough decisions are further compounded by identifiers such as age, race, and gender. My creative thesis, a collection of fiction and nonfiction, examines these issues through three central characters. In fiction, they are the Latina sisters Mel and Nena; in nonfiction, it is myself. Through these stories, these young women struggle to feel a sense of belonging where they are, be it at home, work, or school; among friends or on their own; in places they choose, or in places where they are put. Each of these characters is forced to consider whether they will ever find a place to call home. They wonder whether that is a place to be found at all.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004577, ucf:45207
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004577
- Title
- What Remains.
- Creator
-
Leavitt, Michael, Poissant, David, Roney, Lisa, Peynado, Brenda, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Grief is a personal thing, as unique as it is ubiquitous, and each character in What Remains approaches their grief in a different way and handles it with differing degrees of success. The collection blends both realist and fabulist stories in its efforts to explore these themes, from the eponymous (")What Remains,(") in which a man attempts to reconcile his feelings about the death of his abusive, absentee father, and what that means for his relationship with his own son; to (")Convoy,(") a...
Show moreGrief is a personal thing, as unique as it is ubiquitous, and each character in What Remains approaches their grief in a different way and handles it with differing degrees of success. The collection blends both realist and fabulist stories in its efforts to explore these themes, from the eponymous (")What Remains,(") in which a man attempts to reconcile his feelings about the death of his abusive, absentee father, and what that means for his relationship with his own son; to (")Convoy,(") a story of a Marine who confronts the culture of violence into which he's been indoctrinated, and which separates him from society; to (")Anaerobic,(") about a teenage girl whose super-speed can't save her sister from brain death in a hospital bed. Other stories look at their characters' losses through the different lenses of loneliness, of desperation, of divorce, and of parenthood, but all of them essentially attempt to unearth the answer to the question, (")How do we keep going in the face of loss(-)and where do we go?(")
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007037, ucf:52000
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007037
- Title
- The Boys' Republic.
- Creator
-
Mueller, Jonas, Hubbard, Susan, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Neal, Mary, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The young men in The Boys' Republic live in a world that is continually falling apart. Their houses collapse into sinkholes, forest fires carve out chunks of their towns, plague spreads through their communes, the money runs out on the construction project where they work. This decay mirrors their own collapsing identities, as they are forced to question their mastery of nature, their nostalgia for their youth, their relationships with others, and the value of masculinity itself. Drawing on...
Show moreThe young men in The Boys' Republic live in a world that is continually falling apart. Their houses collapse into sinkholes, forest fires carve out chunks of their towns, plague spreads through their communes, the money runs out on the construction project where they work. This decay mirrors their own collapsing identities, as they are forced to question their mastery of nature, their nostalgia for their youth, their relationships with others, and the value of masculinity itself. Drawing on the work of writers like Dennis Cooper, Flannery O'Connor, and Benjamin Percy, The Boys' Republic depicts men in the midst of both an economic and an emotional recession. Some, like Carson in Hotel or Zachary in Ignus Fatuus, are trapped in their decaying suburbs by youth, poverty, or habit. Others, like Jared in Corona Radiata or Nick in The Boy's Republic, have fled or been ejected from them. Either way, they are haunted by them, and by the selfish, insecure, destructive behavior that they learned there. The Boys' Republic is about boys confronting their own selfishness, and each other's, in a world that can no longer accommodate it but offers no easy replacement.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004578, ucf:49222
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004578
- Title
- GULF.
- Creator
-
Adams, Daniel, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea, the narrator speaks of the healing power of the Gulf in a literal manner: the waters of the Gulf of Mexico heal the wounded hands of the fisherman. The seventeen stories in the following collection examine Hemingway's concept on other levels, focusing on the human ability--or lack thereof--to bridge psychological gulfs, and to find emotional healing. Three major currents run through the lives of the characters in Gulf: difficulties...
Show moreIn Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea, the narrator speaks of the healing power of the Gulf in a literal manner: the waters of the Gulf of Mexico heal the wounded hands of the fisherman. The seventeen stories in the following collection examine Hemingway's concept on other levels, focusing on the human ability--or lack thereof--to bridge psychological gulfs, and to find emotional healing. Three major currents run through the lives of the characters in Gulf: difficulties in relationships, struggles with identity, and a sense of being haunted by the unexplained. As the stories progress, the healing waters of the Gulf move the characters away from chaos and toward contentment. In early stories, characters are often appalled by the discovery of their true identities; the later stories feature heroes who've found happiness and peace. Scattered throughout the book are the haunted stories, those that question the boundaries between what is real and what is imagined, what is known and what can never be understood. Gulf is informed by the landscape of the south, yet some stories venture around the world, from the Gulf of Mexico to the heather-dotted hills of Scotland, exploring themes as dark and mysterious as the Gulf itself.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002023, ucf:47619
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002023
- Title
- A FLOATING WORLD: STORIES.
- Creator
-
Best, Karen, Jensen, Toni, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A Floating World is a collection of short stories inspired by fairy tales. Often set in worlds where the mundane and the fantastic come together, these stories explore moments of strangeness that slip beyond the bounds of realist fiction. Fantastical events intrude into mundane reality as characters attempt to reconcile the known with the unknowable.
- Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003076, ucf:48309
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003076
- Title
- Natural Disasters.
- Creator
-
Cobb, Rebecca, Milanes, Cecilia, Poissant, David, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Natural Disasters is a collection of twelve short stories that feature a variety of narrators as they interact with the ones they love. In these stories, characters experience puberty, friendship, love, loss, trauma, and the everyday magic of living as they fight to master their own failings. Those lucky enough find solace in the forgiving beauty of nature, while others succumb to the untamable power of its disasters. This thesis is useful, important, and unique as it focuses on the stories...
Show moreNatural Disasters is a collection of twelve short stories that feature a variety of narrators as they interact with the ones they love. In these stories, characters experience puberty, friendship, love, loss, trauma, and the everyday magic of living as they fight to master their own failings. Those lucky enough find solace in the forgiving beauty of nature, while others succumb to the untamable power of its disasters. This thesis is useful, important, and unique as it focuses on the stories of a variety of characters, mostly women and children, and displays the beauty and fearsome power of nature as the characters strive to achieve their goals. In today's political and social climate, women, children, and nature are often taken for granted, underestimated, and even forgotten about. Here, they are anything but forgotten. Women join together to fight trauma, children stand together and face some of today's worst natural disasters, and nature is portrayed as a source of magic. This thesis gives these characters a voice and shines a spotlight on their importance to the world and society as a whole.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006867, ucf:51741
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006867
- Title
- Cold Snap.
- Creator
-
Phin, Jonathan, Roney, Lisa, Neal, Mary, Milanes, Cecilia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Cold Snap is a collection of short stories that details the breaking down of self by those closest to us and the rebuilding process necessary to continue on in this diverse world. The sometimes autobiographical short stories attempt to explore the different stages of psychological and/or physical abuse and their aftermaths. Three short stories revolve around a singular family and include themes of cultural division, LGBT coming-of-age, neglect, and acceptance. The other short stories focus on...
Show moreCold Snap is a collection of short stories that details the breaking down of self by those closest to us and the rebuilding process necessary to continue on in this diverse world. The sometimes autobiographical short stories attempt to explore the different stages of psychological and/or physical abuse and their aftermaths. Three short stories revolve around a singular family and include themes of cultural division, LGBT coming-of-age, neglect, and acceptance. The other short stories focus on themes including but not limited to self-worth, fear, desire, and survival. All characters revolve around the Buddhist idea that to want is to suffer and conclude with how the protagonists live with those consequences.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006486, ucf:51385
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006486
- Title
- THE EDGE OF THINGS.
- Creator
-
Koman, Robin, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT The Edge of Things is what I like to call a love song to the dispossessed. Each of the eight stories in the collection is an examination of the lives of women who are exiled from modern American consumer culture, whether by circumstance or by choice. This separation brings them heartache, risk, and sometimes even hope. The collection is fueled by the landscape of Florida, observed at its most beautiful and most corrupted, from highways, landfills, and trailer parks to housing...
Show moreABSTRACT The Edge of Things is what I like to call a love song to the dispossessed. Each of the eight stories in the collection is an examination of the lives of women who are exiled from modern American consumer culture, whether by circumstance or by choice. This separation brings them heartache, risk, and sometimes even hope. The collection is fueled by the landscape of Florida, observed at its most beautiful and most corrupted, from highways, landfills, and trailer parks to housing developments, gardens, and secret forests. Setting is a constant source of revelation, the external landscape offering insight into the internal struggles of the characters. Regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation, the women of The Edge of Things find themselves moving toward, or just past, incredible changes in their lives. In "Seed of the Golden Mango", "Raising the Dead", and "The Girl Who Loved Bugs", young women deal with the loss of loved ones. The women of "Zyczenie", "It Cannot Hold", and "Wasp Honey" must deal with old losses in order to survive the realities of the outside world that they have long ignored. "The Edge of Things" and "The Secret Letters" both deal with love, and the consequences of an inability to communicate. In each of these tales I hope to present unforgettable characters, women whose journeys will haunt, reminding readers that on some level, the love song of the dispossessed calls to us all.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002024, ucf:47615
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002024
- Title
- Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories.
- Creator
-
Martin, Tamra, Neal, Mary, Hubbard, Susan, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes...
Show moreFinding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes in the background of the stories. Instead, it is meant to look at how the lives of people connected through a church and a small town setting can affect them and lead them on different paths through the choices they make. Their personal struggles and challenges help them to either discover who they are or lose a piece of themselves in the process, which is especially true for Deacon. He is the character who appears as a child, as an adolescent, and as an adult. Self-discovery is not always peaceful or satisfying for him or any of the characters around him, and their individual journeys show this process and the different events that come from the choices they make. This collection focuses on how religious roots, friendships, and familial connections, or the lack of such bonds, affect the characters' own personal views and decisions as well as how they relate to those around them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004408, ucf:49386
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004408