But Rather Becomes

This collection of female-driven short fiction explores the ways that girls and women are victimized, excluded, empowered, misled, or left to their own devices within contemporary patriarchal American culture. Feminist rhetoric appears with some frequency in an attempt to spark academic contemplation. Each story (with the exception of the closing essay) puts a female protagonist in a position of agency against her respective exterior and interior obstacles, then sets the character free to do as the character wishes. These women are often engaged in traditionally “male” enterprises, such as developing computer software, studying as a chemist, or seeking violent revenge, in an effort to disgender a whole myriad of behaviors and pursuits that have no basis in biological sex. Stylistically, the collection pairs colorful recreations of suburban reality with detailed imaginary worlds, showing that not even formal expectations are gender restrictive, and a range of maximalist voices are used to explore every corner of these worlds. Most importantly, in each story, the protagonist struggles against an issue that could plague any human being, not just a woman.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.F.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Creative Writing and Media Arts (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Grist, James Edgar

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Terrell, Whitney

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/50734

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/50734