A Vista of Us: A Collection of Short Stories Peter Szekeres
Open Access
- Author:
- Szekeres, Peter
- Area of Honors:
- English
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Elizabeth Nicole Kadetsky, Thesis Supervisor
Lisa Ruth Sternlieb, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- short story
fiction
magical realism - Abstract:
- At its core, this compilation of eight short stories is meant to depict diverse illustrations of beauty in life. Individually, the stories delve into different fictitious lives – people, creatures, and forces—that, when viewed together, offer a panoramic vista of literary styles and elements that echo the suffering and redemption within human conflicts and experiences. More specifically, the collection is tied together through genre, and more generally through characterization. All of the stories present certain elements of the magical realism genre: simile, extended metaphor, symbolism, anthropomorphism, and personification. Third person point of view is most frequently employed as that narrating perspective melts most harmoniously into my genre choice – the narrative distance drifts between limited and free indirect style; however, the register, tone, and mood of the stories vary based on characterization and plot. Lastly, the organization of the pieces reflects a planned shift from key themes: guilt in the human conscience, to freedom from guilt, to self forgiveness, to the spontaneous discovery of happiness. Though much planning has gone into the writing, formatting, and presentation of this work, it has only one important purpose: to make the reader feel. Enjoy.