American thighs' and other stories: A short story manuscript with a critical introduction

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: American Thighs, consists of short stories written over a four year period (2001-2005). The majority of the stories were written for fiction workshops with Toni Graham and Andrea Koenig. Operating within the genre of the literary short story, the stories feature a range of point of view techniques: first-person, second-person, close-third person, and limited omniscience. They are influenced by numerous authors, from Plato to J.D. Salinger.

Findings and Conclusions: The collection shows allegiance both to the conventions of literary realism, with certain reservations about the definition of the term realism, and an awareness of the requirements and ordering principles of deep story structure. The collection features three specialized areas: the American military family in Europe, alcoholism, music and musicians. Themes of the collection are loneliness, self-definition, the search for home, and the artistic life.