The Places That Bind
Abstract
This thesis is a collection of fictional stories that intertwine through place and character. Through these stories, the author has attempted to analyze how we experience certain places and why we’re drawn to those places—whether they are dying cities or candy shops or watershed gorges or dive bars—and how our connections to those places affect us. This collection focuses mainly on the city of Erie, Pennsylvania, where the economy is dying and the Great Lake’s algae blooms have sent its fragile ecosystem into a tailspin. The residents are trapped in the city and most of the people who try to leave usually don’t make it out. With elements of magical realism and mythology throughout, this work attempts to investigate the idea that place can function as a character and also how place can impact characters and their relationships.
Description
This thesis has been embargoed for 10 years and will not be available until April 2028 at the earliest.
Keywords
Erie, Borders, Pennsylvania, Magic realism, Surrealism