Date of Award

Spring 2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

Creative Writing

Committee Director

Janet Peery

Committee Member

Philip Raisor

Committee Member

Sheri Reynolds

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E64 B655 2001

Abstract

"The Cowboy's Dirty Laundry" represents three years spent writing, workshopping, and revising literary short stories. Each explores themes common to people in conflict with themselves. They are stories of self-destruction, regret, loneliness, and adaptation.

The title story, "The Cowboy's Dirty Laundry," is a first-person narrative about a man struggling with a woman he loves but mistreats. "The Summer Sue Came Home" and "The Good Light in Charley's Garage" evolved from a workshop assignment to write about regret. Charley and Sue appear in both stories, the first told from Sue's point-of-view when they are young, the second told from Charley's point—of-view as he looks back on his life at an old age. "Switchback," set in mountain country, examines a young man's grief and self-reliance while dealing with his father's death and the possibility of new life.

Each story has undergone comprehensive rewriting and innumerable drafts, the narratives. This process has included a generous, sometimes harrowing, mix of imagination, critical analysis, reading, and learning. The goal, that well-crafted story with heartfelt emotions, grows closer with each.

Rights

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DOI

10.25777/3wx7-0k84

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