Date of Award
5-2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
English
Program
Creative Writing (MFA)
First Advisor/Chairperson
Jennifer Howard
Abstract
This novel, set in a cypress swamp near Charleston, South Carolina, explores issues in gender, sexuality, the body, and place. An experiment in form, the novel is structured to replicate the passing of a hurricane over land. This model allows the narrative to expand its scope to encompass the swamp as a larger entity amidst the ecosystem of the coastal south. By weaving together the narratives of the plant, animal, human, ghost, and mythic members of the swamp, the narrative seeks to interrogate the ways that these different levels of an ecosystem intercede upon, assist, and redirect each other in known and unknown ways. Drawing on queer theory, environmental literature, southern studies, fine art criticism, and feminist scholarship, Impression, Storm takes a multidisciplinary approach to the art of storytelling. The scope of the narrative follows not only the imminent arrival and aftermath of a hurricane on the cypress swamp but also the dissolution of a friendship between the two central characters: Camille and Moon. These overlapping plots make for fresh readings of Sapphic love, gender relations, coming-of-age in the American South, and the mass changes affecting the environment through suburbanization.
Recommended Citation
Rego, Victoria and Rego, Victoria Anne, "Impression, Storm" (2021). All NMU Master's Theses. 659.
https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/659
Access Type
Open Access
Justification for Restricting Access
I am planning to pursue publication for my thesis immediately following the completion of my graduate program and have already begun to locate and contact agents and publishing outlets.
Included in
American Art and Architecture Commons, American Literature Commons, Fiction Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Painting Commons, Sustainability Commons