Date of Graduation

Spring 2016

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

Jennifer Murvin

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of eight short fictions exploring the characterization of unlikable women in fiction. Each work herein incorporates the themes of romantic relationships and denial of traditional female gender roles. The female characters within embody traits of bitterness, passion, perseverance, rage, cunning, and pursuits of self-preservation and love as motivating forces. Through these characters' actions and choices, the narratives dissolve and reject the commonly accepted portrayals of women in fiction in an attempt to grasp at a greater, more complex truth of human nature and the female psyche.

Keywords

unlikable female characters, romantic relationships, gender roles, heartbreak, control

Subject Categories

English Language and Literature

Copyright

© Meagan Rose Stoops

Open Access

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