Date of Award
6-2009
Document Type
Union College Only
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Judith Lewin
Second Advisor
April Selley
Language
English
Keywords
tobias, collection, death, marchen, relationship
Abstract
Sketches of Life is a collection of six short stories that explore the role of death within the narrative. The collection starts with Ein deutsches Marchen, a dialogue between Tobias Leeger and myself. As the conversation of Marchen unfolds, Tobias tells a story that questions the relationship between death and human nature. The next four works of the collection all actively explore the questions raised by Tobias through their unique explorations of death: To The Monastery investigates a young hermit’s detrimental relationship with society, The Iroquois League examines the narrator’s elusive relationship with his spirituality, Auspicious Tigers tells the tragic tale of a tiger hunt gone wrong, and The Kaiserkeller follows the adventures of four reckless musician in Hamburg’s infamous red-light district. The collection’s final piece, An American Ending, continues the conversation started in En deutsches Marchen through reexamine the implications of Tobias’ story: ultimately, the reader leaves Sketches of Life with a more felt understanding of death’s role within the narrative.
Recommended Citation
Whitaker, Wesley Raymond, "Sketches of life : a collection of short works" (2009). Honors Theses. 1422.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1422