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What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Love? True Love, Passionate Love, and Pining in the Short Fiction of Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff

Citation

Chan, Andrew M. (2021) What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Love? True Love, Passionate Love, and Pining in the Short Fiction of Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff. Other, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/cp49-9s18. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:06202020-123343802

Abstract

Love exists in many forms: love between family members, love between friends and significant others, and generally, love of a person for every entity or object in-between. From love between a man and fish, to the love of alcohol, familial or fraternal relationships, and, finally, romantic love, Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff depict love in its many forms in their short fiction. This thesis specifically explores the portrayal of romantic love in Carver’s story “Beginners” from the collection Beginners and Wolff’s story “Maiden Voyage” from In the Garden of the North American Martyrs. The characters in these stories form a spectrum of love. From the ideal love of Henry and Anna Gates or the modern, simple love, of Nick and Laura in “Beginners,” to the passionless love of Howard and Nora in “Maiden Voyage,” by analyzing the relationships in these stories this thesis concludes that love does exists differently for every marriage. While all relationships can have love in a broad sense, some of these loves are more powerful and lasting than others.

Item Type:Thesis (Other)
Subject Keywords:Hallett Smith Prize; Hixon Writing Center. English, Love, 1970s, 1980s, Marriage, Relationships, Tobias Wolff, Raymond Carver
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Geological and Planetary Sciences
Major Option:English
Geophysics
Awards:Hallett Smith Prize, 2021.
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Jurca, Catherine (advisor)
  • Sobelle, Stefanie (co-advisor)
Group:Hallett Smith Prize, Hixon Writing Center
Thesis Committee:
  • None, None
Defense Date:17 June 2020
Record Number:CaltechTHESIS:06202020-123343802
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:06202020-123343802
DOI:10.7907/cp49-9s18
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:13823
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Andrew Chan
Deposited On:23 Jun 2020 23:17
Last Modified:17 Jun 2024 23:40

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