Committee Chair

Balazs, Thomas

Committee Member

Baker, Sybil; Jordan, Joseph P., 1976-

Department

Dept. of English

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This thesis contains two parts: a craft paper on merging fantasy and mystery genres and the first fifty pages of an adult fantasy mystery novel. The craft paper explores different strategies authors use to navigate the tension between mystery and the supernatural, and it analyzes these strategies in three novels, Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, and The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelynn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, all of which are mystery-fantasy novels involving the supernatural. The novel pages in the thesis are from City of Devils, which follows Kassandra Thorpe, a private investigator who receives a deal from a devil at the moment of her death to stave off her passing into the afterlife until she can solve a mystery plaguing Earth, Heaven, and Hell. Kassandra races against her undead body and an expanding series of murders while grappling with good, evil, and shaken faith.

Acknowledgments

I could fill a book with the people that deserve recognition for helping this thesis happen, but I only have a page, so I’ll have to stick to the highlights. Firstly, a tremendous thank you to Professor Thomas Balazs, who has now successfully guided me through a second thesis, not to mention all the writing wisdom from the dozen or so classes I’ve taken with him. Thanks as well to Professor Sybil Baker, a committee member who gave me wonderful book recommendations and much-needed deadlines on my drafting, and to my other committee member, Professor Joseph Jordan, who helped me overcome my fear of literature and introduced me to madeleine cookies. My thanks to the UTC Honors College and the folks I met therein, who I wholeheartedly believe set me on this exciting trajectory years ago. Thanks and love to D’lyn, the only person who never gets tired of hearing me talk. And of course, thank you to my family who have supported me all these years and helped me find a love of reading in the first place.

Degree

M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts.

Date

8-2023

Subject

Fantasy fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Murder--Investigation--Fiction

Keyword

fantasy; mystery; creative writing; hybrid genres; novels

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

vii, 64 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Date Available

5-31-2024

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Available for download on Friday, May 31, 2024

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