The Best American Short Stories : illustrating the tension in race politics, 2012

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Eve

Identifier: b5596275

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate English program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees.

From the Collection:

Students become eligible to pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree if they have obtained a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English from Monmouth University and demonstrate a proficiency for creative writing through a thesis or equivalent work.

From the Collection:

After completing their 30-credit M.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration, Monmouth’s M.F.A. students take an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that includes the completion of a book-length Creative Thesis.

From the Collection:

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2012

Creator

Evegan, Nicole (1980- ) (Author, Person)
Brown, Heather (Thesis advisor, Person)
Vetere, Lisa M. (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 48 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

The Best American Short Stories is a consecutive anthology published yearly containing what the editors promise are the twenty best short stories published in America. Considering the series is an edition with a basis in contemporary popular fiction raises signifcant questions. For example, what about these stories makes them the best? Does the literature in the series contain trends or patterns consistent with questions that are important to their audience? If so, what message does the series have to offer? After considering these questions, the presence of racial consciousness within the series is quite remarkable. This is especially true for the series, specifically the volumes between 2000 and 2010, as they become a prominent representation of racially conscious Americans. Collectively, the stories in the series critique the level of sincerity in the project toward a racially conscious society. Through the interrogation of sincerity, the stories in the series illustrate the difficulty in destablizing racism. The emphasis on racial consciousness of the stories in the series suggests issues of critical race theory remain an undeniable part of our concerns to not only the editors, but the authors and readers of the series as well.