Date of Award
Fall 11-29-2017
Degree Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. William Rice
Co-Chair
Dr. Jeanne Bohannon
Abstract
This capstone project presents the first five chapters of a novel entitled Wonders for the Dead, which follows the lives of two sets of brothers whose lives intersect in an unexpected way. Ep Fairfax and his brother Francis are estranged, but when Ep finds himself in trouble and on the run he relies on Francis for help. Tom Mersy is a dangerous man, and when his brother Isaac is killed, Tom decides that Ep is to blame. He sets out to find Ep and have his revenge, but along the way both men learn more about themselves and the surprising secret that connects their families. Wonders for the Dead is set in North Georgia during the Great Depression, and interwoven into the main narrative are interludes that take the reader back a generation and provide more insight into the lives of the characters. All of these threads connect into a cohesive story about love, loss, and the meaning of brotherhood.