English Honors Papers

Document Type

Restricted

Advisor

Summar West

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

For my creative honors thesis, I wrote three interconnected stories about a fictional family, the O’Learys, at different points in time. While the stories share characters, the idea is that they could each stand on their own as well. Structurally, I was heavily inspired by the fantastic collection Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which also comprises stories that are connected, sharing characters and events, but can stand on their own. In terms of content, I was very much inspired by people and events in my own extended family, though this work is far from autobiographical.

As you can see, the collection (along with the last story) is titled “Remembrance.” I chose this as the title because these stories all share a focus on how our memories can affect our family relationships, and how they can lead to such different perceptions of a shared past, present, and future.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.