Strange feats of endurance

Strange Feats of Endurance is a collection of literary short stories that are linked mainly by the forbearance the main characters in the stories must display when they attempt to care for those who are less able, in some way, than they are. Whether a character must come to terms with a dying mother, a reluctant co-parent, or an autistic son, each of them is confronted with one or more situations so emotionally and/or psychologically traumatic that they often experience them as surreal. In some of the stories, which use the techniques of magic realism in an effort to highlight this emotional response, the characters find themselves faced with events that would be quite impossible in the real world. In other stories, events remain realistic, although unusually difficult to face. Research for this project included an examination of care-giving, particularly in family settings, through the lenses of current psychological and sociological thinking in academia, literary fiction, popular culture, and the media. Questions addressed include who performs the bulk of care-giving work in our society, and why, as well as how do we decide who among us requires special care? It is my hope that this work of fiction will spark further discussion of these questions.Arts, Faculty ofGraduat