Keywords

War, Iraq, Horror, Military, Marine Corps, Fiction, Short Stories, Collection

Abstract

Specters is a collection of interconnected short fiction that explores the lives of various characters affected by the Iraq War. Touching upon themes of mortality, dehumanization, guilt, and the trauma inflicted by senseless violence, the stories in this collection aim to blur the line between the concrete and the phantasmagoric. The titular story follows a young Marine whose grip on reality is called into question during the Second Battle of Fallujah. In “Demons,” a recruit undergoing the chaotic and brutal grind of Parris Island begins to wonder if his drill instructors are possessed. “Kill Bodies” chronicles the repeated killing of the same enemy combatant by an infantry Marine driven by a dark fantasy, and “Secondhand Exposure” illustrates the rippling effect of trauma onto the home front. Mixing realism with psychological and supernatural horror, Specters examines the dark consequences of war upon the human body and mind and the legacy of America’s experience in Iraq.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Turner, Brian

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Identifier

DP0053307

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