Demon Off the Trail
Abstract
Demon Off the Trail is a novel that explores humanity’s connection to nature—and each other—through the central metaphor of humanity’s relationship with dogs. By layering magical elements onto the real history of our species’ domestication of canines, this novel explores the ways in which we as humans interact with nature, what we owe it, and how our relationship is built on a foundation of mutual love. Furthermore, it explores issues from our present day by asking in what ways dominant instructions seek to shift blame for environmental destruction to the individual instead of the state. This question is expanded by exploring, through characters’ bonds with their magical dogs, how these methods of blame are fundamentally oppressive to the queer and marginalized of the world—and concludes that it is only through community that these populations can understand the threat to their existence and begin to push back.
Advisor
Geoffrey Herbach
Committee Member
Robin Becker
Date of Degree
2023
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Program of Study
Creative Writing
Department
English
College
Humanities and Social Sciences
Recommended Citation
Harris, Jack. (2023). Demon off the Trail [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1357/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Rights Statement
