Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
English
Major Professor
Michael Knight
Committee Members
Chris Hebert, Margaret Dean, Ben Lee, Brittany Murray
Abstract
A Taxonomy of Pitfall Traps is a collection of short stories about queer love, climate disaster, and loneliness. In “The Bug-out,” a ninth-grade lesbian hides supportive, liberal parents from her doomsday-obsessed girlfriend. In “Population,” a woman who has suffered multiple miscarriages conceives in secret while her wife is preoccupied with a wildlife conservation project. In the title story, a pitcher plant researcher stumbles into love as she navigates an unwanted open relationship with her husband. It is a book of survival stories whose characters are both undermined and buoyed by their own tenacity.
Recommended Citation
Harshbarger, Sarah E., "A Taxonomy of Pitfall Traps: Stories. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2025.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12365