Empathising with indignant zombies and conflicted cavemen : how George Saunders creates New Sincerity from postmodern themes in "Sea Oak" & "Pastoralia" : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Creative Writing at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
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2022
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Massey University
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This thesis comprises two sections: a critical section analysing two short stories by George Saunders, "Sea Oak" and "Pastoralia", and a creative section of five works of short fiction. The critical section is an investigation into how Saunders uses postmodern writing features such as outlandish characters, stylistic coolness, surrealness, and satire, but goes against the grain of postmodernism in that he writes with seriousness and authenticity. Saunders is described as a New Sincerity writer and this thesis looks at what this term means and how the author creates affecting stories that "make us sensitive to the experiences and perspectives of others" (Basseler 154), while populating his texts with characters who range from zombies to ersatz cavemen. In the critical component, I focus on how Saunders creates a pathway to empathy while deploying cruel, dark humour. The creative component of the thesis: Get Me Out of Here, a collection of five short stories, explores this theme of creating New Sincerity fiction from postmodern styles of writing, particularly satire, dark humour and the surreal. The first two stories, "Tiger Tamer" and "Georgia & Trevor" feature absurd events that interrupt otherwise realist narratives and are influenced by the postmodern techniques used in Saunders’ work. "Speech Bubbles" dwells on themes of connection and relationships, following a moment of surreal drama. The story "Escape Room” ventures into territory similar to Saunders’ “Pastoralia", as occupants of a gameshow prison provide entertainment to viewers while also being prisoners of a corroding corporation. "Gustav’s Pole" deals with themes of mythology, escapism and the trials of adolescence.