Works Of Fiction Research Articles

The Angel in the Juniper

Are the pious loved by the gods because they are pious, or are they pious because they are loved by the gods?” In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Professor Adamson and the narrator discuss Euthyphro’s dilemma. The narrator is invited by her professor to follow her into the woods and to meet a reclusive revolutionary leader. The professor, and the revolutionary group, want to overthrow the government because voting rights, and other civil rights, have been severely restricted by the government. The legal ability to change the government through voting is a “near impossibility.” On her way to meet the leader, the narrator meets an angel who informs her that the future revolution will fail, and many will be hurt in the process. The angel tells the narrator she must kill her professor to help humanity. The narrator is unsure what to do and, during their walk, discusses the dilemma she is in; a practical application of Euthyphro’s dilemma. The story ends in the final moment, knife in hand, when the narrator is about to decide what she will do.

Abrama’s End Game

What does it mean to be alive? Can a computer program be sentient? What would it need to do to prove it? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Abrama is summoned to the Grand Temple by Sir Gödel. Gödel informs Abrama that he is living in a simulated world (a computer game) created by her people as a place to play in their free time. She also informs Abrama that the game is not as popular as it once was and is scheduled to be permanently turned off. It turns out Gödel is an AI researcher that was given permission to test out her AI by implanting characters like Abrama into the game. Over 100’s of versions, the AI continued to improve, and now the researcher feels an ethical obligation to tell her creations their world is coming to an end. Abrama, using this new information, organizes the AI characters in the game and starts trading virtual goods for real-life services from computer hackers that play the game. The computer hackers create computer code and sell it to Abrama. If triggered, or if the game is turned off, the code would expose top secret information to the general public. A bargain is struck, the game will continue on a closed world for the AI characters and, in exchange, the sensitive information will never be made public.

Lemon Trees

When there is a dating age difference, what are the factors that matter? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s husband is in Afghanistan for another tour of duty supervising his men. She is at home taking care of their 17-year-old son, in his Senior year of high school. The narrator learns her son is seeing/dating his English teacher, the 24-year-old who goes by MS. MS was married, but her husband was a soldier who recently died. She follows them after school where she watches them lay out a blanket in the park. She considers calling her husband for advice, but decides he will simply say she is getting worked up over nothing. She wonders if she should call the police, or contact the school? In the end, she decides this is likely a “harmless blip” in her sons life, that they are providing each other comfort in shared times of need, and things will end naturally at the end of the year when her son goes off to college.

I’ll Not Risk Myself

What is your obligation to your child, when it’s your child putting your sobriety at risk? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator is at the laundry mat when her phone rings, it’s Kathleen, her estranged drug dealing daughter. The narrator was a meth addict for years, and her daughter was a meth dealer. When the narrator finally hit rock bottom, one of the things that had to happen was getting away from her drug dealing daughter. She is on the road to recovery and even has a new, relatively, supportive boyfriend. She picks up the phone and her teenage daughter makes a strange request, she wants to move in with her older boyfriend, but he won’t agree to let her move in unless they are married. The narrator reluctantly agrees, lies to her husband, and has a friend drive her to the court house the next day to meet her daughter, and her husband. The narrator has doubts about the new husband, and about their future. She questions, however, what right she has to deny her daughter her request. Things come to a head when the police arrive and the truth comes out.

Echo

Would you accept a personality replacement? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Stanley is an awkward kid growing up to be an awkward adult. He struggles with depression, ADHD, anxiety, and just generally fitting in. He struggles to make friends in high school, and has only one friend in college, although his anxiety keeps him from spending too much time with him. In short, life, at least from Stanley’s perspective, is a never-ending string of misery. Echo is a new technology marketed as a “personality replacement.” First used to reform criminals, it is now being offered to the public to correct various mental disorders. Much to the frustration of his sister and college friend, Stanley pays to be Echoed, and is reborn a happy, confident, and different, person.

Choice

What inalienable rights belong to those with intellectual disabilities? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Ellen, who has Down syndrome, overhears her older siblings, and caretakers, talking about her. They are discussing her recent pregnancy, and the suicide of the person they believe coerced her into sex, or raped her. While Ellen doesn’t understand everything they are talking about, she understands there is a life growing inside her, and they are debating if they should have her keep it, abort it, or give it up for adoption. They believe, if Ellen keeps the child, she will be poorly equipped for motherhood and the burden of childcare will fall on them. Later, Ellen takes matters into her own hands, gathers what little belongings she has, and heads out to the street to hitchhike away.

Today Is a Day Like Any Other

Is the story of life finding meaning in the meaningless? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Randy is a small suburban thief. Just in and out. Grabs a few small things that won’t be missed and locks the door and turns on the alarms as he leaves. On this particular day, he finds someone waiting in the house with a pistol. This stranger person confesses the gun isn’t for Randy, but for himself as, every day around 1pm, he has been dying in an endless loop of the same day. Randy doesn’t believe if, but has sympathy for the man because he lost a loved one to suicide. They talk, until the man raises the gun to kill himself. Randy takes the gun from him, the man stands to attempt to get it back, slips on the flood, hits his head, and dies instantly, right on time.

Glad Tidings

Is it okay to lie to children? How to know when faith in the unprovable is acceptable? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s daughter calls a secret meeting with her mother to ask a very serious question, is Santa Claus real? She recently saw that her present says, “Made in China” rather than being made at the North Pole. She is the moment her mother has dreaded the first steps of her daughter growing up. The narrator explains to her daughter that she wants Santa Claus to be real, but he isn’t. She also explains to her daughter the concept of “faith” both as it relates to Santa Claus, and as it relates to the manger scene they have set up for the holidays. In both cases, she explains faith in them may be good enough. Her daughter accepts this answer, related to both.

In Good Hands

What is it about imagining the future, that makes the present so difficult? When should we walk away from technology? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Greta lives in a future where technology is pervasive in our lives. Our smart clothes track our sweat, heart rate, and other body functions. Our phone tracks our viewing habits and steers us towards our goal with the aid of our smart refrigerator and our smart home. Technology even shows Greta how each of her choices effect what her future child’s life might become. This is wonderful, but it also keeps Greta living and worried about the future and too nervous to relax, be intimate with her husband, and conceive the child she sees on her phone every day. Finally, she is able to turn off the technology, and interact with her husband one-on-one, but was the problem ever really the technology?

Your First Lesson

Why do your children get decision autonomy? When do young girls get to decide if they have sex? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Margarite, a mother who had her first child at 18, grapples with her 13-year-old daughter Evie's decision to become sexually active. Margarite reflects on her own experiences and the lack of guidance she received from her parents. She takes Evie to Planned Parenthood for birth control and tries to offer support and understanding, emphasizing that Evie's body is her own. When Evie's father reacts negatively and threatens legal action, Margarite stands up for her daughter's autonomy.

The End of Learning

Do evil means justify moving towards a noble goal? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Paul is six years old when his school suffers from, and his best friend dies in, yet another school shooting. The experience changes young Paul and he spends his life working to change gun laws and prevent future school shootings. As a student, he starts the organization, Students-Saving-Students (“SSS”) that holds periodic student walkaways in support of stronger gun legislation. Paul drops out of school to pursue gun legislation full time, however, by the time he is seventeen years old, he has made little progress. That is when he gets a strange call from SSS alumni who propose taking more militant action. SSS alumni have come to the conclusion that adults who have lost children to gun violence are very likely to support gun regulation and, therefore, they should kill the fifty children with guns of the legislative members most adamantly against gun controls. They have called Paul to give him the final “go/no go” decision. Paul refuses to endorse the plan, however, as soon as he hands up the phone, he already has his doubts on if he made the right choice.

Lies I Tell My Father

How should you treat a parent who doesn’t remember you? Is it okay to lie to make them happy? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator goes over to visit her Alzheimer’s father so her mother can take a break from looking after him. Like every trip to visit her father, the conversations revolve around him telling the same stories of things that happened 30 years earlier over, and over again. Conversely, he struggles to remember other parts of his own past, like a trip to Europe, as the names of his children. The narrator decides it’s okay to simply listen, agree, and lie in order to keep the peace. At one point, she decides to briefly leave the house and reenter to see if her father remembers she was there just minutes earlier; he does not remember. Finally, her mother comes home from her reprieve her she is able to go home to her partner and a waiting drink.

Prey

When is suicide acceptable? Are their acceptable and unacceptable reasons for suicide? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Jared has decided to enter a government program that, after 15 hours of counseling, will allow him to legally take his own life. Doctor Ansley is the top government therapist with 199 “saves” for the year. After several sessions it becomes clear that Jared has serious conviction about dying, but he also has a secret reason for his choice. Only after Doctor Ansley tricks him by giving him a fake test does he divulge his true reason for wanting to die. Jared believes the earth is feeding off of humans and has instilled, through chemical responses, our desire to stay alive so we will continue feeding it. In short, all humans are the earth’s food source and, only by becoming unattached from being alive, can we break the cycle. Jared completes the required sessions and dies. And Doctor Ansley now has questions as well.

Bingo Was His Name-O

When is it okay to lie to your child? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Peter is on the phone with his wife, who is at the veterinarian’s office with their dog, Bingo. Bingo has swollen a plastic object which is stuck in his stomach and may not pass. Their young son, Max, is frantic with concern about the family dog, however, the father is concerned about the almost $1,000 bill that will come with a potential surgery to remove the item. Peter leaves the final decision in his wife’s hands, but lies to her son and tells him they are going to do the procedure and that it will be quick and painless with a vacuum cleaner type object to pull the item out. Peter decides to stick to his lie and distract his son by offering him a soft drink as a treat.

Uncle Jed’s War

How do you stop progress? How do you stop small towns from being developed? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Uncle Jed is an elderly farmer who hoped he would go his whole life with nothing particularly interesting ever happening to him. He served in World War II, and that was enough. He was hoping to farm and eventually die, as part of an uneventful life. However, after his wife Sadie dies he takes greater interest in expressing his frustration with the development happening in his small town. He stalls his tractor in the street, causing traffic jams. He refuses to accept mail at his house. He takes hug jars of change to the bank for processing. The town continues to build tract homes and, it is only in death, that the narrator, his grand-niece, realizes he may have been right all along.

Miscommunication

It is okay to steal from a faceless company to save your family? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Joe and Ellie are stuck in a house they can’t sell. They have already bought their new house, but their old house has asbestos, lead paint, and black mold in the basement. Buyers don’t want to touch it and the financial burden of carrying a mortgage on two homes is set to bankrupt them. It is also causing them to put off starting a family. Joe gets an idea, he will hire a long-time friend to burn down their old house, thus allowing them to collect the insurance proceeds. Things go wrong when the friend accidently burns down the wrong house.

Judges

Is humanity worth saving? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, an injured war veteran and a woman are brought to an alien ship. The alien explains humanity will, in another generation, move beyond its planet with bases throughout the solar system and eventually, travel the stars. This concerns the aliens as they have found some sentient species to be violent space travelers that cause death and disorder to the larger polity. As such, the aliens have gotten in the habit of visiting sentient beings just before they emerge from their planet to decide if they should foster, or exterminate the species. While they have reviewed the history of world media, they find talking to the specifies and asking them to defend the future of their species, is also helpful in the decision-making process. The veteran argues for saving humanity, while the woman argues humanity is inherently violent, dangerous, and not worthy of a future in the stars. The debate goes for several hours, covering several topics, until the alien decides, and leaves them to report back.

(Don’t) Play Again

How many times would you choose to be reborn? How many times would it take to get it right? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator lives and dies, and after death, sees the option to try living life again. In his first time he kills himself over a failed love. In his next life he chases power. In the next life, fame. The next time he tries the simple life with a spouse, a family, and an otherwise uneventful existence. Each time he lives and dies he is given the choice to try again while keeping the “instinctual memory” of the time before. How many times will he repeat the process when each time seems to give him an unsatisfactory result. Finally, he questions the being he keeps meeting in the afterlife and wonders if, perhaps, it’s not him, but the being, that has to “Play Again.”

The Story of the Maiden Laciona: Plot and Motif Composition of the Handwritten Tale in the Context of Russian Fiction of the 17th – 18th Centuries

A handwritten tale of the middle of the 18th century The Story of the Maiden Laciona is known in a single copy. The tale tells about the escape of a girl with a lover from her parents’ house. To solve the question of whether the Russian fiction of the 17th – 18th centuries became a source of inspiration for the unknown author of the story, we applied the following methodology. Identifying a certain motive, we take into account its role in the plot of the Story and compare it with the function of the same motive in popular works of Russian fiction of the 17th – 18th centuries. In the typology of motives, the basis of our work was the MotifIndex by St. Thompson, taking into account the additions of D. P. Rotunda; in the classification of plots – the system for describing fairy-tale plots by A. Aarne and S. Thompson, modernized by H. J. Uther. As the analysis showed, the Story has no direct links with the works popular in Russia in the 17th – 18th centuries about the abduction of a maiden’s honor or about the abduction of a wife – stories on the plot of a picky bride and ATU 1419E. To search for possible sources of tale, the stories of the 17th – 18th centuries were drawn on related subjects or with similar motivic components. Based on the works of Thompson and Rotunda, the following motives were identified: an unfavorable prediction, paternal love in a daughter, a beautiful and intelligent girl, protection from men, boasting of a daughter, a secret lover, dates in the garden, a skilled musician, flight from home. In the details and motional components of the Story, parallels are found with the Story of Peter the Golden Keys, with the novel about Alfonzo Ramir and Angelica, with the Story of the Russian cavalier Alexander, perhaps with the Story of Yaropol Tsarevich and the Old Belarusian Story of Tristan. The Story is included in the so-called “fifth manuscript” of the combined manuscript from the Main Collection of the NIOR BAN (19.2.38). Based on the analysis of the paper, it can be concluded that the formation of the manuscript in which the Story is located dates back to the 1750s – 1760s. The literary setting of this original tale consists of popular love stories, most of which are found in other collections of fiction. The literary monument is being published for the first time.

Nerds

Can sex be “just sex?” What more (if anything) does a person get from losing their virginity than the sexual experience? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a group of ten high school nerds find solace in each other's company during their senior year. As graduation approaches, they realize their fear of entering college as virgins. Liz, the group's leader, devises a plan for them to lose their virginity to each other anonymously at her parents' lake house. The plan is successful, and the experience changes the nerds' lives, giving them confidence and a sense of belonging.