ALL THIS RAGE WAS ONCE HOPE

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Abstract

ABSTRACTALL THIS RAGE WAS ONCE HOPE by Tabitha Soper University of New Hampshire, March 2026.

The following collection is a series of horror stories that grapple with themes of hope, grief, metamorphosis, autonomy, and feminine rage. In writing these stories, my intention was to turn ancient masculine tropes on their heads, bringing women into strength and power, and allowing them to wield fear as a weapon for truth and self-actualization. In the same vein, I’ve given men the weaknesses that women were subjected to for centuries of literature. It is my belief that these upsets of power are in conversation with one another in a way that creates its own type of horror. Alone, each story asks the reader to look inside themselves and wonder what they are capable of, what they might do if they found themselves in the shoes of my characters. Can the reader become the monster if they need to? Can the reader find a way to forgive themselves, to forgive the character? Can hope still be found, or is rage all that is left behind in the rubble?

Document Type

Master's Thesis

First Advisor

Thomas Payne

Second Advisor

David Blair

Third Advisor

Crissy O'Keefe

Department or Program

English

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

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