Miller, Ian PatrickThe general concerns of "The Brightened" lie with a family and their lineage of violence which permeates its generations through oral history and blood (figuratively and genetically). The family issues are further magnified by another set of beings which inhabit the "body" of the family members. These beings deal in a world of color and sound, where the images of the outer experiences transcribe themselves in a lager "spiritual" text. The core thematic concern is the relation between the "outside" world and the "inside," and where these two positions interact and relate, whether metaphysically or in the violent designs of a dying world. Moreover, "The Brightened" is a work of language, where language can overtake plot device and character development to further the narrative progress of the prose.en-USThesisFine Arts