Date

8-29-2025

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Chair

James Corey Latta

Keywords

cozy fantasy, tension, Keweenaw Peninsula, folklore, novella

Disciplines

Creative Writing

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the methods by which cozy fantasy writers apply literary tension within their works. Because they write within a genre that focuses on low stakes and high comfort, cozy fantasy writers must strike a balance between soothing the reader and keeping the reader interested in the narrative. The critical paper highlights several cozy fantasy writers and how they generate tension without compromising the genre-defining cozy essence. Finally, the thesis contains a complete cozy fantasy novella. The novella features Erik Juntunen, a coffee shop owner in the Keweenaw Peninsula who employs humans and figures from folklore alike. Erik catches the attention of Detective O’Ryan, who seeks to shut the shop down to protect the town from the Folk. The novella implements some of the methods from the critical paper to control literary tension while exploring the Christian concept of loving one’s neighbor.

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