Love comes in at the eye

Authors

Remberto Cabrera, Florida International University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Major/Program

Creative Writing

First Advisor's Name

John Dufresne

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Mary Jane Elkins

Third Advisor's Name

Campbell McGrath

Date of Defense

3-24-1998

Abstract

LOVE COMES IN AT THE EYE relates the story of Marshall Craig, a Midwesterner transplanted to South Florida who turns 35 in the course of the book. Marshall is an assistant curator for a Miami art museum, a man who has been obsessed with--as he calls it--a greed for seeing from a young age. His fascination with the surface of appearance of things is exacerbated by his precocious studies in art and its histories. Marshall views himself as marked by his red hair and freckled skin, as someone whose chances of attracting a partner into a meaningful relationship have been diminished by his looks. He is colored by his image of himself as unattractive and most importantly, convinced that his romantic life would be more successful, more vibrant, if he'd been graced with the face and figure of, say, a Velazquez. When Marshall meets a Cuban-born man from Atlanta, he is transfixed by the conviction that this is the man the universe has selected for him. The thrust of the story goes beyond boy-meets/loses/gets-boy to an exploration of said boy coming to terms with his definition of self. In a pivotal span of six months, the book explores Marshall's obsessions with seeing and how they define his vision of reality, the emphasis placed on beauty in gay culture, the tentative beginnings of a relationship as it takes root and grows, and finally, the inexplicable, magical forces that direct our romantic destinies.

Identifier

FI14052522

Recommended Citation

Cabrera, Remberto, "Love comes in at the eye" (1998). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1958.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1958