Literary Analysis: Narrative Strategies and Cultural Implications in Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s Short Stories

"The Flip Gothic" and "Woman with Horns" are two of the most influential and famous works of the Filipino-American author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, containing different narrative strategies and cultural implications. This study examines these literary pieces using qualitative analysis as well as their interaction through analyzing their cultural meaning. The results showed that both short stories have a strong emphasis on tone and diction, while simple sentences appear to be more frequently used than other types of sentence structure. Moreover, there is a clear exposition of characters, plots, concepts, settings, conflicts, and foreshadowing; flashbacks, symbolism, and imagery are also visible. Likewise, Filipino cultural activities, such as the Sinulog festival, the belief in mythical creatures, and the practice of having ‘lechon’ on every occasion, are embodied in the stories as well. In conclusion, the author's writing styles and previous personal experiences have greatly influenced her way of writing. Therefore, the researchers recommend the development of a literary analysis resource that is both comprehensive and easily accessible, serving as a valuable reference for future researchers doing literary analysis studies.