Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Abstract

This thesis takes the form of a collection of short stories, through which I intend to illustrate my journey as a short story writer. They are mostly placed chronologically, but the order has been altered slightly in order to reflect the progression of my writing style and create a length-based rhythm. The stories at the front are more conventionally structured and written, while the final two stories represent my attempts to enter the genre of Surrealist fiction. My hope is that this will create a steady movement toward the abstract that the reader can acknowledge and follow. The title “Deities and Dumbasses” reflects the content and themes that many of these pieces have in common. Gods, godlike powers, and people who think much too highly of themselves tend to appear again and again, mingling and clashing with the idiotic collection of comedic characters that tend to populate my stories. Critiques of organized religion, politics, and everyday human stupidity should be expected. It may seem bleak at times, but the intention is dark comedy rather than straightforward misery. Creating this collection was a challenging and thought-provoking experience. Some of these stories were written during my time as an undergraduate, and had to undergo extensive editing in order to be ready for presentation. Deciding which stories should be in the thesis was also a major roadblock, and several of my more recently written stories ended up being left out. Nonetheless, with the way it has ultimately come to be assembled, I think this collection perfectly illustrates my writing philosophies, history with writing short stories, and progression that extends into a potential future.

Year of Submission

2021

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Grant Tracey

Date Original

12-2021

Object Description

1 PDF file (iii, 92 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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