Abstract

Nincompoop explores the difficulty, and even the impossibility, of change in a world driven by systems of class and power beyond our individual control. The collection presents a diverse group of characters who are desperate to find a turning point in their lives that seem hardened against change. "Darla" tells the story of a young girl who is reliant on her abusive, alcoholic father but escapes into a fantasy life without him, while "Crepes with Frog" follows a man who may lose everything he loves due to the sins of his long-dead relatives. "Your High School Education in Drug Use" examines the cyclical nature of addiction, the way a narrator trying desperately to outrun his demons can find himself right back where he started. In "Sunshine Away," a narrator blames himself for the disappearance of a childhood friend—a friend who had the odds stacked against him from birth. Overall, the collection asks readers to consider how "choices" are often a lie we tell ourselves, and to see both the beauty and the futility in our desire to right the wrongs that surround us.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2020

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Wolff, Jacob

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Degree Program

Creative Writing

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008430; DP0023866

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0023866

Language

English

Release Date

November 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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Restricted to the UCF community until November 2025; it will then be open access.

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