Author

Shaun Irland

Date of Award

5-2009

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Campus-Only Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Advisor

David Kress

Second Committee Member

Alexander Irvine

Third Committee Member

Naomi Jacobs

Abstract

"In The Year New" is a novella that centers on the possession of a letter. In a dystopic future, an ice driller named Yorgi discovers a handwritten note that connects him to a past behind the world he knows. The four stories that follow trace backwards the letter's path, revealing its physical journey back through various hands in places such as Argentina, Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin, as well as revealing how humankind lost control of the planet earth. This story is influenced by classic dystopian and science fiction authors, such as Yevgeny Zamyatin and Isaac Asimov, as well as more modern visions of humanity and the struggle for identity, such as portrayed by authors such as Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler.

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