Reality for 21st century Americans is increasingly fragmented between electronic, technological, chemical, and societal pressures. Towners call us a circus examines what happens to identity when exposed to ontological plurality, decay, and paradox. Set during the eve of World War I, the narrative follows a circus troupe finds itself in an ontological purgatory of being simultaneously alive and dead as they work to resolve their reality, and thus their identities, as one or the other.
","abstract_html":"<p>Reality for 21<sup>st</sup> century Americans is increasingly fragmented between electronic, technological, chemical, and societal pressures. <em>Towners call us a circus</em> examines what happens to identity when exposed to ontological plurality, decay, and paradox. Set during the eve of World War I, the narrative follows a circus troupe finds itself in an ontological purgatory of being simultaneously alive and dead as they work to resolve their reality, and thus their identities, as one or the other.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kelling, Patrick"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Selah Saterstrom"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:25Z","subjects":["Creative writing","Fiction","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. This work may only be accessed by members of the University of Denver community. The work is provided by permission of the author for individual research purposes only and may not be further copied or distributed. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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