The novel, a work of realistic fiction, attempts to accurately and fairly portray the generational ennui of the Millennial twenty-something. By use of first-person narration and realistic portrayal of the American urban hipster lifestyle, this project attempts to convey the reality of the perceived apathy among this generation. Much has been written about this immature group of entitled youths, and this novel shows these individuals through a new lens, attempting to be something akin to what it would look like if the TV show Workaholics got a gritty reboot. I believe the current generation has yet to have their experience fully chronicled, and I hope my novel succeeds in that goal.
","abstract_html":"<p>The novel, a work of realistic fiction, attempts to accurately and fairly portray the generational ennui of the Millennial twenty-something. By use of first-person narration and realistic portrayal of the American urban hipster lifestyle, this project attempts to convey the reality of the perceived apathy among this generation. Much has been written about this immature group of entitled youths, and this novel shows these individuals through a new lens, attempting to be something akin to what it would look like if the TV show Workaholics got a gritty reboot. I believe the current generation has yet to have their experience fully chronicled, and I hope my novel succeeds in that goal.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cowser, Derek Shane"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Wayne Blackmon"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:11Z","subjects":["apathy","youth","selfishness","subculture","loss","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Derek Shane Cowser"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1126","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Wayne Blackmon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cowser, Derek Shane"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["apathy","youth","selfishness","subculture","loss","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Derek Shane Cowser"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1126"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The novel, a work of realistic fiction, attempts to accurately and fairly portray the generational ennui of the Millennial twenty-something. By use of first-person narration and realistic portrayal of the American urban hipster lifestyle, this project attempts to convey the reality of the perceived apathy among this generation. Much has been written about this immature group of entitled youths, and this novel shows these individuals through a new lens, attempting to be something akin to what it would look like if the TV show Workaholics got a gritty reboot. I believe the current generation has yet to have their experience fully chronicled, and I hope my novel succeeds in that goal.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Art of Feeling Sorry for Yourself"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Wayne Blackmon"],"dc:creator":["Cowser, Derek Shane"],"dc:description.abstract":["The novel, a work of realistic fiction, attempts to accurately and fairly portray the generational ennui of the Millennial twenty-something. By use of first-person narration and realistic portrayal of the American urban hipster lifestyle, this project attempts to convey the reality of the perceived apathy among this generation. Much has been written about this immature group of entitled youths, and this novel shows these individuals through a new lens, attempting to be something akin to what it would look like if the TV show Workaholics got a gritty reboot. I believe the current generation has yet to have their experience fully chronicled, and I hope my novel succeeds in that goal.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1126"],"dc:rights":["© Derek Shane Cowser"],"dc:subject":["apathy","youth","selfishness","subculture","loss","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["The Art of Feeling Sorry for Yourself"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:11Z"}