The following thesis, a novel titled They Knew Full Well, tells the story of a construction
worker, Damon Barley, whose family is torn apart by the tidal shifts of a futuristic society, one
facing massive overpopulation problems. A science-fiction novel in many ways, the setting is
based on a wide breadth of research in fields that include genetics, sustainable urban
development, climate change, and the progression towards an information-intensive job market.
The conflicts between characters and their setting serve to highlight the potential challenges of this plausible future. They also attempt to form an interweaving, riveting plot to captivate the
reader and ultimately raise questions about the direction of our current society and culture.
Although entirely fiction, They Knew Full Well remains plausible because of the very
human tendencies of its characters as well as the factually-based descriptions in its setting. As
the story progresses, it becomes clear that accommodating for an overwhelming number of
people ultimately requires the sacrifices of basic freedoms on an individual level. The characters,
in many places throughout the novel, are forced to give up their desires, dreams, and choices for
the greater good of their society. By the end of the story, many of the characters are
fundamentally changed, or they choose to entrench themselves selfishly against the common
good. The conflicts that arise do not end well for either party, and the story, by the end, sheds
light on our very human qualities of both selfishness and altruism.
The thesis is roughly 240 pages in length, comprised of thirteen chapters, as well as a title
page and table of contents. Written in the third-person point-of-view, the prose, description, and
dialogue have all been given close attention so that the form in many ways matches the content
of the story.
","abstract_html":"<p>The following thesis, a novel titled They Knew Full Well, tells the story of a construction</p> <p>worker, Damon Barley, whose family is torn apart by the tidal shifts of a futuristic society, one</p> <p>facing massive overpopulation problems. A science-fiction novel in many ways, the setting is</p> <p>based on a wide breadth of research in fields that include genetics, sustainable urban</p> <p>development, climate change, and the progression towards an information-intensive job market.</p> <p>The conflicts between characters and their setting serve to highlight the potential challenges of this plausible future. They also attempt to form an interweaving, riveting plot to captivate the</p> <p>reader and ultimately raise questions about the direction of our current society and culture.</p> <p>Although entirely fiction, They Knew Full Well remains plausible because of the very</p> <p>human tendencies of its characters as well as the factually-based descriptions in its setting. As</p> <p>the story progresses, it becomes clear that accommodating for an overwhelming number of</p> <p>people ultimately requires the sacrifices of basic freedoms on an individual level. The characters,</p> <p>in many places throughout the novel, are forced to give up their desires, dreams, and choices for</p> <p>the greater good of their society. By the end of the story, many of the characters are</p> <p>fundamentally changed, or they choose to entrench themselves selfishly against the common</p> <p>good. The conflicts that arise do not end well for either party, and the story, by the end, sheds</p> <p>light on our very human qualities of both selfishness and altruism.</p> <p>The thesis is roughly 240 pages in length, comprised of thirteen chapters, as well as a title</p> <p>page and table of contents. Written in the third-person point-of-view, the prose, description, and</p> <p>dialogue have all been given close attention so that the form in many ways matches the content</p> <p>of the story.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kollmer, Matthew Johannes"],"institution":"University of Nevada, Las Vegas","degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Douglas Unger","Maile Chapman","Vincent Perez","Robert Futrell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:23:59Z","subjects":["Creative Writing"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3001"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3001","href":"https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3001","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.34917/10985980","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Douglas Unger","Maile Chapman","Vincent Perez","Robert Futrell"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kollmer, Matthew Johannes"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2027-05-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Nevada, Las Vegas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Creative Writing"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.34917/10985980","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3001","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/context/thesesdissertations/article/4004/viewcontent/Kollmer_unlv_0506M_12379.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The following thesis, a novel titled They Knew Full Well, tells the story of a construction
worker, Damon Barley, whose family is torn apart by the tidal shifts of a futuristic society, one
facing massive overpopulation problems. A science-fiction novel in many ways, the setting is
based on a wide breadth of research in fields that include genetics, sustainable urban
development, climate change, and the progression towards an information-intensive job market.
The conflicts between characters and their setting serve to highlight the potential challenges of this plausible future. They also attempt to form an interweaving, riveting plot to captivate the
reader and ultimately raise questions about the direction of our current society and culture.
Although entirely fiction, They Knew Full Well remains plausible because of the very
human tendencies of its characters as well as the factually-based descriptions in its setting. As
the story progresses, it becomes clear that accommodating for an overwhelming number of
people ultimately requires the sacrifices of basic freedoms on an individual level. The characters,
in many places throughout the novel, are forced to give up their desires, dreams, and choices for
the greater good of their society. By the end of the story, many of the characters are
fundamentally changed, or they choose to entrench themselves selfishly against the common
good. The conflicts that arise do not end well for either party, and the story, by the end, sheds
light on our very human qualities of both selfishness and altruism.
The thesis is roughly 240 pages in length, comprised of thirteen chapters, as well as a title
page and table of contents. Written in the third-person point-of-view, the prose, description, and
dialogue have all been given close attention so that the form in many ways matches the content
of the story.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["They Knew Full Well"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Douglas Unger","Maile Chapman","Vincent Perez","Robert Futrell"],"dc:creator":["Kollmer, Matthew Johannes"],"dc:date.available":["2027-05-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The following thesis, a novel titled They Knew Full Well, tells the story of a construction
worker, Damon Barley, whose family is torn apart by the tidal shifts of a futuristic society, one
facing massive overpopulation problems. A science-fiction novel in many ways, the setting is
based on a wide breadth of research in fields that include genetics, sustainable urban
development, climate change, and the progression towards an information-intensive job market.
The conflicts between characters and their setting serve to highlight the potential challenges of this plausible future. They also attempt to form an interweaving, riveting plot to captivate the
reader and ultimately raise questions about the direction of our current society and culture.
Although entirely fiction, They Knew Full Well remains plausible because of the very
human tendencies of its characters as well as the factually-based descriptions in its setting. As
the story progresses, it becomes clear that accommodating for an overwhelming number of
people ultimately requires the sacrifices of basic freedoms on an individual level. The characters,
in many places throughout the novel, are forced to give up their desires, dreams, and choices for
the greater good of their society. By the end of the story, many of the characters are
fundamentally changed, or they choose to entrench themselves selfishly against the common
good. The conflicts that arise do not end well for either party, and the story, by the end, sheds
light on our very human qualities of both selfishness and altruism.
The thesis is roughly 240 pages in length, comprised of thirteen chapters, as well as a title
page and table of contents. Written in the third-person point-of-view, the prose, description, and
dialogue have all been given close attention so that the form in many ways matches the content
of the story.
"],"dc:format":["pdf"],"dc:identifier":["10.34917/10985980","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3001","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/context/thesesdissertations/article/4004/viewcontent/Kollmer_unlv_0506M_12379.pdf"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["University of Nevada, Las Vegas"],"dc:rights":["IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Creative Writing"],"dc:title":["They Knew Full Well"],"dc:type":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:23:59Z"}