Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Thesis Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Committee Chairperson

Virginia Wood, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Cherise Pollard, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kristine Ervin, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jacqueline Alnes, Ph.D.

Abstract

We Who are Not in Control of the Universe is an experimental “prose play” that aims to blur the boundaries between prose, poetry, and narrative. The goal is that it can serve both modalities of a play and prose, while pushing the limits of both forms. The narrative follows the journey of a character called “the Fool.” What follows is a progression of the Fool “changing” into thirteen of the twenty-one major arcana inspired by tarot cards. Within the narrative, the Fool grapples with the tensions of his identity as a gay man and his spiritual religious beliefs. He tells his story by putting on “masks” of the different tarot cards, where he explores his religious trauma from the Roman Catholic church, goal of becoming an Episcopal priest, and his desire for a partner. The play culminates in a burial of the masks and the Fool forging his own path onward, refusing to accept religious doctrine that denies queerness, and embracing a new path forward free from shame.

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