Life Is Good-If But Briefly

Authors

Tim P. Curtis, FIUFollow

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Major/Program

English

First Advisor's Name

John Dufresne

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Lynne Barrett

Third Advisor's Name

Bruce Harvey

Date of Defense

3-3-2014

Abstract

LIFE IS GOOD—IF BUT BRIEFLY is a contemporary, satirical novel written in the third person. Walter Dingles, the story’s protagonist, is an introspective twenty-two-year-old with a knack for screwing things up. After finishing college, Walter realizes he’s emotionally ill prepared to face the world on his own. He moves back home vowing to get his shit together. He lands a job at his old high school, but his efforts are exacerbated when his grandfather’s porn collection ends up in the principal’s office, he unknowingly begins taking his mother’s estrogen supplements, and family secrets come to the fore. In the end, Walter comes to accept himself. Set in the heartland, LIFE IS GOOD—IF BUT BRIEFLY plays against the region’s reputation as a bastion of conservatism and wholesome family values, while expressing the mood and anxiety of a generation coming of age in a down economy.

Identifier

FI14040842

Recommended Citation

Curtis, Tim P., "Life Is Good-If But Briefly" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1266.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1266