Document Type
Master's Thesis
Graduation Year
2026
Writing Track
Fiction
Degree
Master of Fine Arts
Program
Creative Writing
Program Director
Judy Halebsky, PhD
First Reader
Lee Kravetz
Second Reader
Claudia Morales, PhD
Description
Fragments of the Human Condition: A Collection of Short Stories is a culminating thesis by Daniel R. Mangru that explores the intricate complexities of the human experience through the mundane details of ordinary lives.
Drawing inspiration from the works of Raymond Carver and Rod Serling, this collection of short stories, which includes A Cow on Mars and A Boy and his Donut, offers fragments of an answer to the fundamental question: "What was it like to be human?"
The thesis examines universal themes such as resilience, intimacy, compassion, loneliness, structure, and independence, demonstrating how these aspects of the human condition collide with forces beyond individual control in an ever-fracturing world.