University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A literary perspective on the notion of le hasard in twentieth century France

Robertson, Jean Ellen

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23428

Description

Title
A literary perspective on the notion of le hasard in twentieth century France
Author(s)
Robertson, Jean Ellen
Issue Date
1995
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Gray, Stanley E.
Department of Study
  • Literature, Romance
  • Philosophy
  • History, Modern
Discipline
  • Literature, Romance
  • Philosophy
  • History, Modern
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Literature, Romance
  • Philosophy
  • History, Modern
Language
eng
Abstract
Through an examination of works from Dada and Surrealism, of Malraux's La Condition humaine, of some examples of the New Novel, and of Tournier's Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique I observe the occurrence, over the course of the twentieth century, of a shift in attitude toward events which occur by chance (which I define as events which exceed human control). From a tentative and fearful attitude there is a demonstrable move toward a decidedly open and positive one. In addition to the literary texts examined, I demonstrate the importance of such events to the philosophies of Georges Bataille and Jean-Paul Sartre. This shift in attitude is emphasized through a contrastive study of Diderot's Jacques le fataliste et son mai tre, Zola's Therese Raquin and Huysmans' A Rebours. The study leads to discussion of the possible sources of this phenomenon as well as implications for the individual and for society.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23428
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1995 Robertson, Jean Ellen

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - French