Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Is The Plague An Existential Novel?, Ethan Jacobs '12
Is The Plague An Existential Novel?, Ethan Jacobs '12
2012 Spring Semester
Existentialism refers to a broad range of philosophical beliefs and related cultural phenomena. While its origins can be traced to the latter half of the 19th century, existentialism as a unified movement only gained serious traction, especially among literary circles, by the close of World Wars I and II, as writers contemplated the sheer man-made destruction and loss of life of these two wars. Though often confused with nihilism and absurdism, existentialism is a distinct philosophical movement that presents man as fundamentally unknowable through science, logic, or morality. Albert Camus, a French Algerian “Pied-Noir” settler, epitomized the sudden turn toward …
The Spinning Plague, Sean Yamakawa '13
The Spinning Plague, Sean Yamakawa '13
2012 Spring Semester
In her piece, “The Centripetal Structure of Camus’s La Peste,” Jennifer Waelti-Walters explains her idea that the narrative and plot of The Plague form a circular movement. There is a centripetal force that pulls all predominant characters and images to the center. Waelti-Walters determines that Rieux, the protagonist doctor, is this central figure. Though an apt analysis, her argument has a single flaw: her placement of Cottard within this circle does not accurately reflect his place in the novel. Though Waelti-Walters acknowledges Cottard as Rieux’s counterpart, she places Cottard next to other characters such as Tarrou, Rambert, and …
Why A Lost Lady Is Naturalist, Judy Liu '14
Why A Lost Lady Is Naturalist, Judy Liu '14
2012 Spring Semester
In Steven Crane’s Maggie, people survive in a downcast world, where desperate people squelch the hope of those around them. This hopeless environment reduces the characters, even the once innocent, beautiful Maggie, into a creature that is more animal than human. This situation is also seen in A Lost Lady. Instead of having happy, idealized events, both novels are realistic and often pessimistic, with characters whose descriptions and behaviors do not match up with what is expected of a human being. Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady is a naturalist text due to the dehumanization of the characters through …
A Poem And Its Painting, Jenny Lee '13
A Poem And Its Painting, Jenny Lee '13
2012 Spring Semester
Charles Bukowksi, one of the most controversial poets of the 20th century, loved very few things- alcohol, sex, his typewriter, and classical music. His poetry is considered down-to-earth and easily relatable, but it is still able to maintain a high level of artistic and literary merit. His skill as an artist becomes clear when his poem “Dostoevsky” is juxtaposed with Caravaggio’s famous painting, “The Sacrifice of Isaac.” This painting depicts an angel stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac. Although these pieces come from different artistic media, painting versus the written word, their shocking similarities are a testament to …
The Naturalist Meaning Behind The Words, Mateusz Wojtaszek '14
The Naturalist Meaning Behind The Words, Mateusz Wojtaszek '14
2012 Spring Semester
Charles Darwin changed the face of biology and science when he published his groundbreaking work of scientific literature, On the Origin of Species. He proposed that all organisms are related and that a force, known as natural selection, acts on all living things. This book opened a whole new world for biologists everywhere. But it also brought about a change in the philosophy of literature, which is known as the naturalist movement. Writers began to believe that humans and animals are, in the end, the same- they are affected by similar forces and have the same instincts. Novels such as …