Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 480-510). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Social and Political Thought. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 452-455). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNR11593

The work of physician-turned-writer Walker Percy marks an important development in the history of Southern literature. The author's first novel, The Moviegoer, moves beyond previous consideration of what it meant to be a native of the region by capturing the mindset of modernity rooted in the philosophical movement of existentialism. Embracing the work of S²ren Kierkegaard allows Percy to articulate how his protagonist, Binx Bolling, moves towards a sense of purpose in life. Previously adrift due to the contending forces present in the modern mind, the author indicates how an existentially active individual can achieve a sense of direction through the work of not only Kierkegaard, but also Gabriel Marcel. There are certain phenomena present in the text that allow one to temporarily achieve some sense of solace within an inscrutably secularized existence. However, Percy indicates that the modern individual must ultimately find significance through an intersubjective engagement with another. / by Bryan Salgado. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011.