My dissertation focuses on a set of Anglo-American novels that deal with the events of 9/11. Identifying thematic and stylistic differences in the fiction on this topic, I distinguish between novels that represent directly the jolts of trauma in the wake of the attacks, and novels that, while still holding the events as an underlying operative force in the narrative, do not openly represent them but envision their long-term aftermath. The first group of novels comprises Lynne Sharon Schwartz’s The Writing on the Wall (2005), Don DeLillo’s Falling Man (2007) and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005). The second one includes Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs (2009), John Updike’s Terrorist (2006) and Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland (2008). Drawing on concepts from trauma theory, particularly by Cathy Caruth and Dominick LaCapra, and combining them with the ethical philosophies of Levinas and Heidegger, I argue that the constructions of 9/11 in Anglo-American fiction are essentially twofold: authors who narrate 9/11 as a tragic human loss in the city of New York turn it into an occasion for an ethical dialogue with the reader and potentially with the “Other,” whereas authors who address 9/11 as a recent sociopolitical event transform it into a goad toward a bitter cultural indictment of the US middle-class, whose ingrained inertia, patriotism and self-righteousness have been either magnified or twisted by the attacks. Considering processes of meaning-making, annihilation, ideological reduction and apathy that arose from 9/11 and its versions, I have identified what could be called, adapting Peter Elbow’s expression from pedagogical studies, the “forked” rhetoric of media and politics, a rhetorical mode in which both discourses are essentially closed, non-hermeneutic, and rooted in the same rationale: exploiting 9/11 for consensus. On the contrary, in what I call the New-Yorkization of 9/11, I highlighted how the situatedness of the public discourses that New Yorkers constructed to tell their own tragedy rescues the Ur-Phaenomenon of 9/11 from the epistemological commodification that intellectual, mediatic and political interpretations forced on it. Furthermore, pointing to the speciousness of arguments that deem 9/11 literature sentimental and unimaginative, I claim that the traumatic literature on the attacks constitutes an example of ethical practice, since it originates from witnesses of the catastrophe, it represents communal solidarity, and it places a crucial demand on the reader as an empathic listener and ethical agent. Ethical counternarratives oppose the ideological simplification of the 9/11 attacks and develop instead a complex counter-rhetoric of emotions and inclusiveness that we could read as a particular instantiation of an ethics of the self and “Other.” As much as the 9/11 “ethical” novels suggest that “survivability” in times of trauma depends on “relationality” (J. Butler), the “cultural” ones unveil the insensitivity and superficiality of the actual US society far away from the site of trauma. The binary framework I use implies that, outside of New York City, 9/11 is narrated neither traumatically (in terms of literary form), nor as trauma (in terms of textual fact). Consequently, on the basis of a spatial criterion and in parallel to the ethical novels, I have identified a category of “cultural” fiction that tackles the events of 9/11 at a distance, spatially and conceptually. In essence, 9/11 brings neither shock, nor promise of regeneration to these peripheral settings, except for Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland, a story in which we are returned to a post-9/11 New York where different ethnic subjects can re-negotiate creatively their identities. The cultural novels are ultimately pervaded by a mode of tragic irony that is unthinkable for the ethical novels and that is used in these texts to convey the inanity and hubris of a politically uneducated and naïve America – one that has difficulties to point Afghanistan on a map, or to transcend dualistic schemes of value that embody precisely Bush’s Manichaeism. The potential for cultural pluralism, solidarity and historical memory set up by the New York stories does not ramify into the America that is far away from the neuralgic epicenter of historical trauma. This proves that the traumatizing effects and the related ethical calls engendered by 9/11 remain confined to the New York literature on the topic.

Nietzschean epistemology involved many subversive elements and, thus, posed a challenge to the Christian epistemology and to other traditional frames of references which appeared after the Enlightenment. With his philosophy Nietzsche problematised many of the traditional givens like the master signifier (God), the other organising principles, and the traditional binary oppositions on which the Western metaphysics was based. He shattered the previous parameters of existence irraparably when he disconnected the individual from his/her illusions by laying bare a decentered universe devoid of any form of meaning, and the result was nihilism in the beginning. Interestingly enough, Nietzschean epistemology also offered ways to overcome this nihilistic stage in an individual&rsquo / s struggle for a meaningful existence. This thesis is based on the analysis of two plays by Tom Murphy, &ldquo / Bailegangaire&rdquo / and &ldquo / The Sanctuary Lamp&rdquo / , against the background of Nietzschean philosophy and attempts to discover the parallelisms between Murphy&rsquo / s characters and Nietzschean elements in their search for the essence of existence and their desire for a meaningful life. In the plays, self-realisation of an individual, that is, overcoming nihilism, is mainly achieved by means of art and one&rsquo / s individual strength, which is characterised by the ability to endure abyss, affirm life as it is, forget and forgive one&rsquo / s enemies, follow instincts, employ one&rsquo / s will to power, acquire the power and the position of God in one&rsquo / s personal zone, and combine destruction and creation. The playwright conveys an individual&rsquo / s loss of purpose and the inevitable chaos in the aftermath of the death of God and, also, the methods to surmount this nihilistic condition. The study comes to the conclusion that all the above Nietzschean elements build a solid background for Murphy&rsquo / s drama, where the dramatist draws a picture of systematicity of existence of an individual who struggles to attain meaning.

This thesis explores three of Nietzsche in terms of his conception of nihilism and his attempt to overcome it. It is argued that Nietzsche views modernity as being characterized by nihilism and in a state of crisis. Nietzsche responds to this crisis by offering both an aetiology of it, and a vision of a future beyond nihilism. It is Nietzsche's vision which is the primary concern of this work. Nietzsche's first attempt to overcome nihilism is found in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In this book Nietzsche offers a solution of individual salvation which is elucidated in terms of a trio of ideas - the Superman, the will to power and eternal recurrence. Since nihilism is a social problem, however, this individual overcoming of it is insufficient. In Beyond Good arid Evil Nietzsche, realizing this, offers a more inclusive solution which centres on a political vision of an aristocracy which lies beyond, and outside of, social morality. In On the Genealogy of Morals Nietzsche attempts to show that the creation of such a future does not involve any ahistorical leaps, that the potential for it is already present, though repressed, in Western culture. In sUbjecting Nietzsche' s vision of the future to critical evaluation it is argued that his visions of individual and society are both unattractive and unfeasible. The Nietzschean individual is argued to be less a model of psychological health and well-being than a case study in alienation. The aristocratic society which Nietzsche envisages seems sure to lead to a new crisis. It is further argued that this lack of a workable and attractive vision of the future is based in a misinterpretation of the present, which, I suggest, is not characterized by a crisis. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe ,,Teisinis nihilizmas: jo priežastys ir įveikimo galimybės Lietuvoje” nagrinėjamos labai aktualios problemos valstybei ir visuomenės gyvenimui. Šis darbas yra taikomojo pobūdžio krypties, kadangi pateikiami ir analizuojami savarankiškai gauti nauji empiriniai duomenys: paneigiama daugelio autorių hipotezė, kad tik susibūrusios žmonių grupės gali išspręsti iškilusias ekonomines, socialines, teisėkūros ar kitas problemas, pažaboti politikų ir valdininkų savivalę. Kovoti su teisiniu nihilizmu gali ir privalo kiekvienas Lietuvos Respublikos pilietis, kuris su tuo reiškiniu susiduria. Šis darbas yra teorinio analitinio pobūdžio krypties, nes nagrinėjami teoriniai literatūriniai šaltiniai, Lietuvos Respublikos ir kitų šalių teisės aktai, pateikiami originalūs praktinių problemų sprendimo būdai; pateikiami pavyzdžiai, kaip galima Lietuvoje kovoti su politikų ir valstybės tarnautojų savivale ir neteisminėmis, ir teisminėmis priemonėmis. / In the graduation theses for master’s degree ,,Legal Nihilism in Lithuania: Its Causes and Possibilities to Overcome It” urgent problems for the state and public life are discused. The paper is of applied tendency; hypothesis of many authors, that only rallied groups of people can solve rising economical, social and legal problems as well to stamp out the self-will of politicans and officials, is denied. Every citizen of the Respublic of Lithuania, coming across the phenomenon, must fight against the legal nihilism. The work is of theoretical-analytical tendency, of theoretical literary sources, legal acts of the Respublic of Lithuania and of other countries are investigated, original ways of solving the practical problems are present as well as the modes of fight against the self-will of Lithuanian politicians and officials by judicial and non-judicial measures.

Lietuvos visuomenė prieš daugiau nei penkiolika metų visuotiniame referendume priėmė aukščiausios teisinės galios aktą Lietuvoje - LR Konstituciją, kurios preambulėje įtvirtinta, kad Lietuva sieks tapti atvira, teisinga, darnia pilietine visuomene ir teisine valstybe. Tačiau beveik du dešimtmečius nepriklausomoje valstybėje besiformuojančios teisinė, socialinė, ekonominė ir politinė sistemos liudija, kad mūsų visuomenėje įsigalėjo tokia vertybių sistema, kurioje tokia vertybė kaip teisė yra ignoruojama ir atmetama, t.y. stipriai paplito teisinio nihilizmo reiškinys. Šiame darbe analizuojami teisinio nihilizmo kaip socialinio reiškinio ypatumai, jo priežastys bei įveikimo galimybės Lietuvoje. Teisinio nihilizmo reiškinio pagrindiniai šaltiniai ir priežastys mūsų valstybėje būtų tokie: „aklas“ rėmimasis teisinio pozityvizmo samprata, kuriai būdinga teise pripažinti bet kokį, net ir žmogaus teises pažeidžiantį įstatymą, ydingas teisėkūros procesas, spragos konstituciniame reguliavime, nesusiformavęs pilietinės (atviros) visuomenės institutas, bendros krašto socialinės ekonominės programos vizijos stoka, menkas teisminės valdžios autoritetas, arši politinių jėgų konkurencija, plačiai paplitęs korupcijos reiškinys. Darbe siūloma kompleksiškai spręsti teisinio nihilizmo problemą. Visų pirma, turi būti imamasi visų įmanomų priemonių, kurios skatintų piliečių teisinės sąmonės formavimąsi bei teisinės kultūros lygio kilimą mūsų visuomenėje. Daugybė socialinių faktorių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Lithuanian society adopted Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania 15 years ago, where it have been fortified, that Lithuania will strive for an open, just, harmonious civil society and State under the rule of law. But the legal, social, economical, political systems, which have been developing for the last two decades in our independent state, proclaim that in our society have settled such system of values, where law as a social value has been ingnored and declined. There have been analyzed the phenomenon of legal nihilism, it’s causes and the possibilities to overcome it in Lithuania in this work. The main causes and sources of legal nihilism are: the predominant ideology of legal positivism in our society, which claims that legal validity must be strictly separated from questions of morality, faulty law-making process, breach of constitutional regulation, unsettled institucijon of civil society, the lack of vision of common social – economical programmme, poor reputation of judiciary power, savage competition of political powers, outspread phenomenon of corruption. There have been suggestions to solve the problem of legal nihilism by integrated process in the work. Foremost, there have to be assumed all measures, which stimulate the formation of legal conscious and rise of legal culture in our society. Lots of social factors evidence the need of situations for civil society, because only an opened, democratically thinking, leading, actively defending human... [to full text]

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

My dissertation focuses on a set of Anglo-American novels that deal with the events of 9/11. Identifying thematic and stylistic differences in the fiction on this topic, I distinguish between novels that represent directly the jolts of trauma in the wake of the attacks, and novels that, while still holding the events as an underlying operative force in the narrative, do not openly represent them but envision their long-term aftermath. The first group of novels comprises Lynne Sharon Schwartz’s The Writing on the Wall (2005), Don DeLillo’s Falling Man (2007) and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005). The second one includes Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs (2009), John Updike’s Terrorist (2006) and Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland (2008). Drawing on concepts from trauma theory, particularly by Cathy Caruth and Dominick LaCapra, and combining them with the ethical philosophies of Levinas and Heidegger, I argue that the constructions of 9/11 in Anglo-American fiction are essentially twofold: authors who narrate 9/11 as a tragic human loss in the city of New York turn it into an occasion for an ethical dialogue with the reader and potentially with the “Other,” whereas authors who address 9/11 as a recent sociopolitical event transform it into a goad toward a bitter cultural indictment of the US middle-class, whose ingrained inertia, patriotism and self-righteousness have been either magnified or twisted by the attacks. Considering processes of meaning-making, annihilation, ideological reduction and apathy that arose from 9/11 and its versions, I have identified what could be called, adapting Peter Elbow’s expression from pedagogical studies, the “forked” rhetoric of media and politics, a rhetorical mode in which both discourses are essentially closed, non-hermeneutic, and rooted in the same rationale: exploiting 9/11 for consensus. On the contrary, in what I call the New-Yorkization of 9/11, I highlighted how the situatedness of the public discourses that New Yorkers constructed to tell their own tragedy rescues the Ur-Phaenomenon of 9/11 from the epistemological commodification that intellectual, mediatic and political interpretations forced on it. Furthermore, pointing to the speciousness of arguments that deem 9/11 literature sentimental and unimaginative, I claim that the traumatic literature on the attacks constitutes an example of ethical practice, since it originates from witnesses of the catastrophe, it represents communal solidarity, and it places a crucial demand on the reader as an empathic listener and ethical agent. Ethical counternarratives oppose the ideological simplification of the 9/11 attacks and develop instead a complex counter-rhetoric of emotions and inclusiveness that we could read as a particular instantiation of an ethics of the self and “Other.” As much as the 9/11 “ethical” novels suggest that “survivability” in times of trauma depends on “relationality” (J. Butler), the “cultural” ones unveil the insensitivity and superficiality of the actual US society far away from the site of trauma. The binary framework I use implies that, outside of New York City, 9/11 is narrated neither traumatically (in terms of literary form), nor as trauma (in terms of textual fact). Consequently, on the basis of a spatial criterion and in parallel to the ethical novels, I have identified a category of “cultural” fiction that tackles the events of 9/11 at a distance, spatially and conceptually. In essence, 9/11 brings neither shock, nor promise of regeneration to these peripheral settings, except for Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland, a story in which we are returned to a post-9/11 New York where different ethnic subjects can re-negotiate creatively their identities. The cultural novels are ultimately pervaded by a mode of tragic irony that is unthinkable for the ethical novels and that is used in these texts to convey the inanity and hubris of a politically uneducated and naïve America – one that has difficulties to point Afghanistan on a map, or to transcend dualistic schemes of value that embody precisely Bush’s Manichaeism. The potential for cultural pluralism, solidarity and historical memory set up by the New York stories does not ramify into the America that is far away from the neuralgic epicenter of historical trauma. This proves that the traumatizing effects and the related ethical calls engendered by 9/11 remain confined to the New York literature on the topic.

En esta tesis se interpreta a través del prisma conceptual del nihilismo el desarrollo de la literatura española de entreguerras, y el papel central de los escritores en el reconocimiento de desorientación del hombre moderno. Primero se analiza teóricamente el concepto de nihilismo; luego se proporciona una descripción del contexto ideológico-estético de entreguerras, la coyuntura de la literatura de vanguardia y la cuestión de la jovialidad del Arte Nuevo ante una profunda crisis de valores. Posteriormente se atiende diacrónicamente a las interrelaciones del Arte Nuevo con el nihilismo, se analiza el cambio de sensibilidad de la actitud vanguardista en revolucionaria y se presenta el horizonte de las distintas alternativas ideológicas que afectan al escritor: liberalismo, pensamiento religioso y propuestas ideológicas "totales" como son el fascismo y el bolchevismo. Finalmente se estudia la ideología estética del novelista Benjamín Jarnés, cuya evolución ejemplifica la tarea de la práctica artística como modo de resistencia frente al nihilismo. / This research interprets through the concept of nihilism the evolution of the Spanish interwar literature (1918-1936) and the central role of writers in recognizing the essential disorientation of modern man.First there is the analysis of the concept of nihilism. Then it is provided a description of the ideological and aesthetical context of interwar years, and it is discussed the position of avant-garde literature and the question of the joyfulness of the new art before a deep crisis of values. After that, I try to explain the interactions between new literature and nihilism and I analyze the change of sensibility from avant-gardism to revolution, and how writers react to several ideological alternatives: liberalism, religious thought and especially total proposals such as Fascism and Bolchevism. Finally I focus on the aesthetic ideology of the novelist Benjamín Jarnés, whose evolution shows how the artistic praxis posits itself as a mode of resistance to nihilism.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Basel, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-340) and indexes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1989. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 259-265).