This thesis looks at the intertextuality among Lessing's Nathan der Weise, Kleist's Der Findling and Kafka's Das Urteil. Focus is laid on the repeated deployment of specific character types: an elderly, morally minded merchant and his adopted children. By tracing the similarities and differences of these literary works, themes of economics and adoption come to be understood as central motifs in these texts, and the different depictions of these motifs are shown to reflect differing notions of the self. The analyses in this thesis draw heavily upon the theory of the abject as portrayed in Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Whereas Kristeva understands abjection as functioning within the context of a "social economy," this thesis tracks its treatment within other economic structures, starting with a moral economy in Lessing's drama, moving to an emotional economy in Kleist's novella, and ending with a semiotic economy in Kafka's novella. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 3, 2015. / Abjection, Adoption, Kafka, Kleist, Lessing / Includes bibliographical references. / Christian Weber, Professor Directing Thesis; Alina Weber, Committee Member; Birgit Maier-Katkin, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_253030 |
| Contributors | Rylander, Luke (authoraut), Weber, Christian (professor directing thesis), Weber, Alina Dana (committee member), Maier-Katkin, Birgit, 1962- (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (87 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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