This study argues for the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy on Elizabeth Smart's novel, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept. Following Goran Hermeren's guidelines for an influence argument, I argue the case for Smart's contact with Nietzsche's work, similarities between his work and Smart's novel, and the effect of his work on Smart's novel. Nietzsche's conception of tragedy applies to and describes the novel surprisingly well, explaining certain similarities between the authors' works while identifying another of the text's many genres. The argument is largely based on circumstantial evidence, but its cumulative force is highly suggestive of a hitherto unrecognized philosophical complexity in Smart's novel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.31131 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Pike, Gregory Maxwell. |
| Contributors | Trehearne, Brian (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of English.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001808217, proquestno: MQ70310, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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