Since its publication in 1947, Malcolm Lowry’s novel
Under the Volcano has been gaining in reputation until it has
come to be regarded as one of the masterworks of this century.
The aim of this thesis is to consider Under the Volcano in the
light of the Romantic and Symbolist tradition in which it belongs, and to provide an interpretation of the novel through
an exploration of its structure, symbolism and theme.
Chapter I attempts to demonstrate that an understanding
of the world view which Lowry adopts in Under the Volcano -
the doctrine of universal analogy, which had such a profound
influence on the nineteenth-century Romantic and Symbolist
writers - is essential to an appreciation of the formal design
and the theme of the novel.
Chapters II and III examine the implications of two of
the major symbols of Under the Volcano - the wheel and the
abyss — and attempt to show how these symbols function on
several levels to support both the narrative sequence and the
mythic framework of the novel. Some attention is paid to the
metaphorical identification of the protagonist with the archetypal ‘suffering hero,’ especially in relation to the Promethean and Orphic imagery employed in the novel.
Chapter IV is concerned with the tragic stature of the
hero, particularly as it is revealed in the culminating scenes
of the novel, and with an examination of the paradoxical resolution of the central conflict - the struggle between love
and death.
The Conclusion contains a brief review of some critical
comments on the novel and modern literature in general, which
may contribute to an appreciation and understanding of Lowry’s
achievement in writing Under the Volcano. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/41912 |
| Date | January 1965 |
| Creators | Thomas, Hilda L. |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds