DOCSLIB.ORG

Thomas Joseph Stone May 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thomas Joseph Stone May 2018 REWRITING THE “GREAT MAN” THEORY: HISTORIOGRAPHIC CRITIQUE IN SPANISH AMERICAN LITERATURE ___________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board ___________________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ___________________________________________________________________ by Thomas Joseph Stone May 2018 Examining Committee Members: Hortensia Morell, Dissertation Advisor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Adam Joseph Shellhorse, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Víctor Pueyo Zoco, Chair of the Defense, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Daniel O’Hara, External Reader, Department of English ii ABSTRACT Rewriting the "Great Man" Theory: Historiographic Critique in Spanish American Literature Thomas Joseph Stone Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2018 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Hortensia Morell This dissertation is a survey of postmodern historical fiction in 20th and 21st century Spanish American literature. It has diverse manifestations, but the defining characteristic of this kind of historical fiction is a rejection of any rigid distinction between historical and fictional discourse. This is a descriptive rather than a normative study: it examines how eight different authors use the techniques of postmodern historical fiction to develop implicit critiques of the “great man” theory of history. The Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle popularized this theory in the 1800s, and it asserts that biography is the proper model for history, namely, the biography of prominent individuals – “great men.” It treats these people as the source of history. Opposing this historiographic ideology, many authors of postmodern historical fiction see such figures as subjects that can be “written” and “re-written”; they are not the source of history, but the product of historical discourse. I conduct close readings of nine primary texts to elucidate how they challenge the “great man” historiography of four significant figures from Spanish American history: Montezuma, Simón Bolívar, Christopher Columbus, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. I conclude that the historiographic critiques in these texts converge around three common strategies in their critiques: an extension of character from the iii domain of fiction to the domain of history, the subversion of the literary genres of biography and autobiography, and a commitment to rewriting the traditional narratives of specific historical events. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have completed this dissertation without the assistance and support of many people. Although I am very grateful to them all, I cannot, unfortunately, thank each person individually in the scope of this section. Eight people have been especially important throughout this process. Above all, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Hortensia Morell. The classes I have taken with her, her extensive knowledge of the field, her expertise in writing and editing, and her overall guidance in the dissertation process have been invaluable. I am also grateful for the help of the departmental members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Víctor Pueyo Zoco and Dr. Adam Joseph Shellhorse. They were very gracious in agreeing to serve on the committee, and I have benefited greatly from my interactions with them. I also want to thank the external reader of this dissertation, Dr. Daniel O’Hara. He was extremely kind to agree to serve on the committee of a graduate student he did not know. Along with the professional help I received from Dr. Morell, Dr. Pueyo Zoco, Dr. Shellhorse, and Dr. O’Hara, the personal support I received from my family was immense. My parents, Tom and Sue, gave me endless encouragement throughout a challenging process, and helped me in countless ways. Their involvement was essential to this endeavor. Last but not least, I want to thank my brothers, Matt and Eric. Their moral support, advice, and humor helped to sustain me while I was writing the dissertation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………..iv INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………..vi CHAPTERS 1. CARLYLEAN HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE PRE-COLOMBIAN WORLD: MONTEZUMA IN CONCIERTO BARROCO AND LLANTO: NOVELAS IMPOSIBLES……………………………………………………………...…..1 2. BOLÍVAR, MYTH, AND HISTORY IN “EL ÚLTIMO ROSTRO,” EL GENERAL EN SU LABERINTO, AND LA CENIZA DEL LIBERTADOR…………31 3. CONTESTING COLUMBUS: HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE COLUMBIAN NARRATIVES OF AUGUSTO ROA BASTOS AND ALEJO CARPENTIER………..60 4. REWRITING THE REVOLUTIONARY: ABEL POSSE’S AND PACO IGNACIO TAIBO II’S NEW APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING CHE GUEVARA………………………………………………………………………………92 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………126 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………131 vi INTRODUCTION In this study, I propose to investigate nine examples of what critics such as Seymour Menton have called “the new historical novel” and what theorists like Linda Hutcheon have called “historiographic metafiction.” Although both terms refer to different literary models, they have important characteristics in common. For this reason, I treat them as subcategories of the same phenomenon: postmodern historical fiction. The nine texts I examine, all by Spanish American authors, correspond to four figures that have a significant place in the history of the Americas: Montezuma, Simón Bolívar, Christopher Columbus, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The fundamental argument of my dissertation is that many postmodern historical novels function as implicit critiques of the “great man” theory, a historiographic vision popularized by the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century. I do not analyze this theory as the exclusive property of Carlyle, but as a general tendency that finds its most explicit and complete defense in his writings. Structurally, the dissertation consists of an Introduction, four chapters and a Conclusion. In the Introduction, I describe the main argument, the theoretical framework of the study, and the content of the following chapters. In the first chapter, I compare two novels that deal with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, Concierto barroco (1974) by Alejo Carpentier and Llanto: novelas imposibles (1992) by Carmen Boullosa. In the second, I analyze three texts that deal with Simón Bolívar, namely “El último rostro” (1978) by Álvaro Mutis, El general en su laberinto (1989) by Gabriel García Márquez, and La ceniza del libertador (1987) by Fernando Cruz Kronfly. In the third, I study two novels that feature Christopher Columbus as a protagonist: Vigilia del almirante (1992) by vii Augusto Roa Bastos and El arpa y la sombra (1978) by Carpentier. The fourth deals with two works about Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Los cuadernos de Praga (1998) by Abel Posse and Ernesto Guevara, también conocido como el Che (1996) by Paco Ignacio Taibo II. The dissertation finishes with a Conclusion that summarizes the study, identifies and responds to possible critiques, and describes the implications of the investigation for future scholarship. Before addressing the primary texts, I will describe the theoretical background. I begin with a key term of this study: postmodern historical fiction. As one might expect, there are several defining features that distinguish the postmodern variety of historical fiction from its traditional precursors. Seymour Menton begins his analysis in Latin America’s New Historical Novel with the following paradox: “In the broadest sense, every novel is historical since, in varying degrees, it portrays or captures the social environment of its characters, even the most introspective ones” (15). For Menton, the new historical novel - as a unique and independent phenomenon - is defined by a list of six characteristics: a preoccupation with philosophical matters, a distorted version of history, the use of real (not fictitious) historical figures as characters, metafiction, intertextuality, and certain concepts associated with the Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. (22-24) Expanding on this definition, Menton states that new historical novels are characterized by their diversity: “in addition to these six characteristics, the New Historical Novel differs markedly from the traditional romantic historical novel in its far greater variety of modalities” (25). While Menton is referring specifically to the romantic historical novel in this passage, he still highlights an important point: postmodern viii historical fiction tends towards a plurality of discourses. It does not limit itself to traditional models. As a literary form, the historical novel comes from a long, old tradition. However, the new historical novel is fundamentally a product of the twentieth century. According to Menton, one of the first examples appears in 1949: El reino de este mundo, by Alejo Carpentier. (2) The new historical novel was not very relevant in the 1950s or 1960s, and the majority of its well-known texts appeared in the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, the flourishing of this literary tendency during that historical period corresponds with the epoch that many critics call “postmodernity.” As we will see below, this chronological correspondence is essential for a clear understanding of the literary phenomenon: it implies a shared worldview and critical strategy. Another interesting aspect of Menton’s model is the relationship between the new historical novel and the so-called “Boom” in Latin America. Indeed, it is difficult to talk about one
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Roles of Solon in Plato's Dialogues
    The Roles of Solon in Plato’s Dialogues Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Samuel Ortencio Flores, M.A. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Bruce Heiden, Advisor Anthony Kaldellis Richard Fletcher Greg Anderson Copyrighy by Samuel Ortencio Flores 2013 Abstract This dissertation is a study of Plato’s use and adaptation of an earlier model and tradition of wisdom based on the thought and legacy of the sixth-century archon, legislator, and poet Solon. Solon is cited and/or quoted thirty-four times in Plato’s dialogues, and alluded to many more times. My study shows that these references and allusions have deeper meaning when contextualized within the reception of Solon in the classical period. For Plato, Solon is a rhetorically powerful figure in advancing the relatively new practice of philosophy in Athens. While Solon himself did not adequately establish justice in the city, his legacy provided a model upon which Platonic philosophy could improve. Chapter One surveys the passing references to Solon in the dialogues as an introduction to my chapters on the dialogues in which Solon is a very prominent figure, Timaeus- Critias, Republic, and Laws. Chapter Two examines Critias’ use of his ancestor Solon to establish his own philosophic credentials. Chapter Three suggests that Socrates re- appropriates the aims and themes of Solon’s political poetry for Socratic philosophy. Chapter Four suggests that Solon provides a legislative model which Plato reconstructs in the Laws for the philosopher to supplant the role of legislator in Greek thought.
    [Show full text]
  • Heroic Individualism: the Hero As Author in Democratic Culture Alan I
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2006 Heroic individualism: the hero as author in democratic culture Alan I. Baily Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Baily, Alan I., "Heroic individualism: the hero as author in democratic culture" (2006). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1073. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1073 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. HEROIC INDIVIDUALISM: THE HERO AS AUTHOR IN DEMOCRATIC CULTURE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Alan I. Baily B.S., Texas A&M University—Commerce, 1999 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2003 December, 2006 It has been well said that the highest aim in education is analogous to the highest aim in mathematics, namely, to obtain not results but powers , not particular solutions but the means by which endless solutions may be wrought. He is the most effective educator who aims less at perfecting specific acquirements that at producing that mental condition which renders acquirements easy, and leads to their useful application; who does not seek to make his pupils moral by enjoining particular courses of action, but by bringing into activity the feelings and sympathies that must issue in noble action.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter the Great and His Changing Identity Emily Frances Pagrabs Wofford College
    Wofford College Digital Commons @ Wofford Student Scholarship 5-2016 Peter the Great and His Changing Identity Emily Frances Pagrabs Wofford College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/studentpubs Part of the European History Commons, and the Slavic Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Pagrabs, Emily Frances, "Peter the Great and His Changing Identity" (2016). Student Scholarship. Paper 17. http://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/studentpubs/17 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Wofford. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Wofford. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Peter the Great and His Changing Identity Senior History Honors Thesis May 11, 2016 Emiley Pagrabs Pagrabs 1 Introduction Well aware of the perception that foreigners held of him, Peter the Great would never apologize for his nationality or his country. A product of his upbringing, Peter did have some qualities that many foreigners criticized as barbaric and harsh. Said Peter: They say that I am cruel; that is what foreigners think of me, but who are they to judge? They do not know what the situation was at the beginning of my reign, and how many were opposed to my plans, and brought about the failure of projects which would have been of great benefit to my country obliging me to arm myself with great severity; but I have never been cruel…I have always asked for the cooperation of those of my subjects in whom I have perceived intelligence and patriotism, and who, agreeing with my views, were ready to support them.1 Essentially, Peter I was simply a Russian.
    [Show full text]
  • Dirk Held on Eros Beauty and the Divine in Plato
    Nina C. Coppolino, editor ARTICLES & NOTES New England Classical Journal 36.3 (2009) 155-167 Eros, Beauty, and the Divine in Plato Dirk t. D. Held Connecticut College ontemporary intellectual culture is diffident, perhaps hostile, towards the transcendent aspects of Plato’s metaphysics; instead, preference is given to the openness and inconclusiveness of CSocratic inquiry. But it is not possible to distinguish clearly between the philosophy of Socrates and Plato. This essay argues first that Socrates does more than inquire: he enlarges the search for truth with attention to erotics. It further contends that Plato’s transformative vision of beauty and the divine directs the soul, also through erotics, to truth not accessible to syllogisms alone. We must therefore acknowledge that Plato’s philosophy relies at times on affective and even supra-rational means. Debate over the function of philosophy for Socrates and Plato arose immediately following the latter’s death. The early Academy discussed the mode and intent of reason for Socrates and Plato in terms of whether it was best characterized as skepticism or dogmatism. The issue remains pertinent to the present discussion of how Plato intends mortals both to live a life of reason and strive for the divine which is beyond the normal grasp of reason. What we regard as the traditional “Socratic question” arose in the early nineteenth century from studies of Plato by the Protestant theologian and philosopher, Friedrich Schleiermacher. The phrase stands for the attempt to winnow out an historical figure from the disparate accounts of Socrates found in Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays
    East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2002 A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays. Bonny Ball Copenhaver East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation Copenhaver, Bonny Ball, "A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays." (2002). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 632. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/632 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis by Bonny Ball Copenhaver May 2002 Dr. W. Hal Knight, Chair Dr. Jack Branscomb Dr. Nancy Dishner Dr. Russell West Keywords: Gender Roles, Feminism, Modernism, Postmodernism, American Theatre, Robbins, Glaspell, O'Neill, Miller, Williams, Hansbury, Kennedy, Wasserstein, Shange, Wilson, Mamet, Vogel ABSTRACT The Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays by Bonny Ball Copenhaver The purpose of this study was to describe how gender was portrayed and to determine how gender roles were depicted and defined in a selection of Modern and Postmodern American plays.
    [Show full text]
  • Abandoning the Masculine Domain of Leadership to Identify a New Space for Women's Being, Valuing and Doing
    University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year Abandoning the masculine domain of leadership to identify a new space for women’s being, valuing and doing Diann M. Rodgers-Healey University of Wollongong Rodgers-Healey, Diann M, Abandoning the masculine domain of leadership to identify a new space for women’s being, valuing and doing, PhD thesis, Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong, 2008. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/782 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/782 ABANDONING THE MASCULINE DOMAIN OF LEADERSHIP TO IDENTIFY A NEW SPACE FOR WOMEN’S BEING, VALUING AND DOING A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by DIANN M. RODGERS-HEALEY, B.A. (Sydney Uni), Dip. Ed. (Alex Mackie), M.Ed. (ACU) FACULTY OF EDUCATION JANUARY 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank Professor Stephen Dinham for journeying with me through this study and for his wisdom, proficiency and constructive feedback. I am also extremely grateful to Associate Professor Narottam Bhindi for his unwavering support and guidance and discussion of broader issues of life. My deepest thanks are also extended to my husband, Philip Healey for supporting me in my lengthy quest in every possible way. Sincere thanks to my father Roy Rodgers for his guidance and for ardently encouraging me to be the best I can be. Thank you to my three young sons, Aaron, Benjamin and Matthew whose smiles and cuddles made the tedious juggle so much easier.
    [Show full text]
  • A Higher Sphere of Thought”
    “A HIGHER SPHERE OF THOUGHT”: EMERSON’S USE OF THE EXEMPLUM AND EXEMPLUM FIDEI By CHARLA DAWN MAJOR Master of Arts Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1995 Bachelor of Arts The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas 1990 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 2005 “A HIGHER SPHERE OF THOUGHT”: EMERSON’S USE OF THE EXEMPLUM AND EXEMPLUM FIDEI Dissertation Approved: _______________Jeffrey Walker________________ Dissertation Adviser _____________William M. Decker_______________ _______________Edward Jones________________ ________________L. G. Moses_________________ ______________A. Gordon Emslie_______________ Dean of the Graduate College ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Walker, for his guidance, support, and friendship, not only during the considerable duration of this work but throughout the entire course of my graduate studies here at Oklahoma State University. No one could ask for a better teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend, and I have gained immeasurably from this long association. I consider myself extremely fortunate and blessed. My gratitude extends to my committee members. Dr. William Decker has been a continual source of guidance and resources and has consistently perpetuated my interest in both this subject and literary period. Dr. Edward Jones, who has been there from the very beginning, has been a great source of guidance, assistance, encouragement, and friendship and has demonstrated a welcome propensity for being available to me at critical points in my education. And Dr. L. G. Moses, my most recent acquaintance, has offered a unique intelligence and wit that made this dissertation a truly enjoyable learning experience.
    [Show full text]
  • What Was the Cause of Nietzsche's Dementia?
    PATIENTS What was the cause of Nietzsche’s dementia? Leonard Sax Summary: Many scholars have argued that Nietzsche’s dementia was caused by syphilis. A careful review of the evidence suggests that this consensus is probably incorrect. The syphilis hypothesis is not compatible with most of the evidence available. Other hypotheses – such as slowly growing right-sided retro-orbital meningioma – provide a more plausible fit to the evidence. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) ranks among the paintings had to be removed from his room so that most influential of modern philosophers. Novelist it would look more like a temple2. Thomas Mann, playwright George Bernard Shaw, On 3 January 1889, Nietzsche was accosted by journalist H L Mencken, and philosophers Martin two Turinese policemen after making some sort of Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Jacques Derrida, and public disturbance: precisely what happened is not Francis Fukuyama – to name only a few – all known. (The often-repeated fable – that Nietzsche acknowledged Nietzsche as a major inspiration saw a horse being whipped at the other end of the for their work. Scholars today generally recognize Piazza Carlo Alberto, ran to the horse, threw his Nietzsche as: arms around the horse’s neck, and collapsed to the ground – has been shown to be apocryphal by the pivotal philosopher in the transition to post-modernism. Verrecchia3.) Fino persuaded the policemen to There have been few intellectual or artistic movements that have 1 release Nietzsche into his custody. not laid a claim of some kind to him. Nietzsche meanwhile had begun to write brief, Nietzsche succumbed to dementia in January bizarre letters.
    [Show full text]
  • Dialogue Between Confucius and Socrates: Norms of Rhetorical Constructs in Their Dialogical Form and Dialogic Imagination
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1998 Dialogue Between Confucius and Socrates: Norms of Rhetorical Constructs in Their Dialogical Form and Dialogic Imagination. Bin Xie Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Xie, Bin, "Dialogue Between Confucius and Socrates: Norms of Rhetorical Constructs in Their Dialogical Form and Dialogic Imagination." (1998). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6717. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6717 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps.
    [Show full text]
  • Mencius on Becoming Human a Dissertation Submitted To
    UNIVERSITY OF HAWNI LIBRARY MENCIUS ON BECOMING HUMAN A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHILOSOPHY DECEMBER 2002 By James P. Behuniak Dissertation Committee: Roger Ames, Chairperson Eliot Deutsch James Tiles Edward Davis Steve Odin Joseph Grange 11 ©2002 by James Behuniak, Jr. iii For my Family. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS With support from the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Hawai'i, the Harvard-Yenching Institute at Harvard University, and the Office of International Relations at Peking University, much of this work was completed as a Visiting Research Scholar at Peking Univeristy over the academic year 2001-2002. Peking University was an ideal place to work and I am very grateful for the support of these institutions. I thank Roger Ames for several years of instruction, encouragement, generosity, and friendship, as well as for many hours of conversation. I also thank the Ames family, Roger, Bonney, and Austin, for their hospitality in Beijing. I thank Geir Sigurdsson for being the best friend that a dissertation writer could ever hope for. Geir was also in Beijing and read and commented on the manuscript. I thank my committee members for comments and recommendations submitted over the course of this work. lowe a lot to Jim Tiles for prompting me to think through the subtler components of my argument. I take full responsibility for any remaining weaknesses that carry over into this draft. I thank my additional member, Joseph Grange, who has been a mentor and friend for many years.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Jung, The writing self InterDisciplines 2 (2010) The writing self Rousseau and the author’s identity Theo Jung Introduction »The History of the world«, the British historian, novelist and literary critic Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) famously wrote in his On heroes, hero- worship and the heroic in history, »is but the Biography of great men« (Carlyle 1840: 34). »They were the leaders of men, these great ones; the model- lers, patterns, and in a wide sense creators, of whatsoever the general mass of men contrived to do or to attain« (3). Naturally, not all agreed with this view. One outspoken contemporary critic of this type of his- toriography as the serial biography of a number of heroes was the phi- losopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer (1820–1903). In the second chapter of his classic The study of sociology he posed the question if there could be such a thing as a social science. At least two groups, he thought, would deny such a possibility. Those who saw the hand of Providence at work with every historical phenomenon were bound to write history as a series of acts of God. As every event was individually produced by a di- vine will which could change at any moment this could not, properly speaking, be an object of science. The second group, »allied« to the first and »equally unprepared to interpret sociological phenomena scientifi- cally«, was made up of those who interpreted the course of civilization as the mere »record of remarkable persons and their doings« (Spencer 1874: 30). Needless to say, what Spencer termed the »great-man-theory« of history was not at all to his taste.
    [Show full text]
  • Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy?
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Philosophy Honors Theses Department of Philosophy 6-15-2007 Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy? Adam Adler Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/philosophy_hontheses Recommended Citation Adler, Adam, "Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy?." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2007. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/philosophy_hontheses/2 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Philosophy at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EMERSON’S HIDDEN INFLUENCE: WHAT CAN SPINOZA TELL THE BOY? by ADAM ADLER Under the Direction of Reiner Smolinski and Melissa Merritt ABSTRACT Scholarship on Emerson to date has not considered Spinoza’s influence upon his thought. Indeed, from his lifetime until the twentieth century, Emerson’s friends and disciples engaged in a concerted cover-up because of Spinoza’s hated name. However, Emerson mentioned his respect and admiration of Spinoza in his journals, letters, lectures, and essays, and Emerson’s thought clearly shows an importation of ideas central to Spinoza’s system of metaphysics, ethics, and biblical hermeneutics. In this essay, I undertake a biographical and philosophical study in order to show the extent of Spinoza’s influence on Emerson and
    [Show full text]