Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2008
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Leland Poague
Second Advisor
Geoffrey Sauer
Third Advisor
David Zimmerman
Abstract
Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet, consisting of four books---Justine (1957), Balthazar (1958), Mountolive (1959), and Clea (1960)---has long been overlooked academic literary criticism and Durrell's works have largely failed to enter Western canon due to their curious and indefinite status within the literary movements of the twentieth century. This thesis locates the Quartet at the historical and ideological confluence of the major literary philosophies of the century---modernism and postmodernism. Durrell's work seems to exhibit modernist techniques, such as anxiety, uncertainty and the lack of an authoritative viewpoint, as well as themes of human memory, attention to Freudian psychology and a belief in the possibility of salvation through art, but at the same time demonstrates many postmodern features, including metafictional traits, intertextuality, and pastiche, in addition to elements of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory. The Alexandria Quartet thus serves as an important transitional work in twentieth century literature.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-16591
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/
Copyright Owner
Tyler John Niska
Copyright Date
2008
Language
en
Proquest ID
AAI1453897
OCLC Number
256493562
ISBN
9780549595502
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
91 pages
Recommended Citation
Niska, Tyler John, "Bridging the gaps: Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet as a transitional work in twentieth century literature" (2008). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 15361.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/15361
