Gothic literature and the recontextualization of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century moral philosophy

dc.contributor.authorRockall, Liam
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteePerkins, Pam (English, Theatre, Film and Media)en_US
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeTromly, Lucas (English, Theatre, Film & Media)en_US
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeMcArthur, Neil (Philosophy)en_US
dc.contributor.supervisorFaubert, Michelle (English, Theatre, Film & Media)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2020-07-30T16:33:33Z
dc.date.available2020-07-30T16:33:33Z
dc.date.copyright2020-07-20
dc.date.issued2020-07en_US
dc.date.submitted2020-07-20T14:10:14Zen_US
dc.degree.disciplineEnglish, Film and Theatreen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts (M.A.)en_US
dc.description.abstractThe Gothic genre creates cautionary allegories on the dangers of immorality by illustrating moral philosophy in narrative form. Through horrific scenes of murder, rape, and supernatural forces, this literature demonstrates how vice perverts the mind, creating madness and spiritual damnation. This study considers how three Gothic writers from the Romantic period – Matthew Lewis, Charlotte Dacre, and James Hogg – recapitulate the theories of three prominent moral philosophers – John Locke, David Hume, and David Hartley, respectively – to examine the perils of iniquity. Accordingly, the analyses reveal that the Gothic genre invokes seventeenth- and eighteenth-century moral philosophy to explore immorality through themes of personal identity, narrative styles, and multiple perspectives. As in other Gothic novels, the Devil haunts the primary characters of Lewis’s, Dacre’s, and Hogg’s works by distorting the material world and manipulating sensory experience; in doing so, he exacerbates their immoral disposition and spreads his evil throughout the world. At the heart of this examination are questions about the origins, nature, and effects of evil, which Gothic literature investigates by delving into the darkest depths of the human mind and soul.en_US
dc.description.noteMay 2020en_US
dc.identifier.citationMLAen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/34805
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectGothic Literatureen_US
dc.subjectMoral Philosophyen_US
dc.titleGothic literature and the recontextualization of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century moral philosophyen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
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