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Interpretations of Fear and Anxiety in Gothic-Postmodern Fiction: An Analysis of The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Litzler, Stacey A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1384438957

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt is a novel that explores the conditions of detachment and anomie that are represented by a group of six students at an eastern private college. This tale of murder and concealment, combined with a lack of remorse and redemption, is far from the traditional, coming-of-age school novel. I argue that The Secret History participates in the gothic-postmodern literary genre, even though it bears the trappings of other genres. Reading this novel through a gothic-postmodern lens reveals that this work is an exaggeration, by way of the charged gothic atmosphere, of the tendencies of detachment and anomie that are said to occur more frequently in postmodern society. This novel is a critique of the negative potential of postmodern society, and it provides a means of coping with, and mastering, the fears and anxieties inherent in postmodern society.
Frederick Karem, PhD (Committee Chair)
Adam Sonstegard, PhD (Committee Member)
James Marino, PhD (Committee Member)
60 p.
Literature
gothic; postmodern; gothic-postmodern; anomie; Donna Tartt; The Secret History

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Litzler, S. A. (2013). Interpretations of Fear and Anxiety in Gothic-Postmodern Fiction: An Analysis of The Secret History by Donna Tartt [Master's thesis, Cleveland State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1384438957

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Litzler, Stacey. Interpretations of Fear and Anxiety in Gothic-Postmodern Fiction: An Analysis of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 2013. Cleveland State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1384438957.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Litzler, Stacey. "Interpretations of Fear and Anxiety in Gothic-Postmodern Fiction: An Analysis of The Secret History by Donna Tartt." Master's thesis, Cleveland State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1384438957

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

csu1384438957
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© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Cleveland State University and OhioLINK.