Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Suggitt Dissertation.pdf (1.27 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

BETWEEN BECOMING AND BEING: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRIEDERIKE HELENE UNGER'S NOVELS

Suggitt, Amber
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429547617

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Germanic Languages and Literatures.
Over the course of the 18th century a new concept of the individual began to emerge, grounded in the philosophical theories of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and many others. The evolving conceptualization of the modern subject entailed an understanding of an individual imbued with moral freedom, responsible for his actions on both a moral and a social level. This increased focus on man is reflected in the literature of the period and reaches a high point in the latter half of the 18th century. Novels such as Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre or Anton Reiser engage with the individual as both a product of and influence on his environment. The various ways in which authors choose to present their protagonists reflect greatly on the authors’ perspectives regarding the formation and status of the individual; taken collectively, they serve to form a canon for 18th-century literary anthropology. One author, Friederike Helene Unger, engages extensively with such representations of the modern individual in several of her novels – three of which I analyze here. Over the course of her literary undertakings it becomes increasingly clear that Unger does not consider individuality to be an achievable goal for every character: the level of “success” emerges in direct relationship to an individual’s nature, early formation, and ability to exert influence on her environment. These various factors result in characters who stand between being and becoming, and who are subsequently more or less capable of representing themselves as autonomous individuals. Furthermore, this individuality is reflected at the textual level; the more narrative control a character exerts, the more of an individuality he or she possesses. When read in conjunction with each other, Unger’s novels reveal an attempt to explore various possibilities for individuals of her time, with a focus on the fragile, constructed nature of the self.
Bernd Fischer (Committee Chair)
May Mergenthaler (Committee Co-Chair)
Katra Byram (Committee Member)
268 p.
Germanic Literature

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Suggitt, A. (2015). BETWEEN BECOMING AND BEING: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRIEDERIKE HELENE UNGER'S NOVELS [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429547617

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Suggitt, Amber. BETWEEN BECOMING AND BEING: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRIEDERIKE HELENE UNGER'S NOVELS . 2015. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429547617.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Suggitt, Amber. "BETWEEN BECOMING AND BEING: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRIEDERIKE HELENE UNGER'S NOVELS ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429547617

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1429547617
2,149
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.