Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1977

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

John H. Fisher

Committee Members

Perry Adams, Nathalia Wright, Lanier Smythe

Abstract

The grotesque, which some critics believe to be the dominant mode of expression in twentieth-century literature, is not a strictly modern phenomenon. By concentrating on the literary evolution of the most grotesque of medieval dramatic figures--the Vice of the morality plays--I demonstrate in three major chapters the continuity of the grotesque tradition from its beginnings in the Middle Ages to its uses in the works of several modern writers.

I define the grotesque as follows: The grotesque, through the conflicting tendencies of the humorous and the terrifying, embodies the I negation of a preconceived norm implied within a particular work. The first part of the definition is in general agreement with most theorists of the phenomenon, who note its, characteristic conflict. The second part shifts the discussion.. away from the exact nature of the grotesque, which is obscured by much critical controversy, and allows us to focus on its thematic significance, which may be treated more concisely.

The grotesque grew out of the complex consciousness of medieval man, whose mind was split between the 'ideal and the real. By typo- I logically adapting:classica1 and Hebrew ideas, the Fathers of the I Christian Church pictured an ideal world of rational, hierarchical order. This order was reflected, in their fundamentally didactic aesthetics, which associated Good with harmony and beauty and Evil with ugliness and discord. But no such order was evident in medieval society, which was characterized by superstition, violence, and reckless enthusiasm. Caught between these conflicting forces, the artists were: innately unable to characterize Evil--which led to certain damnation but which seemed so attractive in everyday life--in purely negative terms. The result was the ambivalence which we call the grotesque, and which pervades medieval art and literature in the form of gargoyles, half-human figures in manuscript illumination, and allegorical personifications of Vice in literature. Though the effect is ambivalent, the thematic function of these figures is clear: The grotesque embodies evil and is used as an exhortation to virtue in an attempt to insure salvation. I call this function "traditional" and use it as a standard against which .to measure later, more complex, uses of the grotesque. Although the concerns of many twentieth-century writers have shifted from the religious concerns of Good and Evil to a more general regard for life adjustment without reference to any particular creed, there is still a strong tendency to associate grotesquerie with spiritual moral, or psychological error. This technique is seen in the works of William Faulkner. Some of today's writers, however, effect an inversion of the tradition by endowing their obviously grotesque characters with qualities which are superior to those manifested in the "normal" world around them. This technique is used in varying degrees and modes by Flannery OI Connor, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Peter Shaffer, and Samuel Beckett. Grotesquerie in both the traditional and inverted senses is. evident in the literature written between the Middle Ages and the twentieth century. Spenser, Jonson, Milton, and Dickens are traditional ' in using the grotesque to embody a negation of right living, while Shakespeare, Swift, and Mary Shelley are more modern in their uses of profoundly ambiguous inversions. I conclude that the grotesque is not a modern phenomenon; it is a persistent, prominent, and potent element in our literary heritage.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS