Masters Theses
Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Major
French
Major Professor
Anne-Helène Miller
Committee Members
Brittany Murray, Matthew Brauer
Abstract
This thesis is concerned with the interaction between the three factors that govern meaning-creation in literature: the author, the reader, and the text. Starting with 1960s experimental literature, I will examine how the text influences its own perception, how language affects the act of reading, and how the author/reader power structure can be challenged by new, innovative mediums whose characteristics incur counter-cultural readings. The ultimate aim of this thesis is not to analyze these mediums as separate phenomenons, but rather as part of a large artistic continuum; as such, the conclusions drawn from their analysis will concern the larger fields of literature, artistic production, and the political structures they exist in. I will also use the concept of “fanfiction” to develop a philosophical reflection against the concept of intellectual property as it exists, before examining the aesthetic qualities of AI-generated literature, as well as what it reveals on the mystified social nature of literary production.
Recommended Citation
Moreau, Maxime, "Experiences of Textuality: from the Oulipo to the Cyborg Author of the Digital Age. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2024.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/11356