Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Fortuna (Roman deity)--In literature; Literature, Medieval--History and criticism;

Abstract

The goddess Fortuna, who ruled over chance and the giving of worldly gifts was a pagan deity who survived through the conversion of Christianity in Europe. Her survival and inclusion in Medieval literature caused conflicts with the Christian religion, especially in relation to beliefs in free will and God’s Providence. Now, twenty-first century scholars are still attempting to figure out how the role of free will can co-exist with Fortuna, especially in regard to the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, who render Fortuna as a dominant entity in the lives of their Christian characters. These authors, who were inspired by Boethius’s perception of Fortuna, transformed Fortuna’s role from that of a goddess of chance, to an entity who aids the Christian God in the movement of events based on human decisions.

Year of Submission

2015

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Wendy Marie Hoofnagle, Chair

Date Original

2015

Object Description

1 PDF file (v, 77 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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