Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Spy stories, English--History and criticism; Phenomenology and literature; Phenomenology and literature; Spy stories, English; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Academic theses;
Abstract
This thesis offers a phenomenological approach to four examples of early British espionage fiction; by discussing the experiences of four protagonists with their perceptions of reality, the study also gives a reconsideration to the literary essence of the figure of the spy of early British espionage stories. In attempting the combination of phenomenology and espionage fiction, the thesis first of all reviews the canon of criticism on British espionage fiction in general. This review criticizes the dilemma of preceding scholarly contributions, focusing on their general ignorance of the early phase of espionage fiction, which was due to the comparison between spy stories in accordance with the principles of realism. However, this study proposes a socio-genetic understanding of espionage fiction, thus allowing different forms of representations of fictional espionage. Additionally. the phenomenological essence of this methodology applies three concepts to a perusal of four texts of early British espionage fiction: knowledge, reality. and perspective. With this focus in mind, the main part of the thesis examines four narrations, concentrating on their reflection of perceptions of reality from the protagonist's s point of view. Each of the four examples emphasizes the relationship in them between knowledge, reality. and perspective: Childers' s novel, The Riddle of the Sands. displays the relationship between perceptions of probability and certainty; Conrad's work, The Secret Agent, focuses on the impact of its multiplicity of perceived perspectives; Buchan's narration. The Thirty-Nine Steps, studies the relationship between perception and role-playing; and Conan-Doyle 's story, "The Last Bow,'' illuminates the relationship between perception and narrative reality. With the findings of these close examinations, the thesis suggests as its conclusion that at least these four examples of early British espionage fiction must be interpreted as the immediate descendants of preceding literature's fascination for the "homo duplex," meaning the literary shadow character of such late-Victorian works as Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, or H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man. However, the "homo duplex" of the early British spy story is one result of processes of differentiations in perceptions of reality.
Year of Submission
1997
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
Carol Poster
Second Advisor
Alice Swensen
Third Advisor
Katherine Van Wormer
Date Original
1997
Object Description
1 PDF file (89 leaves)
Copyright
©1997 Hans-Jörg Grohmann
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Grohmann, Hans-Jörg, "Early British Espionage Fiction and the Differentiation of Clandestine Realities: A Study in the Paradox of the Protagonist’s Motivation in Erskine Childer’s The Riddle of the Sands, Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps, and Arthur Conan-Doyle’s The Last Bow" (1997). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2799.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2799
Comments
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