Date of Graduation

12-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in English (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

English

Advisor/Mentor

Sexton, Danny D.

Committee Member

Marren, Susan M.

Second Committee Member

Madison, Karen L.

Keywords

19th century; Fyodor Dostoevsky; Existentialism; Jude Fawley; Thomas Hardy; Ivan Kaaramazov

Abstract

Fyodor Dostoevsky and Thomas Hardy both explored the intricacies of the burgeoning spiritual crisis of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in their works. The two most prominent of these works, Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and Hardy's Jude the Obscure, show the stories of two characters, Ivan and Jude respectively, that choose to reject God. This thesis explores the connection between these two characters, specifically as they represent the two authors' outsider characters. It looks at the reasons behind their rejection, the ways that their rejection plays out in their lives, and the novels' alternatives, namely Christianity and selfless love, to their rejection.

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